Girls’ varsity soccer beat North Torrance on Wednesday, Dec. 8, with a final score of 4-3. The Normans were down 0-2 at halftime but found enough energy with enough time to recover and snatch the victory. “We got stronger and stronger and ended up with a great win,” forward Kaela Reisfelt said. Forwards Tylor Fields and Ashley Aviram each scored two goals for the team. Aviram is currently the leading scorer with nine goals. The squad now has an even record of 4-4. The team has had trouble adapting to the lost seniors from last year. “We have not really adapted too well because we basically lost our defensive line,” Reisfelt said. “We have really been struggling.” Reisfelt also feels that the team can work on other areas of play to make up for the loss of defenders. “We are all trying to improve on having better chemistry off the field,” Reisfelt continued. Injuries have plagued the team, with goalie Kylie Colvin and Ellie Dubin out with concussions. Having an even record of wins and losses, the team does have strengths to outweigh their weaknesses. Although Reisfelt believes the team is “very good at putting passes together to go toward goal,” Aviram wants to the squad to get “stronger in the air and establish a rhythm.” The team’s next game is on Saturday, Dec. 17 against Louisville. On Tuesday, Dec. 13, boys’ varsity soccer defeated Crossroads 1-0. The win was a team effort and improves Beverly’s record to 5-1-1. In the first five minutes of the game, forward Nick Marmureanu scored a goal with a one-touch volley off a cross from midfielder Bryan Khalilirad. Beverly used the momentum of that goal to push them through the rest of the game. “The offense played efficiently and the team chemistry was great,” forward Gefen Laredo said. “The first goal by Nick [Marmureanu] really kept our confidence level high for the rest of the game, and though there were some tough stretches, we were able to pull through.” In addition to a strong showing by the offense, Beverly’s defense held Crossroads scoreless. Defender Josh Horowitz credits the strength of the defense to a solid game plan created by coaches Steve Rappaport and Darren Davies. “We stick to Coach Darren’s game plan of playing quickly and moving the ball around as much as possible,” Horowitz said. “The defense swung the ball very effectively, and it led to a victory.” Beverly’s win did not come easily, though. Crossroads seemingly dominated the ball for a 25-minute span, and a few big plays were needed for Beverly to keep their lead. “Our goalie Adrian Spitz had a very nice diving save off the fingertips from a corner kick late in the first half,” Horowitz said. “It was a pivotal play in the game, and it helped us get the push we needed to get through a tough 25 minutes.” Beverly has success on the soccer field despite the absences of forward Caio Carvalho, who is in Brazil, and midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez, who is out with a torn BEVERLY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS · VOLUME II, ISSUE SIX · DECEMBER 16, 2011 thesportsedition Boys’ basketball wins battle, loses at tournament Nick Reskin shoots a lay-up against Leuzinger 5during the Sax Elliot Invitational tournament. ARMAN ZADEH Ryan Feinberg Girls’ and boys’ soccer win in recent games Right midfielder Ryan Khalilirad gains possession of the ball at a game against Crossroads. OLIVER GALLOP MCL. “Losing Caio and Ignacio have definitely been two big losses for the program,” Laredo said. “Hopefully we get them back as soon as possible because we are going to need them as the season progresses.” With the win at Crossroads, Beverly’s record improves to 5-1-1, with its only loss to Loyola and its only tie with El Segundo. Right-bench Ryan Feinberg looks forward to the team improving as they continue to play together. “Although our record is strong, we still have a lot to improve on,” Feinberg said. “We need to master one-touch play and keep building our team chemistry, which will only get better as we play together more.” Beverly played another game at Mira Costa on Thursday, Dec. 15, but results were not available as of press time. Chanan Batra On Saturday, Dec. 10, the boys’ basketball team suffered a 55- 51 loss against Leuzinger in a neck-and-neck game during the Sax Elliot Invitational tournament championship held at Beverly. The Norman’s last win at the tournament was in 1984. In the Sax Elliot tournament, the Normans played four games over the span of a week, from Dec. 5 to 10. The team stayed undefeated until their championship game against Leuzinger. Beverly’s first game was against Shalhevet. The Normans were victorious, 75- 48. The team moved on to the next round where they played Hamilton, and won 66-57. Point guard Austin Mills led the team with 31 points. Guard Frank Brown and center Ronan Massana both contributed ten points. The team moved on to the semi-finals where they faced Fremont. The team was successful, winning 80- 72. Mills led with 26 points, followed by Brown with 20 points. Massana believed the team played hard for all four quarters, leading to their success. “We gave great effort on the defensive end, which allowed us to get a lot of easy points in transition,” Massana said. Following the win, the Normans progressed to the championships, where they faced Leuzinger. Top scorers for the team included Mills, with 27 points, Brown, with eight points, and guard Mike Lanier, with seven points. Head Coach Jarvis Turner said that the team had an “emotional overload” following the win against Fremont, contributing to players performing sub-par. Turner believed that the team did not play up to expectations. He believed the squad came in feeling prepared, but was unsuccessful when executing key plays. “We could’ve came out with better energy. I felt that they played harder than we did, and that was the difference in the game,” Turner said The Normans found their spark in the third quarter after trailing 25-23 at halftime. Mills lifted the team’s spirits after dropping two deep 3-pointers late in the third, contributing to the squad’s 15-11 run. The team found themselves ahead 40-36 by the end of the third quarter. Leuzinger quickly recovered, starting the fourth quarter with a quick 15-2 run. Beverly began to fight back, slowly closing the deficit. With 20 seconds left in the game, the Normans found themselves down 55- 49. Mills converted on two of his three free throws, bringing Beverly within four points of a tie. Unfortunately, the team failed to score for the remainder of the game. “We gave [Leuzinger] too many lay-ups in the fourth quarter forcing us to play from behind,” Massana said. The team next participates in the Windward Tournament beginning Monday and continuing throughout next week. Arman Zadeh