Piedmont High School’s girls soccer team got back on track with a pair of victories over Berkeley and Castro Valley. The Highlanders are now 8-3-1 on the year and 2-3-1 in West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division play.
On Jan. 23, Piedmont beat Berkeley 2-0, the first league win of the season for the Highlanders. The game was scoreless at halftime but the Yellowjackets had been in control in the early going.
Miranda Liu scored both goals for Piedmont. She got the first at 50 minutes, taking a through ball from Elsa Wallway to split two defenders and left-footed the ball in off of the left goalpost.
At 61 minutes, Liu struck again, this time off of a long pass sent in from Elle Ruegg that left Liu one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Liu won the battle and then tapped it in.
Berkeley fell to 11-5-1 and 2-3 WACC Foothill.
Co-Captain Hailey Marshburn 
Elsa Wallway (2) and Juliana Thornborrow (8)
On Jan. 25, Piedmont avenged a 3-0 loss to Castro Valley earlier in the season with another 2-0 victory. Amy Derr missed the game with an illness, but co-captain Louisa Symkowick returned from an injury suffered on Jan. 9 in the first meeting.
The Trojans entered the game unbeaten in WACC Foothill play.
The game was scoreless late when coach Dan Chubbock adjusted his lineup, moving Wallway back and pushing Hailey Marshburn up. Wallway then sent a long shot in that was saved by the Castro Valley goalkeeper. But the rebound bounced out and Marshburn sent it into the net for a 1-0 lead.
During injury time, Lola Biehn sent a ball towards the net from midfield after a pass from Juliana Thornborrow. The Trojans keeper had been playing up, trying to help her team salvage a tying goal. She was unable to get back in time to keep the ball out of the net for the clinching goal.
Piedmont faces Alameda on Jan. 30, then Encinal two days later in the penultimate week of WACC Foothill play.
All photos by Todd Marshburn.