Petaluma soccer girls ready for step into new league

Coach settles in for third year leading Lady Trojans|

Petaluma High School girls soccer coach Deegan Babala feels settled in as he begins his third season as coach of the Trojans.

“The first year I was kind of thrown into the job,” he explains. “Last year, I kind of knew what I was doing. This year, I know what I want to do.”

For the long-time club coach, the first two years have been seasons of change for the Trojans, who last year played soccer as a winter sport for the first time.

“Some of the games were freezing,” he acknowledges. “Fortunately, our parents bought us warm parkas. They have taken good care of us.”

Another major change for him was a schedule that had Petaluma playing three games a week through January.

“I think toward the end we kind of wore down,” he says.

Still, Petaluma had a solid 15-6-2 record in its first season of winter soccer. The really good news for the Trojans is that they didn’t have a single senior graduate from that team, although they did have a couple of seniors who decided not to compete this season.

Among 14 returning Trojans is Lauren Hazel, the league’s leading scorer last season.

Also back is center-forward Tessa Lambert, another of the area’s best players. The senior is the team captain.

Junior Melissa Rocha is the team sparkplug. “She is always dangerous,” says Babala. “She doesn’t always get the goal, but she makes things happen.”

One of the newcomers on the field for Petaluma will be freshman goalie Silvana Sessi. “She is going to be a good shot stopper,” says the coach.

Most of the other returners have experience playing in crucial games both on high school and club teams. “They are big-game players,” is the way Babala puts it.

The coach doesn’t know what to expect as the Trojans go into Vine Valley Athletic League play.

“We play Casa Grande and Sonoma was in our league, but I don’t know much about the other teams,” Babala says. “I think the league will be a little bit closer all around. It looks like it will be a competitive league.”

Petaluma did play American Canyon in a pre-league match last year and won, 2-0.

Partly as a hedge against the season-ending problems of last season, and partly because of an abundance of talent, Petaluma will carry 23 players this season.

“I would rather have more than not enough,” the coach explains.

Competing for Petaluma this year will be Sessi, Katrina Rodrigues, Lambert, Eleanor Burnett, Charlotte Crysdale, Delaney Johnson, Rocha, Alondra Hernandez Ramierez, Simone Smith, Miranda Grevin, Zoe Frothinger, Isabell Van Bebber, Francis Goughnour, Hannah Hermann, Hazel, Athena Edward, Cali Sullivan Sarah Mughannam, Hailey Barry, Rocha, Tess Barend, Kentra Barry and Nicolette Starke.

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