Merced’s Taylor Lawry wins CCC defensive honor
The Lawry sisters have been a staple of the Merced High School defense for five years.
For the last half decade, it’s been almost impossible for an opposing striker to make a run through the offensive third without having at least one in their back pocket.
With Baylee Lawry just a sophomore and youngest sister Rhylie Lawry not yet in high school, the trend will continue for some time.
There’s one more trend the Lawry family will hope to continue as well: hauling in the postseason hardware. Following in oldest sister Alyssa’s footsteps from the 2014 season, senior Taylor Lawry was named the Central California Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
“We’ve kind of set the bar high for our younger sisters,” Taylor Lawry joked. “I knew with Alyssa gone I was going to have to step up this season. For the last three years, if someone got past me, I was able to rely on her to clean it up. I knew I needed to take on that role this season.
“Seeing Alyssa get the award really inspired me. I decided whether I got it or not, I wanted to do my absolute best and at least give myself a chance at it.”
In a season where the conference title came down to the final two minutes of the last regular-season game, the top awards were evenly dispersed. Pitman’s Rayana Plancarte was named Offensive Player of the Year, Turlock’s Caitlyn Duval took home Goalkeeper of the Year and Golden Valley’s Lance Eber was named the Coach of the Year.
Runner-up Merced has the most local representatives on the CCC first team, with UC Merced-bound midfielders Hannah Esquivel and Niccole Salm joining Taylor Lawry.
“This season was very bittersweet,” Lawry said. “To come so close to our goal of the school’s first CCC (title) and have that game end the way it did by giving up the lead in the last couple minutes was heartbreaking. Still, I’m proud of how we played and what we accomplished.”
Golden Valley had two first-team representatives in striker Megan Pust and defender Danielle Vigil, while Buhach Colony (Amy Sofranek) and Atwater (Erika Matola) each had one on the team.
Baylee Lawry and Jetta Saeturn (Merced), Brittany Cervantes and Justyne Sanches (Golden Valley), McKenzie Kirn and Liliana Hernandez (Buhach Colony) and Melissa Lopez (Atwater) were named to the second team.
All-WAC soccer
The Livingston tandem of Miranda Alvear and Joceylin Vega each earned a first-team nod in the Western Athletic Conference after combining for 26 goals this season.
Kelsey Davis, Bryna Vega and Kristiana Montiel (El Capitan); Ashleigh Huerta, Maribel Valencia and Alexis Huerta (Livingston); Rosio Ruiz (Pacheco) and Taylor Torongo (Los Banos) were named to the second team.
This story was originally published May 13, 2015 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Merced’s Taylor Lawry wins CCC defensive honor."