Photo: Steve Galluzzo
Palisades High’s girls soccer team is off to one of its best starts in years under head coach Christian Chambers and after opening with six straight victories the Dolphins were shut out 2-0 by Granada Hills last Saturday at Stadium by the Sea, both goals coming in the first half.
The teams had not faced each other since the Highlanders won in a shootout in the City Division I final at Valley College in 2020. Palisades has lost in the semifinals each of the last four seasons—two times to El Camino Real and twice to Cleveland, both rivals of Granada Hills in the West Valley League. The Dolphins outscored their first six opponents 39-2.
Following a season-opening rout of Larchmont Charter when Mae Durkin and Harper Given each had three goals and three assists and CeCe Tierney added two goals and two assists, Mechal Green had two goals and an assist in a 7-0 league win at Fairfax. Green had a goal and four assists the next day in a 6-1 home victory over Taft and scored three times in a 6-0 league triumph at Hamilton on Dec. 6. Maya Hively scored off an assist by Green in the first half for the only goal and goalkeeper Maria Knierim stood tall in net in a nonleague affair versus visiting Birmingham one week later.
On Friday, captain Leila Jafari had three goals and Green added a goal and three assists as Palisades defeated GALA 7-1 on home turf.
Green entered Wednesday’s league contest at Westchester with a team-high eight goals and 10 assists, Jafari and Harper Given had six goals apiece and Stella Robinson had five.
Knierim and fellow goalie Scarlett Bocaccio each had four saves.
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