Girl's Soccer

Alissa Luna • February 28th, 2026

The Peninsula girls soccer team celebrated this past winter break when they were named the champions of the 2025 Pirate Cup Tournament, an annual tournament hosted in the SoCal area. Each game took place at a different high school that participated in the tournament. Coached by Allie Ruvalcaba and Magali Blazevic, the team played and won four games. The first game was against King Drew Magnet High School on Dec. 26. Thanks to goals scored by senior Nala Baker, sophomore Charlise Caoli, junior Kaili Nishikawa and captain senior Arlette Ocampo, the team won with a final score of 5-0. This game would set off Peninsula’s winning streak throughout the tournament. Baker shared her view on how this first victory encouraged the team for the rest of the tournament.

“Winning 5-0 [and] getting those two goals was really exciting,” Baker said. “I was really proud of myself and our team. It got our spirits up high. I think it definitely drove our confidence up for the rest of [the tournament].”

Following the victory, energy was high for their next game against Lakewood High School. This game was much closer than the one against King Drew High School, ending with a final score of 1-0 thanks to a goal from junior Kealani Vega. Due to this win, Peninsula was able to progress through the tournament, subsequently competing against Banning High School on Dec. 29. This game was tense as no goals were scored by either team until after halftime. However, despite many girls being gone at this point in the tournament due to winter vacations and illnesses, the team stayed optimistic and won the game. Freshman Lara Adoric scored the winning goal, once again achieving a final score of 1-0. Ruvalcaba reflected on how the team worked through these challenges.

"We had a limited roster during winter break," Ruvalcaba said. "So I think what kept us going [were] the players working hard for each other and staying focused on their job on the field.”

In the heated final game, Peninsula competed against La Selle High School. Once again the winning goal was not made until near the end of the game, but the team was victorious once again with a final score of 1-0, scored by Ocampo. In addition to this impressive achievement, the team had no goals scored against them throughout the entire Pirate Cup. After the team returned to Peninsula with a new Pirate Cup trophy, they celebrated the huge victory. Ocampo reflected on how she felt winning the tournament.

"It felt really good to win because I'm a senior, so it's my last time doing this tournament,” Ocampo said. “I get to do it with a bunch of the girls on the team who I'm very close with. I think it feels really good [to win], especially because that was my goal.”

Throughout their four games at the Pirate Cup, the team remained undefeated in the tournament and focused on the field.. This excellent performance rightfully earned them the title of the 2025 Pirate Cup Champions.