14 SPORTS
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
THE BULL’S EYE
Trampling past the Mustangs Sports passions GIRLS SOCCER| Displaying an exceptional defensive performance, the Lady Brahmas successfully manage a victory over the rival Walnut Mustangs.
turn into rivalries Teachers at Diamond Bar High School express their passion for the teams they love and follow. BY GABY DINH STAFF WRITER
RESEMBLING MORGAN - Junior Helena Kisor utlilizes her precise ball control to get past her opponent.
BY ELAINE KIM CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Diamond Bar girls soccer team advanced to impress as it advances toward the first round of the CIF playoffs with a 2-1 victory against the Walnut Mustangs on Valentine’s Day. Although the Lady Brahmas struggled through a tough first half, facing the equally aggressive play by the Mustangs, DB was eventually able to gain the lead in the second half. The Lady Brahmas began with a shaky start, missing many opportunities to score throughout the first half of the match. Passes made by the Lady Brahmas were frequently intercepted and the ball often hovered dangerously around the proximity of the DB net. However, it was again the DB’s defense that saved the Lady Brahmas in the first half of the match. The defense was an important factor in victory and it was not surprising, considering that it was observed to be DB’s secret weapon throughout the regular season. During league play, the Brahmas
scored 22 goals while only giving up 5. “I think the players battled through a tough first half and put in a good effort in the second half to win the game” coach Matthew Brummett said. Heading into the second half, the Lady Brahmas’ determination prevailed as juniors Marissa
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we made a deep run into playoffs. Coach Matthew Brummett Favela and Angie Puerta each scored a goal. Although the Mustangs attempted to rebound and take charge of the game by making a goal, their offense could not penetrate DB’s defense, ending the match with a Brahma win. In addition to Favela and Puerta, sophomore Sabrina May showed her strength, playing particularly well on defense and contributing with two assists. Some notable players
XING YEN QUEK
include seniors and co-captains Sabrina Corpus and Lea Kolek, who both proved essential to Lady Brahmas’ victory. With this victory over Walnut, the Lady Brahmas showed their skill once again in this highly successful season. The Lady Brahmas finished second in the Hacienda League with an overall record of 16-4-3. “We won a big tournament. We had a great overall record. We also earned a home playoff game in the first round which I am proud of. This season has been a productive one” Brummett commented. With playoffs underway, the outlook for the Lady Brahmas seems bright. Their strong defense and efficient offense will hopefully take the Lady Brahmas far in the CIF playoffs after defeating Mayfield 2-1 in the first round by a gamewinning free kick by Favela. Favela has made a remarkable return from her an illness and is slowly working her way back into her old form of being a superstar. “In the playoffs, I expect us to give it our all and compete. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we made a deep run into playoffs. We have a defense that can shut down any great offense” Brummett said.
Academics is not the only thing teachers have a passion about. Many teachers at Diamond Bar have a certain team or college they follow with intense devotion. Sometimes, these love affairs with their sports team can lead to some friendly rivalries. Calculus teacher Jeff Brose supports the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. During AP testing season, he usually wears an Angels’ jersey with the number five on the back, to represent the AP testing score. Brose has been a fan of the Angels since he was a kid. He says it was the year 2000 when he became the bigger Angels fan. The Angels’ management and ownership impressed him by going to its playoff games and seeing the World Series
COACH PROFILE Name: Matthew Brummett Currently Coaching: Varsity Girls Soccer
Matthew Brummett is the coach of the Diamond Bar High School varsity girls soccer team. His passion for soccer originated from his experiences playing as a youngster. He began coaching the Fountain Valley High School freshmen team at 19. While coaching, he played college soccer at UC Irvine. After six years of coaching at FV, he became the coach of the DBHS soccer team. His proudest moment as a coach was when his team won the Hacienda League title two years ago, his first league title as a head coach. “I really wanted to give back to the sport that gave so much to me,” Brummett said.
LEAH KOLEK ATHLETE OF THE MONTH Following Morgan’s footsteps
BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER
Known as an aggressive player, senior varsity soccer captain Leah Kolek dominates both on and off the field. Kolek has been on the varsity team since the middle of her freshman year and has consistently led the Brahmas to success ever since. Influenced by her family, Kolek began playing soccer as a youngster. By the age of eight, Kolek was already playing at clubs such as the American Soccer Youth Organization and FC Barcelona. Since then, Kolek played for various clubs throughout elementary and middle school. Kolek, then, joined the Diamond Bar High School soccer program, where her determination landed her on junior varsity team in her freshman year. She quickly earned her way onto the varsity team midseason that year. She has been on varsity ever since. Kolek earned her title as team captain her senior year and has led the team to the
CIF playoffs twice. Among her many prestigious achievements, her most memorable one was during a game last year against Los Altos, where she scored the winning header of the game. “At first, I just really liked the sport and being active, but I started motivating myself to get a schol-
I really like that feeling of winning and being competitive and sort of having that ‘game’ mindset. Senior Leah Kolek arship as I got older,” Kolek commented. Her hard work throughout her high school career proved to be fruitful, as Kolek also recently received an athletic scholarship to Whittier College and plans to play Division II soccer there. Although she desires to convert her passion for athletics into a career, Kolek remains uncertain on whether she wants to join National Women Soc-
in 2002 cemented it. “Since I grew up a Dodgers fan, they are my second favorite team. Way behind the Angels, though,” Brose explains. “So I can tolerate, even love, some Dodgers fans like Mrs. Lujan, Mr. Hong, and even my own brother.” As mentioned by Brose, Spanish teacher Irma Lujan is a major fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. She has been a fan of the baseball team for around thirty years and tries to tune into every Dodgers game she can on her TV with her family, or even attend the games in person during the season. “I like to talk to Mr. Brose so I can tease him when the Angels are losing,” said Lujan. In the most recent Super Bowl, history teacher and Athletics Director Kurt Davies supported the Seattle Seahawks while American history teacher Ty Watkins supported the Denver Broncos. Davies became a fan of the Seahawks fan when his father bought him season tickets in 1976. “I have had plenty of opportunity to talk about the Seahawks recently,” Davies said. “Mr. Watkins was a fair-weather Bronco fan, so it was nice to discuss the Super Bowl with him.”
cer League after college. Of course, being soccer captain is not always easy for Kolek. Because of her aggressive nature on field, she is frequently in feuds with referees and is, on many occasions, forced to sit out of games during crucial moments. “It’s one of the worst feelings ever, watching everyone play and wanting to play yourself, but not being able to,” Kolek explained. Another hurdle the player had to tackle was balancing her school workload with her soccer schedule. However, despite her hectic schedule as a student athlete, Kolek manages to maintain a 3.4 GPA. Kolek is inspired to do her best by Diamond Bar alumni and professional soccer player Alex Morgan. Kolek uses Morgan as a driving motivation to improve as a player. “I really like that feeling of winning and being competitive and sort of having that ‘game’ mindset. It’s kind of like an escape when I play [because] I’m not stressed. I’m really close to a lot of my friends because of it, too, and it’s become more of a lifestyle for me,” Kolek commented.