Percival is back for Sage Hill

Things have gone well for the Sage Hill School girls’ soccer team this season.

The Lightning have amassed 19 wins, including Wednesday’s 7-0 dousing of Oakwood in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs. They’re in the Division VI quarterfinals, playing on the road against Delphic League champion Maranatha today in hopes of returning to the semifinals for the second straight year.

This season hasn’t gone quite as smooth for Kara Percival. The junior midfielder has been recovering from injuries, notably a torn medial collateral ligament and a hip flexor strain. She missed three weeks of the season and hadn’t been playing at the level at which she is accustomed ? until recently.

Percival, feeling better than she has all season, tallied a goal and two assists in Sage Hill’s 4-1 victory over Tarbut V’Torah last Thursday in the first round of the Division VI playoffs.

“In the beginning of the season, she was hampered by injuries and it hurt her performance,” Sage Hill Coach Amy Ray said. “But she has come back strong. I was just talking with my assistant coach about how she’s back to being her normal self.”

“When I started playing again, I wasn’t sore, but I was kind of weak,” Percival said. “It’s like I’ve spent the whole season trying to get up to speed. It’s taken a while.”

With the playoffs in full swing, Percival’s timing couldn’t have been better. She said she definitely felt a difference against Tarbut V’Torah.

“I wasn’t horrible this whole time, but I wasn’t at my best,” Percival said. “Thursday against Tarbut V’Torah, I finally felt comfortable and in control.”

Sage Hill was down, 1-0, when Percival scored off a corner kick. Then she assisted on two goals as the Lightning pulled away.

“I knew where to be and where to go,” Percival said. “I felt I was connecting with the rest of the team.”

Having Percival back playing like her old self makes Sage Hill, already seeded fourth in the division, that much better as it goes into today’s quarterfinal.

“Skill-wise, she’s one of the best midfielders in our league,” Ray said. “She creates a lot of scoring opportunities for us.”

Reflecting back on when she was suffering from both a torn MCL and a hip flexor strain, Percival laughed and said, “It was sad.”

But these are better days for Percival, and she’s making the Lightning a more dangerous team than they already were.

“She’s a great leader and she’s extremely passionate about the sport ? she takes practice very seriously,” Ray said. “On and off the field, she’s a great asset for the team. She’s positive and works hard to improve.”

The Kara Percival File

Hometown: Newport Coast

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 125

Sport: Soccer

Position: Center-midfielder

Coach: Amy Ray

Favorite food: Spaghetti Carbonara

Favorite movie: “Love Actually”

Favorite athletic moment: “It was exciting to tie St. Margaret’s last year. And the Tarbut V’Torah game this year was a lot of fun, especially in the second half.”

Week in review: Percival scored a goal off a corner kick and had two assists in Sage Hill’s 4-1 victory over Tarbut V’Torah in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs last Thursday.dpt-femaleathlete24.IMGGraphicInfoGD1OAO6320060224GD1OAO63No Captiondpt.24-aow-percival-BPhotoInfo2E1OAC1120060224iv5ymfknMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)