Millbrae bringing Mischief to So Cal

the U12 team last qualified for the state tournament in 2015. Last season, a U12 team was not even fielded because of a lack of players.

“It’s a struggle to keep girls in Millbrae on the field,” Hammond said. “But we’ve been building momentum. It’s moving in the right direction, for sure.

“It’s the fourth year in a row our 8U has earned a berth. We’re finally starting to turn the corner for the older girls. We’re playing some pretty strong-caliber ball and the girls are having fun.”

The U10 and U12 teams competed in the Nor Cal tournament this past weekend at the Twins Creeks softball complex in Sunnyvale, while the U8 squad traveled over the San Mateo Bridge to Hayward. The U8 squad had the highest finish of the three Mischief teams, making it to the championship game, finishing second. The 10U team grabbed the 10th and final berth to the national tournament.

The U12 Mischief had to take the hard road to a Cal State Games. After opening with a lopsided 14-2 win over Morgan Hill, the Mischief were handed a pounding of its own, dropping into the consolation bracket after a 14-6 drubbing at the hands of the Oakland Vipers.

Needing a top-eight finish to qualify for state, the Mischief ripped off four wins in a row on their way to a fourth-place finish. In an 18-3 win over Redwood City Wicked, the Mischief sent 18 batters to the plate amidst a 15-run first inning. They followed that with a 5-4, walk-off, two-run homer to beat Almaden Lightning. Jasmine Shapiro then tossed her second complete game in a row in a 3-2 victory over Castro Valley Synergy. They won their fourth in a row behind a complete-game effort from Leila McGraw as the Mischief topped San Carlos Force, 9-4. That win sent Millbrae into the third-place game, where it saw its winning streak snapped with a 13-6 loss to Santa Clara Sparks.

Now the Mischief prepare for the state tournament and are looking for community support to send three teams out of the area. Both the U8 and U12 teams will be playing in San Diego July 13-15. The U10B tournament is held a week later.

Tax-deductible donation checks can be made out and sent to: MGSA, P.O. Box 1076, Millbrae, CA 94030. Hammond said the organization is also setting up GoFundMe pages for all three teams where donations will also be accepted.

“We’re all in to create this experience for what the girls earned,” Hammond said. “We’re going to be a little creative in fundraising … and see how far we can take this.”

***

Hillsdale has announced it has hired three new coaches for its girls’ soccer program. Jina button and Yang Zhou were named co-head coaches for the varsity team, while 2014 Hillsdale graduate Kayla Coleman was named the school’s new junior varsity coach.

It’s a bit of homecoming for Button, who was formerly a physical education teacher and athletic director at Bowditch Middle School in San Mateo. Previously Button was a teacher and soccer coach at Cupertino High School. She was hired as a PE teacher at Hillsdale.

Zhou, who served as an assistant last year, was moved up to the head position. Zhou may have the most credibility of any coach on the Peninsula, having played with the China Women’s National Team from 1989 to 1996 and appeared in two Women’s World Cups — 1991 and 1995. After a two-year club career in Japan, Zhou emigrated to the United States and has been coaching around the Bay Area for the last 15 years.

Coleman was a four-year varsity player for the Knights and played all over the field. She went on to play midfield for four years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, making 31 appearances and eight starts, scoring two goals.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. You can follow him on Twitter @CheckkThissOutt.

Editor's note: this column has been updated with corrected information