South Placer Girls' Soccer roundup: Rocklin High finishes second in tournament, Roseville and Woodcreek off to solid starts

The girls' soccer season is in full swing for high schools in the South Placer area and teams such as Roseville, Woodcreek and Rocklin have played well out of the gates. Here is a look at all area squads and how they have recently played. Rocklin High versus West Park High The Whitney/Rocklin Invitational tournament took place last weekend and the Thunder finished second after losing to Windsor High in the final game in penalty kicks. Prior to the loss, Rocklin High defeated Pleasant Valley, West Park and University Prep. In the game against West Park High, the Thunder won 6-1 and had six different scorers, including Isla Sieber, Sara Murphy, Nalani Damacion, Gia Costanzo, Lia Savage and Mackenzie Smotherman. Five goals were scored in the first half. "We've only had three practices together for the most part and this was really nice to see," Thunder coach J.J. Barnette said. "They have very high IQ's, so when we get onto the field, they are able to process things quickly and move the ball quickly." Both teams had a number of players who weren't at the tournament because they were at an Elite Clubs National League event in Tennessee. West Park High scored its lone goal in the 48th minute from a strike by Balla Madigan. The Panthers went on to lose to Pleasant Valley before beating Cordova 3-2 on Saturday. They will play their next game at home against Twelve Bridges High on Dec. 19. Rocklin High is 3-1 to start the season and will host Cordova High on Friday before facing Ponderosa High at home on Tuesday. Oakmont High The Lady Vikings finished second in the Foothill Valley League last season. They opened their 2022-23 season on Nov. 30 with a 1-1 draw against Del Campo High where senior goalkeeper Hannah Andreasen totaled four saves for Oakmont High. The Vikings will be without their top two goalscorers from 2021-22, Sarah McHugh and Avalina Espinoza, but have other scorers returning such as Megan Mendenhall, Ashley Pavloff and Gianna Bohren returning. Oakmont High is currently competing in a tournament and faces Monterey Trail on Friday before playing Franklin on Saturday. Roseville High The Lady Tigers finished the 2021-22 season third in the Capital Valley Conference and won a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff game. Despite losing their top two goalscorers, Lauren Rose and Grace Eldridge to graduation, Roseville High is returning sophomore goalkeeper Izabella Duink who totaled 39 saves last year. They are also returning sophomore Dani Ghibanescu, who was third in goals scored with seven last season. Roseville High defeated West Park High 1-0 on Nov. 29 with the lone score coming from Katie Sessano. The Tigers beat Antelope High 2-0 on Tuesday and will begin league competition on Tuesday at home against Yuba City. Granite Bay High The Lady Grizzlies were second in the Sierra Foothill League last season and made it to the Sac-Joaquin Section and NorCal title games before falling to Whitney High and Leigh High, respectively. While a number of their goalscorers have graduated such as Savannah and Julia Schwarze, they do have players returning, including senior Sofia Bacsafra. Senior goalkeeper and Stanford University commit Alyssa Savig totaled 51 saves for the Grizzlies as a junior and will be back for her senior year. In the midfield, the Grizzlies will have Carly Stewart, who is committed to Valparaiso University in Indiana while University of Memphis commit Kennedy Swift will help lead the defense. Granite Bay High played Woodbridge High in Irvine to start the season on Tuesday and drew 0-0. The Grizzlies will play their home opener against Cordova next Friday. Woodcreek High The Lady Timberwolves are the defending Capital Valley Conference champions and finished last season with a 14-2-2 record. They are returning their top four goalscorers: Sarah Granno, Lexi Schroeder, Ellie David and Mia McSweeney. Those four players combined for 40 of Woodcreek High's 61 total goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Makena Tapia had 31 saves last season and will return as well for the 2022-23 season. Woodcreek High played Bella Vista High on Tuesday and won 9-0. The Timberwolves will face Inderkum High on Thursday, after press time, and will play Whitney High away on Tuesday. Del Oro High The Golden Eagles were 8-5-5 last season, were fourth in the Sierra Foothill League and won their first round game in the postseason. Only eight of their 23 players graduated and there will be many others returning, such as junior goalkeeper and University of Miami commit Gray Willson. Del Oro High played Davis High on Wednesday and will prepare to face Maria Carrillo High on the road in Santa Rosa on Saturday.