December 8, 2025

Written by Dave Smith

RIVERSIDE:  The King girls competed in their first tournament of the year and finished 3^rd in The Patriot Cup Tournament hosted by Heritage High School. King opened up the tournament with a 6-0 victory over Eisenhower. In their next match, they defeated Liberty 2-0 to advance to the semi-final game. In that game, they came up short to the eventual tournament champion, Poly High School, 1-0. In the game to decide 3^rd place, King defeated San Jacinto 6-0.

The tournament was a good opportunity to work on our teamwork and execution as we start the season. The girls were disappointed we did not win the championship, which speaks a lot about the expectations the team has for themselves this early in the season.  Captain Macy-Paige Quiroz said of the game, “we had a very successful outcome at the Patriot Cup. We came up short in the semi-final against Poly but came back for a third-place finish in the tournament. The four games in three days, although exhausting, proved that we as a team can and will be successful, bonded us closer, and prepared us for the season ahead.

Unfortunately, the team suffered quite a few injuries which impacted how we played on the field. It tested our team depth and resiliency in the face of adversity. When we played well and executed the game plan, the expected results followed. When we were unable to execute as well as we could, we struggled as a team.

For the tournament, King showed scoring depth that was lacking last season. Jordan Akparanta led the team with 4 goals. Macy-Paige Quiroz had 3 goals in the tournament. Angelina Enriquez scored 2 goals in the games. Sammantha McWaters, Serena Balhour, Giannina Barillas, and Brya Hudson all added a goal to the team totals. With 18 games scheduled in December, finding the balance between success on the field and keeping players at full strength will be the biggest challenge facing us.