Two weeks ago when Coach Tim Tracey said that it looked like a good year for girls soccer, he could have been simply accentuating the positive, but since then the Wolfpack has proved him right, going 5-0 in preseason matches with four shutouts.

On Tuesday it was more of the same as Claremont traveled to Walnut High School for a 3-0 win over the Mustangs.

At first, the Pack had a hard time finding their footing, with too many weak passes and missed opportunities. However, senior forward Avery Gonzalez got a clean breakaway, putting Claremont on the board after 15 minutes of play. But that was it for the first half.

The second half went much better for Claremont, as the girls seemed more energized and did a better job of completing plays, soon connecting for a goal. At roughly two minutes a hard kicked ball got away from the Mustang goalkeeper and landed at the feet of junior Emily Maass, who casually tipped it into the net.

About 30 minutes later junior striker Allyson Villagracia did a beautiful job outmaneuvering both a Walnut defender and the goalkeeper for the third and final goal.

As the day ended, the two teams did the traditional high five at center field and then left Ken Gunn stadium, heading into a spectacular sunset.

Claremont had its Palomares League opener on Thursday after press time.

The second weekend of the annual Claremont Holiday Classic tournament is this Saturday.

Girls basketball picks up the pace

After a shaky start, the Pack has hit a sweet spot and now have a 5-4 record with a 54-33 win over Sierra Vista on Monday in Baldwin Park.

Claremont was in the Valley Invitational tournament last week, defeating Beaumont, 35-31, and Murrieta Valley, 54-51, before losing to Poly, 48-35, and Redlands East Valley, 56-48.

The Pack will host Charter Oak on Friday and then take a short break, returning to action in the Garden Grove tournament on December 27.

Vivian Webb soccer off to a great start

The Gauls are well into Academy League play with an impressive 4-1-1 record, including a 2-1 victory over Saddleback Valley Christian on Tuesday in San Juan Capistrano.

The teams were tied at halftime, but the Gauls scored in the second half for the win. Webb’s goals came from freshman Abby Cook and junior Julia Patronite.

The girls’ only loss was a league game on December 7 in which Fairmont Prep narrowly defeated the Gauls, 3-2.

Webb hosted Rowland on Thursday after press time and will now take a long break, returning to action on January 10.

CHS girls water polo

A season preview of the defending Palomares League champion girls water polo team will be in our next edition.

—Steven Felschundneff

steven@claremont-courier.com