Page 8 April 29, 2021 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Sports from page 3
says It’s difficult to find a consistent team of
players in her age group or grade, so she
found it helpful to play for multiple clubs.
“Playing like this offers a ton of exposure to
different coaching styles and enough practices
a week to keep me busy.” She’s played on
different teams based in LA, San Diego,
Ventura, and Orange County. She says she
is grateful for her parents because it’s been
a lot of driving!
Syd is philosophical about her play and
doesn’t believe she is any more special than
her teammates. Syd says,” A good lacrosse
player is someone who can play as a part
of a team. It’s a team sport, and being able
to lift your teammates up makes a huge
difference.” Syd says she likes playing
midfielder because she gets to play defense
and can be an attacker on offense when the
opportunity arises.
During her high school career, Syd has
helped her team to a share of the Ocean
League title her freshman year, where she was
third in scoring, first in assists, and helped
her team to the best start in the program’s
history. As a sophomore, the season was
brief, but she managed to be one of the top
scorers and assist leaders. This season she
is leading her team in goals, third in assists,
and a scoring percentage of a sizzling .926.
The Eagles, who are 5-2 on the year, are
off to their best start since going 7-1 during
Syd’s freshman year.
Syd has played in some exciting games, but
one that has stuck out in her mind was the last
game of her freshmen year. They were playing
at the Rose Bowl Tournament and faced
Peninsula for the championship. She says it
was pouring, rain and the field was muddy,
and the Eagles were down two goals with
less than two minutes remaining. She said she
took a draw and scored three goals in those
last moments to win the game. “It was the
greatest feeling ever, and the team played so
well the whole game. It was also ESHS’s first
championship at the Rose Bowl tournament.”
Syd has been recognized and honored for
her play. As a freshman, she earned first
team All-Ocean League honors and was
selected to play for the Women’s Development
National Team. She helped that team
win the championship in Maryland against
some of the nation’s top players. Last year
she was named to the Women’s Professional
Lacrosse League Futures.
With her talents, colleges have been beckoning
Syd to come to their schools. She
has verbally committed to play and continue
her education at the University of Colorado.
The Buffalos are one of the powerhouse
programs in the Pac-12 Conference and are
routinely in the hunt for an NCAA playoff
berth. At this time, she has no intended major,
but she says she’ll decide her pathway
soon enough.
Girl’s Lacrosse Team on a Roll
The Eagles are currently ranked eighth in
the CIF Southern Section Division 2 polls.
They defeated Santa Monica 13-4, led by
Sydnee Moeller’s six goals, Maya Jaeger’s
three scores, and Faith Desemone’s nine
saves. The Eagles are on the road this week
but return home to face Downey on Tuesday.
Girls Soccer Streaking
The Eagles defeated North Torrance 2-0 for
their fifth win a row but still find themselves
third in the Pioneer League behind Torrance
and West Torrance. That could change this
week when they face both in key games.
The Eagles took care of business against
North’s stout defense in the second half.
Bella Munoz took a pass and drove it in
for a score eight minutes into the second
half. With 13:03 remaining Katie Callahan
headed a ball in for a goal for the score. The
defense was strong, and Nili Kovacs turned
away six goal attempts.
Girls Basketball
Suffers First Defeat
The Eagles faced North Torrance in the
opener of the Pioneer League. It didn’t go
quite to plan, and they fell to the Saxons.
With the move to the Pioneer League, the
Eagles will be challenged by the four Torrance
schools, which each have solid programs. The
Eagles return home next Tuesday at 5:30 P.M.
Girls Softball Defeats Palos Verdes
The Eagles faced Bay League favorite
Palos Verdes and defeated the Sea Kings 5-3.
Shanai Owens led her by going 3-for-4 with
three RBIs, while Sophia Marrero had three
doubles. Bailey Gertsch went the distance
giving up three runs (two earned0 on six
hits and struck out five. The Eagles return
home next Tuesday at 3:15 P.M. •
Sydnee Moeller is the leading scorer for the Eagles
Trinity Parascandola (in blue) battles three North players for a pass
Marisa Herrera (in blue) races for position on defense
#17 Annika Nelson takes a shot attempt against North Torrance
Film Review from page 3
that of a high-fashion Vogue film, but instead
of watching waif-like models describe what
they eat in a day or give us a tour of their
home, we’re literally following a pig around
a barn. It’s not the most daring or visually
stimulating film I’ve ever seen, but what
gives Gunda its cinematic strength is the
commitment to a bold aesthetic.
Gunda was apparently a 25-year project for
Kossakowsky, and not once did his dedication
to the project, or his vision, waiver. What
he’s created is an innovative documentary
that breaks the traditional rules of making
movies, notably to never work with animals
to save unnecessary headaches and stress.
Any film that relies on a wild animal as its
protagonist is indebted with risk, regardless
if it’s a documentary or not. In Gunda, Kossakowsky’s
entire film rests on the presence of
these animals. Plus, the absence of additional
music or voice overs leaves so much up to
chance, and capturing that unpredictability
in its raw, authentic state is the film’s biggest
strength. The decision to shoot in black
and white was intentional for an interesting
reason, and seemingly in opposition
to how many filmmakers would have
approached a film like this. Kossakowsky
states, “I didn’t want to show cute pink
piglets –and believe me, they are very cute
indeed. I didn’t want to seduce the viewer in
Gunda, courtesy of Neon.
Morgan Rojas
that way. It felt to me like black and white
makes us focus on their soul rather than
their appearance.”
Unlike some animal rights documentaries
that are overly graphic and attention seeking,
the message behind Gunda isn’t forceful or
political. It’s a simple message that asks
us to slow down and experience life as the
animals do. Gunda asks us to meditate on
the mystery of animal consciousness and
think about how we contribute to their way
of life. Can we do better?
93 min. ‘Gunda’ is now playing at The
Landmark theater. •