The Cleveland girls soccer team played in the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs against Garces Memorial at Taft High School on Tuesday. (Photo by Haley Sawyer, LA Daily News/SCNG)
WOODLAND HILLS — When Amber Ramirez arrived for her freshman season at Cleveland Women's Soccer, she was determined she wanted to be a part of history.
“I came to this school and thought, 'You know what?' As freshmen, we're going to make history,” she said. “And to be honest, we accomplished that all season. But don't worry, we'll get there.”
The Cavaliers faced CIF Central Section Division I runner-up Garces Memorial in the first round of the CIF Southern California Regional Division II playoffs on Tuesday, falling just short with a 1-0 loss to Taft High School.
28 minutes into the match, Garces's Marcella Giumarra scored a goal after receiving a long ball from the left.
Despite the result, Cleveland remained undaunted.
The Cavs got off to a strong start, taking several promising shots within the first 40 minutes, but luckily none of them found the net.
“After the first few minutes, I knew I could play on this team,” Cleveland's second-year head coach Greg Eibach said. “We had energy and passion. I think we got tired as the game went on.”
It's been an exhausting few weeks for Cleveland. The West Valley League runner-up team won the CIF Los Angeles City Section Division 1 title Friday by defeating El Camino Real in a penalty shootout after a one-game playoff contest every other day.
On Tuesday, Cleveland marked its fourth straight appearance in the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs and second under Eibach, who has been with the team in some capacity for a total of five seasons.
He introduced a new style of play to the program when he took over, one that set up more complex scoring opportunities rather than the most direct approach.
“We've always had talented, fast players,” senior goaltender Stella Swanson said. “We've always had guys who can deal with everyone well. And now we've changed the style of play, and I think it's for the better. Sometimes things don't work out. But at least we played great football.”
The Cavs appear to have the right chemistry within the team with a group of hard-working returning players. Ramirez was named this season's West Valley League offensive MVP, while junior defender Alexa Monge, junior forward Naomi Sweeney and sophomore midfielder Miranda Reynoso were all selected to the West Valley League first team.
The momentum in City Section women's soccer appears to be tilting in Cleveland's favor, as the Cavs continue to attract talented recruits. Eibach said he has immense pride in this season's group, and the pressure of playing in big playoff games has brought the group together even more.
“The next step is to take a few weeks off and get back into action,” Eibach said. “We are 100% hopeful that we will be back for the City Final next year.”
At halftime of Tuesday's game, Ramirez's voice cut through the chatter of the people in the stands and the assembled players.
“Let's make history,” she exclaimed, signaling that the Cleveland women's soccer journey is far from over.
