Lady Bullfrogs net first win behind youth movement

Bret Harte girls’ soccer beat Langston Hughes Academy 6-1 on Tuesday in Angels Camp. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise

If the Bret Harte High School girls’ soccer team is going to have success this season, it will be in large part because of the contributions made by its younger players.

And in Bret Harte’s first win of the season, four of the six goals were scored by freshmen and sophomores.

After a tough tournament to open the season, which resulted in no wins, the Lady Bullfrogs bounced back with a commanding 6-1 victory over Langston Hughes Academy on Tuesday evening at Dorroh Field in Angels Camp.

“Having a victory like that, we have a young team, so it builds confidence,” Bret Harte first-year head coach Jason Burita said. “What I was really impressed about is our shape was really good. And you can see, with that shape, it’s very hard to progress the ball down the field if you’re the other team. So, I was really enthused about that, and yeah, this is just what the doctor ordered, for sure.”

Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise

Bret Harte scored three times in the opening half, with the first coming with 22:50 to play. Sophomore Phebee McNurlin got behind the Langston Hughes defense and scored her first goal of the night, giving the Bullfrogs a 1-0 lead.

“It felt good to have the support and everything that came with it, and just the enjoyment from making the first goal of the game,” McNurlin said.

Nearly three minutes later, McNurlin again found the back of the net – she just didn’t realize it right away. Her shot hit the side of the goal and spun past the Langston Hughes goalie. It wasn’t until a teammate told her she had scored that McNurlin realized what happened.

“I was very, very surprised,” McNurlin said. “I did not expect it to go in with how it hit the post. I fully expected it to bounce right back out.”

Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise

Bret Harte’s final goal of the first half came off the foot of senior Liliana Vargas with 11:01 to play on a free kick. Vargas’ shot came from just outside the box, giving the Bullfrogs a 3-0 lead.

“I mostly go to the left side of the goalie because I know the right side is normally dominant for everybody,” Vargas said about taking the free kick. “So, I just practice kicking on my left. At times, I’ll go to my right just to switch it up and mix things up, but normally, I go to my left because that’s less dominant for most.”

The first goal of the second half came with 34:30 to play, as freshman Savannah Guthrie scored her second goal of the season – and first in a non-tournament game. Vargas followed with her second free-kick goal with 29:50 remaining, extending Bret Harte’s lead to 5-0. The Bullfrogs’ final goal came on a deep shot from sophomore Josie Angel, her second of the season and first non-tournament goal.

Langston Hughes’ lone score came with 3:02 to play, but by then, the Bullfrogs had long since wrapped up the victory.

Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise

“This feels really good,” Vargas said. “We’re all having fun, we’re all collective, we’re all coming together with everything, and we all kept the communication up.”

Vargas and McNurlin each finished with two goals, while Guthrie and Angel had one goal apiece. All four players now have two goals this season to lead the team. Burita feels the stronger his young players perform, the more competitive his squad will be.

“That is the theme for sure; it’s young blood,” Burita said. “We’re going to learn. (Liliana) Vargas and (Nataly) Nava are the only experienced varsity players; Vargas has been all four years or at least three years. So, we’re young and we’re hungry. You can see the energy in which we come out onto the field. Our energy level and our opponent’s energy are different, and it’ll be like that probably all year. So, that’s what I’m excited about.”

For more pictures from Bret Harte vs. Langston Hughes, click the link below.
https://calaverasenterprise.smugmug.com/2025-11-25-Bret-Harte-GIrls-Soccer-vs-Langston-Hughes
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Bret Harte vs. Langston Hughes
Bret Harte 6, Langston Hughes 1

LH – 0, 1 – 1
BH – 3, 3 – 6

First half
BH – Phoebe McNurlin goal, 22:50; 1-0
BH – McNurlin goal, 19:25; 2-0
BH – Liliana Vargas goal (free kick), 11:00; 3-0

Second half
BH – Savannah Guthrie goal, 34:30; 4-0
BH – Vargas goal (free kick), 29:50; 5-0
BH – Josie Angel goal, 16:40; 6-0
LH – Goal, 3:02; 6-1

Bret Harte Individual Statistics
Goals –Vargas, 2; McNurlin, 2; Angel, 1; Guthrie, 1

Bret Harte Season Goal Total
Goals – Angel, 2; Guthrie, 2; Vargas, 2; McNurlin, 2

Bret Harte 2025-26 Girls’ Soccer
Nov. 21 vs. Richmond (L) 3-2
Nov. 21 vs. Ben Holt (L) 3-0
Nov. 22 vs. Amador (L) 1-0
Nov. 22 vs. McNair (T) 0-0
Nov. 25 vs. Langston Hughes (W) 6-1
Dec. 3 vs. Stone Ridge Christian, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 vs. Rio Linda, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 vs. Argonaut, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Beyer, 5:45 p.m.
Dec. 17 vs. Waterford, 5 p.m.
Jan. 6 at Calaveras, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Linden, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Riverbank, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 vs. Big Valley Christian, 4 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Summerville, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 22 vs. Calaveras, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Linden, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 at Riverbank, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Big Valley Christian, 4 p.m.
Feb. 5 vs. Summerville, 5:30 p.m.

Mother Lode League Preseason Standings
Riverbank 3-2-0 (9 pts)
Summerville 2-1-0 (6 pts)
Bret Harte 1-3-1 (4 pts)
Big Valley Christian 1-0-0 (3 pts)
Linden 1-0-0 (3 pts)
Calaveras 0-1-0 (0 pts)