Players and tradition outmatch new coaches, plus CHS soccer pics
Watching the Chico High girls soccer team today, I got the chance to see the best Eastern Athletic League program over the course of the last four years. There's a new coach in Panther land, Antonio Isera, and he took over a team that didn't allow an EAL goal at all last year.
It's a classic case of "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it." But not all coaches would see it that way, and I don't know Isera well enough to say what he will do. Nonetheless, my advice would be not to change too much.
There are a couple different players on the roster this year but the core is pretty much intact. Those girls have been in the program for years, and I always feel that a successful program automatically breeds desire and competitiveness and victories. In other words, Isera has a team full of girls who already know how to win and that group expects to do it every time it takes the field.
Some coaches try to change the players into their system, while others see the talents of their players and adapt the system to their players. Doing the wrong thing, either way, can definitely kill a juggernaut.
We'll have to see if Isera can continue the success or if Pleasant Valley and Shasta will be able to compete for the EAL Cup this year. Until I can answer that question, the Panthers are still the class of the league.
Enterprise-Record photographer Jason Halley took some great pics out there at the pitch today, so here are a few:
Chico's Brooke White (8) and Brittney Sheffield (20) had plenty of opportunities to work on their ballhandling skills Thursday, as Chico took 21 shots on goal. Red Bluff's Sarah Povey looks determined to get the ball.
Chico's Kealan Cronin broke down Red Bluff's Holly Coffman here with a ball move. The flying pigtails are a neat aspect of the photo.
Sheffield is going to Oregon State on a scholarship. Her rifle-like shot is likely a reason. She scored once Thursday and had an assist.
Karly Brown scored a pair of goals Thursday. Here, she looks more assertive than Red Bluff's Miranda Clawson.
Don't let the angle fool you. Red Bluff's Povey is not on offense here. Instead, Chico's Kaia Kehoe is simply trying to get it back while in the Panthers' attack zone.