PREP SOCCER:

Coronado captain helps teammates get in the mix

Richard Brian

Coronado’s Veronica Subu, left, vies for the ball with Del Sol’s Sonora Lankert (3) during a game at Del Sol.

By Jared Harmon (contact)

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 | 1:07 a.m.

Coronado girls' soccer

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High school sports section

Veronica Subu, the senior captain and leading goal-scorer for the Coronado girls soccer team, doesn't mind being double-covered by defenders.

With nine goals this season, Subu has drawn extra coverage from opponents, creating more opportunities for her teammates to score.

In 10 games, the Cougars have scored 30 goals from 10 different players to reach a 7-1-2 record and a first-place tie with Green Valley High in the Southeast Division.

Subu said it is rare to see a team with so many legitimate offensive threats.

"We have a lot of talent and a lot of shooting skill," Subu said. "We're focused and we play very well as a team. We have confidence in each other. It's great because no one feels pressured to be the one who has to score. We know we can all come through when we need to."

Cougars coach Dana Neel said her team's unselfish play has kept Coronado at the top of the standings.

"These girls want to win and they know that working together is the best way to do that," Neel said. "From our very first practice they established that atmosphere. I could see during warm-ups that they had the chemistry and the heart."

Besides Subu's nine goals, the Cougars have seen scores from Morgan Romito (four), Addison Guida (four), Sarah Pate (three), Nataly Yosef (three), Amanda Madden (two), Melissa Subu (two), Leticia Lopez (one), Bailey Hagen (one) and Danielle Schumacher (one).

"I think we just have a lot of really good athletes," Lopez, a junior defender, said. "We all take things to the next level and support each other. We're a strong team. We have our weaknesses, but one person's weakness is another's strength, so we balance each other out."

Romito said nobody minds passing the ball if someone else has a beter shot. "We click well because it's not one player carrying us through. We all contribute," she said.

Neel said offense alone, however, will not carry the Cougars through the playoffs, and the defense has been playing increasingly well.

"We're strong right now, but we're definitely not at the peak," Neel said. "We're hoping the peak comes in the playoffs. We have to keep working hard and practicing. We can't let ourselves get satisfied."

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or jared.harmon@hbcpub.com.