Soccer: Whittell boys' soccer team welcomes female player

ZEPHYR COVE - Her excessively long jersey was about the only thing that didn't fit for Sammy Brumbach on Thursday afternoon.

Brumbach made her debut for the Whittell High School boys' soccer team after the school's girls' program disbanded earlier in the week because of a shortage of committed players.

So much for easing into her new team; Brumbach's first assignment was to play forward against the top-ranked Incline Highlanders. Incline scored twice in the first seven minutes and overcame an inspired second half by the Warriors to win the Northern 3A Tahoe League match, 4-1.

Brumbach played 15 minutes in the opening half and started the second period and stayed on the field 25 additional minutes. She took one shot in the first half and was an active presence for the Warriors.

She said the speed of the game was the main difference between boys' and girls' soccer.

"I was so nervous beforehand, I thought I was going to throw up," Brumbach said. "But it was a lot of fun, too."

Warriors' coach Steve Maltase liked the energy Brumbach brought to his team.

"She works hard and she doesn't quit," Maltase said. "She's deserving of playing time, and maybe it will make some of our guys step it up a little bit. We've always known she's had that talent."

Highlanders' coach Tom Canino was impressed by Brumbach's play.

"She had good effort. She was playing hard," Canino said. "If she wants to play, she was giving it a good run. I don't see any reason why he shouldn't put her out there."

Brumbach plans to remain on the team and believes the pace of boys' soccer will make her better.

"This will definitely improve my game," she said.

Maltase checked with Donnie Nelson, an assistant director for the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, to ensure that Brumbach was eligible to play for the boys' team. Nelson said Brumbach was only able to play for the boys' team if the school wasn't offering a girls' squad, Maltase said.

The Highlanders used goals by Alex Reyes and Michael Ceragioli in the first seven minutes to open a 2-0 lead.

Incline kept the pressure on Whittell keeper Austin Neil, but the freshman came up with a number of timely saves.

Ceragioli, however, did get behind the Warriors' defense to beat Neil to the near side halfway through the first half, giving Incline a 3-0 halftime lead.

"He does a lot for us," Canino said. "He's pretty much the distributor. He decides where the ball goes, and how it's working."

Incline keeper Carlos Garcia needed to make just two saves in the first half, but his teammates kept him involved by continually sending the ball back to him to reset the attack.

The Highlanders built a 4-0 lead in the 47th-minute when Sam Canino followed up his own blocked penalty kick.

The Warriors averted a shutout when Tim Stone headed in a 40-yard free kick by Blake Werle. Trevor Fairbank nearly added a second goal a minute later, but he couldn't get a solid attempt off his foot from 10 yards out.

"They might have let down a little bit, but we didn't. We're not quitting, and we're putting the ball in the net," Maltase said. "We just have to work a little bit harder at the beginning. We're getting down early, and we're not capable of coming back."

Incline improved to 17-1-1, including 5-0 in league, heading into today's showdown with Truckee.

The Highlanders celebrated their second win over their rivals by singing, "Ole, ole, ole, ole," following the postgame handshake through the time the team's bus pulled out of the Whittell parking lot.