Top high school soccer players from Sonoma County to face off

Some of the best high school soccer players in the area will gather on one field Friday night for a doubleheader of all-star soccer.

The annual Santa Rosa Kiwanis high school all-star soccer games will pit the best graduating seniors from the north end of Sonoma County against the top graduating seniors from schools in the south.

The event raises funds for Kiwanis-supported activities including elementary reading and music programs.

Lining up for the girls’ north squad are All-Empire Large School Player of the Year Taylor Bray of Ukiah and teammate Nina Scott. Windsor, which made a deep run in the North Coast Section tournament before falling to Montgomery in the final, will have three players represented.

Sonoma County League winners Analy will havefour, including first-team All-Empire pick Amanda Nebozuk and second-team selection Bella Niedermair.

The south roster features six players from the NCS-champion Montgomery squad, including second-team All-Empire goalkeeper Izzy Christmann and midfielder Eden Brooker. First-team All-Empire forward Amy Ferrick of Petaluma is slated to play, as is All-Empire Small School Player of the Year Sally Ziemer.

The north team will be led by All-Empire Large School Coach of the Year Mark Archambault of Windsor, while the south team will be headed up by Chris Ziemer, whose Sonoma Academy Coyotes have won the NCS Division 3 crown four years in a row.

On the boys’ side, the south roster will feature three players from the Montgomery squad that finished second in the NCS Division 2 tournament: Daniel Guerrero, Primo Pardo and Joel Herrera.

From Rancho Cotate, forward Mario “Kiki” Gomez, who was named first-team All-Empire as a junior, is expected to play, as is teammate Kevin Bobadilla.

Petaluma will have three players on the team, including Marco Silveira, who was also named first-team All-Empire as a junior. Roseland University Prep, winners of the North Central II League, will have four players on the team, including Diego Anguiano.

For the north team, Santa Rosa High senior Gavin Weitzenberg is slated to play, alongside the defensive tandem of Miles Monroe and Leo Bossard of Windsor High.

Healdsburg, which tied for second in the tight Sonoma County League race this winter, will have three players on the squad, including forward Juan Nuño. Forward Josue Cabrera will represent Maria Carrillo and Eduardo Sanchez of El Molino is expected to play.

Antonio Garcia from Santa Rosa High will coach the north squad, while Jon Schwan, whose Vikings won the North Bay League, will coach the south.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes and SoundCloud “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”