Tonight, the East Bay Athletic League’s girls soccer schedule kicks off with a bang: Monte Vista is at Foothill, beginning around 5:45 p.m. The match could be a preview of the North Coast Section championship match. Monte Vista enters 2-0-1 following last week’s 6-1 win over Clayton Valley; Foothill comes in 5-0 after defeating Archbishop Mitty 1-0, again last week … Coach Greg Fish’s Mustangs have reached at least the semifinals of the NCS playoffs since, ohh, time began. Won the title two years ago … The Falcons, now coached by Ron Lambert, have reached the final the past three years, coming up ever-so-close each time … Considering the success the teams have enjoyed over the years, they approach this season hungry, if not starving — and loaded with talent, thanks to the Mustang and Pleasanton Rage soccer clubs being their main feeder programs … By-the-by, Fish passed on to us that Monte Vista forward Courtney Jones and San Ramon Valley forward Aubrey Southwick have been named adidas All-Americans … Tell ya, the EBAL is stacked (and will be even more so when Carondelet enters in fall, 2008).

Carondelet freshman Nicole Hood, who won the girls side at the Ed Sias Invitational cross-country meet on Saturday, seemed to come out of nowhere. I saw her break into the lead in the first few steps of the two-mile race, then widen her lead to 10 seconds within one-half mile. As I was waiting for her to appear before Finale Hil, a steep, if short, incline in the final quarter mile, Iasked a Cougar junior varsity runner who their front-runner was. She looked at me and, "That would be Nicole Hood." The name rang a bell, but only lightly. Hood won by 18 seconds. Obviously, a runner of her caliber does not come out of nowhere. Running for the Pleasanton Heat last winter, she placed second in the Junior Olympics 4-kilometer race, held Dec. 10 in Rhode Island. Led by Hood, the top five Carondelet finishers were in the top 14 and all are either freshmen or sophomores. We’re going to be reading about this team a long time…