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WEDNESDAY
12.30.15 Volume 15 Issue 36
@smdailypress
WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 CURIOUS CITY ................................PAGE 4 BOOK REVIEW ..................................PAGE 5 CRIME WATCH ..................................PAGE 8 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
At Samohi, finding a system for success Boys soccer: Vikings look to bounce back from early losses as they implement Prost’s complex offense BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
Last Monday had already become a rough day for the Santa Monica High boys soccer team, which was swept by South GateSouth East in a nonconference duel at the South Torrance tournament. But the challenges were only beginning to unfold. The Vikings had to play again later that afternoon, this time against San Pedro. They were shorthanded, too, because a few players were out of town with school closed for winter vacation and several others were nursing injuries. Then it started to rain. But a Hollywood ending wasn’t written for Samohi, which finished the 2015 portion of its campaign with a loss in a penalty-kick shootout after playing to a 3-3 tie. Still, there was enough to convince coach Corey Prost that the Vikings are capable of a successful season in his second year at the helm. “I was proud of the way we fought back into the game,” said Prost, whose team gave up an early goal in the preseason setback. “We’ve had a slow start in terms of results, but we’re hoping to get everyone healthy and make a push for league and another push for
Courtesy photo
BOYS IN BLUE: The Samohi boys soccer team is in its second year under coach Corey Prost, a Vikings alumnus.
playoffs.” At least in one way, the program is more stable now than it was this time last year. Prost, a Samohi alumnus who is currently in his second year at the helm, has become more familiar with his roster and his players are more comfortable in his system. “There’s always a bit of transition [the first year],” he said. “This year, it’s going very smoothly.
We’ve got a great group of guys who are really committed to improving themselves. I’m proud of the progress they’ve made so far.” Whether Prost’s team can bounce back from a poor showing in nonconference play remains to be seen. The Vikings, who last year lost to Santa Paula in the wild-card round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs and finished
Students await SpaceX rocket re-launch
with a 7-12-1 record, were just 1-6 this season entering their nonconference finale Jan. 8 on the road against Manhattan Beach-Mira Costa. This year’s squad features a combination of senior leadership and inexperienced talent. Providing stability are senior cocaptains Kohl Buitenveld and Mostafa Diab. Buitenveld “makes our midfield
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
As several Santa Monica students have learned, getting to space isn’t an easy endeavor. About six months ago, the
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Program, a national educational initiative that aims to promote science through real-world application and interdisciplinary collaboration. The local students whose projSEE ROCKET PAGE 7
JEFF@smdp.com
Ringing in 2016 on the Westside New Year’s parties, dinners, more around town
Spacebound science experiment to get second chance after June mishap SpaceX rocket carrying their science experiment to the International Space Station exploded shortly after launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was an unexpected learning experience to be gained from the Student Spaceflight Experiments
tick,” Prost said. “He’s good at distributing the ball and playing the ball we’d like him to play.” Diab, who usually plays at center back, bolsters a defense that is anchored by goalkeepers Emilio Medina, Saba Maknouni and Nate Comay. “When he’s out on the field,” Prost said, “we’re very strong defensively in the back.” Prost is also expecting a standout campaign from sophomore Owen Koetters, a midfielder who earned ample playing time in the varsity ranks as a freshman. “He’s been very good for us in the middle,” Prost said. “He’s created a lot in our attack.” Samohi’s attack is predicated on a complex style that involves precise ball movement from the back line to the forwards. It’s a style that Prost learned from former club coach Keith West, who now runs the women’s soccer program at Cal State Northridge — and a style that he believes will help his team succeed in the Ocean League and beyond. Conference play begins Jan. 13 on the road against Hawthorne. “The bar for us is to improve every day,” Prost said. “It’s a style the kids aren’t used to playing, but it’s to prepare them to play at the next level.”
BY JENNIFER MAAS Daily Press Staff Writer
The new year is upon us, but before the resolutions come the celebrations. This year there are several options for Santa Monicans who want to count down in style
on Dec. 31, whether it be at a masquerade ball or with a prix-fixe dinner. The Upper West restaurant (3321 Pico Blvd.) will be holding a celebration that includes a first seating from 5 - 7 p.m. with their SEE FESTIVITIES PAGE 6
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