Warriors start girls soccer season 3-2

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Fallbrook High School’s girls soccer team compiled a 3-2 record in the Warriors’ first five games of the 2021-22 season.

The Warriors began the season Dec. 6 with a 4-0 home loss against Mission Vista but then shut out Oceanside in a 1-0 game Dec. 10 at Oceanside. A 6-0 defeat Dec. 16 at Sage Creek was followed by a 2-0 home triumph Dec. 21 against Rancho Buena Vista and a 1-0 win Dec. 23 at Vista.

“We’re getting better,” said Fallbrook coach Nico Guerra.

Although Guerra has not previously been a head coach this is his 10th year coaching a Fallbrook High School soccer team and he had previously been involved with the Warriors’ boys soccer program as a parent. Guerra succeeds Sergio Garcia, who was the Warriors’ head coach for the past five seasons.

“It’s very interesting and it’s challenging for me,” Guerra said of being a head coach.

Guerra has eight years of experience as a junior varsity boys coach and one year as the Warriors’ girls junior varsity coach. “That helped me at least get an idea of high school soccer, but now being in charge of varsity it’s a different challenge,” he said.

“It’s a great challenge,” Guerra said. “I’m enjoying it.”

Guerra notes that the biggest adjustment in the transition from lower-level coach to head coach is the administrative activity. “I’ve never done it before, but it’s great experience,” he said. “I’m going to get there and little by little I’m going to get better.”

The 50-year-old Guerra lived in central Mexico before moving to Fallbrook in 1987 when he was 15. He attended Fallbrook High School but did not play soccer for the Warriors. He has played for clubs in Mexico as well as local clubs. “I’ve been playing soccer pretty much all my life,” he said.

Guerra’s older son, Eduardo, played soccer for Fallbrook High School before graduating in 2012. “That’s one of the reasons I jumped into the program,” Guerra said of beginning his Fallbrook High School coaching career. “Jorge Rojas gave me an opportunity to be part of the program.”

Rojas has been Fallbrook’s boys varsity soccer coach since 2011-12. Guerra has three children. His other son, Abraham, played soccer for the Warriors before graduating in 2021. Guerra continued to help coach the boys after his older son graduated. “I stayed because I knew Abraham was coming,” he said.

Guerra’s daughter, Hanna, is now 15 and a Fallbrook High School sophomore who is currently on the Warriors’ junior varsity soccer team. “I moved to the girls program because of Hanna,” Guerra said.

Tryouts for girls soccer began Nov. 8, and approximately 70 girls sought roster berths. “We had enough players for three levels,” Guerra said.

The 2021-22 program does not have a freshman team. “We thought about it, but we had no coaches,” Guerra said.

Guerra was forced to make cuts. “It’s unfortunate. I don’t like to do that,” he said.

The varsity roster has 16 girls. Originally 22 girls were on the junior varsity team, although that number has been reduced to 16. Only five of the 2020-21 players were seniors, so approximately a dozen current players return from last season’s varsity.

Guerra had no desire to lose to Mission Vista in his coaching debut, nor did any of his players. “Any time you lose you feel bad,” he said.

A loss shows where a team’s vulnerabilities are. “It’s a good opportunity to wake up and say that you need to work and get focused,” Guerra said. “We’ve been making some adjustments and some changes.”

Some of those changes were good enough to defeat Oceanside. “The intensity of the girls, it was higher than the first game, more confidence, we controlled most of the game,” Guerra said.

Abby Petersen began practice late because she is also on Fallbrook High School’s cross country team, but the sophomore scored the Warriors’ first goal of the season in the first half of the Dec, 10 game. Karen Ruiz took a corner kick which was blocked by the Pirates’ goalkeeper, but Petersen scored on the rebound for the game’s only goal.

“It was pretty even,” Guerra said of the game.

Sara Ferreira recorded the goalkeeper shutout. “She made at least three or four saves,” Guerra said.

The Warriors’ starting defenders assisted Ferreira in the shutout. Petersen was the outside left back, Panther Espinoza was the inside left back, Cassidy Boulanger played inside right back, and Brooklyn Van Norstam was the outside right back.

“It was a really good victory,” Guerra said.

Several of the Fallbrook players are part of the Oceanside Breakers club program and played against club teammates on the Oceanside High School team. “It was very emotional for my girls beating Oceanside,” Guerra said.

The loss to Sage Creek exposed another Fallbrook vulnerability. “They beat us on the long run, the long ball,” Guerra said.

The players realized how the Bobcats obtained many of their goals. “They worked on it,” Guerra said.

Rancho Buena Vista was the victim of that improvement. “It think it was one of the best games we’ve played so far. We had a really good transition passing the ball around,” Guerra said. “Tactically and technically, I think we did a really good job.”

Both of the Warriors’ goals were scored by Paige Gartner in the second half. One was on a penalty kick and one was after Gartner stole the ball.

“We had good ball possession,” Guerra said. “We passed the ball around a lot better.”

Guerra used Aaliyah Arce as the goalkeeper for the shutout against RBV. “She did a great job,” Arce said.

Petersen was the outside left back, Kaylie Diaz played the inside left back position, Boulanger was the inside right back, and Joselyne Ruiz had outside right back duties.

“I was very happy for them,” Guerra said of the Dec. 21 win.

Karen Ruiz scored the goal against Vista. Midway in the first half she dribbled the ball from about 35 yards out, maneuvered it to about 18 years out, and took a shot which was deflected but went into the net.

Arce recorded her second shutout of the season. “I was very happy for her,” Guerra said.

Petersen, Diaz, Boulanger, and Van Norstam were the starting defenders.

“We know we’re going to score more goals,” Guerra said.

One goal almost wasn’t enough against Vista. “The last 15 minutes of the game was trouble because we didn’t score,” Guerra said. “They came back in the last 10, 15 minutes and they took a couple of good shots.”

One of those hit the crossbar and one was saved by Arce.

“I’m very happy for them. A win is a win,” Guerra said.

“They are doing a great job,” Guerra said. “They’re very disciplined, all of them.”