2015 Blaine girls’ soccer preview
Coach: Kelly Tuski
Last year: Went 2-12-2 overall and 1-10-1 in the Northwest Conference (12th). ... Scored only 22 goals, led by Ashley Quesada’s 12, while allowing 74 goals. ... Two wins came in an epic 6-5 showdown with Nooksack Valley and a late-season 3-1 home victory over Anacortes. ... Failed to make postseason after switching to Class 2A before the season.
Players to watch: Ashley Quesada (F/M, Sr.), Caitlyn Sharp (M, Sr.), Caylie Sharp (D, Sr.), Makayah Veliz (M/F, Sr.), Kaitlyn Diamond (M/F, Sr.), Taylor Miller (D, So.)
Outlook: Sure, the Borderites graduated some key players, but there’s still plenty left to be excited about in Blaine, most notably star scorer Ashley Quesada, who led the team with 12 goals and four assists last season. She is known to score in bunches — she had five-goal and three-goal performances last season, although both came against Nooksack Valley. She’ll have to be more consistent for Blaine to improve on its two wins from last year. Helping her will be the Sharp girls — Caylie and Caitlyn — as well as Makayah Veliz, Kaitlyn Diamond and up-and-coming sophomore Taylor Miller. “We have a solid group of senior and junior leaders who have done a great job demonstrating a strong work ethic and a desire to improve their game,” coach Kelly Tuski said in an email. “We have many younger players and incoming freshmen who are showing that — despite their lack of experience at the varsity level — they are ready to compete and put everything on the field.”
2015 Roster
Player | Yr. |
Ashley Quesada | Sr. |
Caitlyn Sharp | Sr. |
Caylie Sharp | Sr. |
Kaitlyn Diamond | Sr. |
Makayah Veliz | Sr. |
Allison Burke | Jr. |
Bianca Rodriguez | Jr. |
Brooke Giffen | Jr. |
Monika Kelly | Jr. |
Ariyana VanderVeen-Raum | So. |
Maria Gobbato | So. |
Mikaila Willoughby | So. |
Samantha Miller | So. |
Taylor Miller | So. |
Tessa Kelly | So. |
Ayanna Holguin | So. |
Montanna Klander | Fr. |
2015 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Time |
Sept. 8 | Sultan^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Sept. 10 | at Mount Baker | 4:30 p.m. |
Sept. 12 | at Nooksack Valley | 1 p.m. |
Sept. 15 | at Burlington-Edison* | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 17 | Sedro-Woolley*^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Sept. 19 | at Granite Falls | 1 p.m. |
Sept. 22 | at Lynden*& | 4 p.m. |
Sept. 24 | at Squalicum*^ | 4 p.m. |
Sept. 29 | Meridian*^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 1 | at Bellingham*# | 7 p.m. |
Oct. 8 | Mount Baker*^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 13 | Sehome*^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 15 | Lynden Christian*^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 20 | at Anacortes* | 6 p.m. |
Oct. 22 | Nooksack Valley*^ | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 26 | at Ferndale* | 4 p.m. |
*NWC game; ^at Pipeline Fields; #at Whatcom Community College; %at Northwest Soccer Park; &at Bender Fields
This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "2015 Blaine girls’ soccer preview."