Kennedy Clarke leads Webb girls soccer team past Buckley in Division 8 title match

CLAREMONT — Nobody has been hotter in the CIF Southern Section girls soccer playoffs than Webb freshman forward Kennedy Clarke.

On one of the hottest days in February, Clarke scored four time as the Gauls battled through the heat and came away with a 4-0 victory over Buckley in the Division 8 championship match Saturday afternoon.

Webb has captured two section titles in the past five season. The first was the Division 6 championship in 2022. The Gauls have reached the 20-win mark (20-1-1) and have done so with 12 freshmen and six seniors on the roster.

Clarke has scored 69 goals this season, an Inland record and the fifth most in a single season by a Southern Section girls soccer player.

“The school is unique. We have girls who are just, in general, extremely bright. Then obviously there is Kennedy,” Webb head coach Danny Mosaquites said.

The heat played a significant factor in how both teams performed, but Webb demonstrated that it didn’t matter. The Gauls came into the championship with the mindset of winning.

The first half went smoothly for the Gauls, but Buckley( 11-7-1) had a difficult time containing the speedy freshman.

Throughout the season, Clarke has had her supporters around her tell her how many goals she has been scoring. Her maturity has helped her block out the noise and focus on the task at hand. Clarke ranks as one of the top scorers in the state, and she proved that in the first half.

Clarke’s first goal came 10 minutes from the start. The freshman found a crease that she was able to get through. Clarke’s teammate found the small hole for the ball, which was finished with an easy touch from Clarke to drill in the back of the net for the first goal. She added another goal with six minutes to play to make it 2-0.

Buckley still had no answers for the freshman forward in the second half, . Clarke scored two more goals after halftime to extend the lead to 4-0. Griffins head coach, Elanna Arceo, credited the Gauls with their season and said Clarke can be special in the next several years.

“Kennedy is an incredible player and only a freshman,” Arceo said. “Excited for their program as well to have a player like that lead the program as she gets older.”

Buckley had a Cinderella-like season, as no one imagined the Griffins to be in the championship game. It was the first time in program history that Buckley made it to the championship game.

“If you were to look at our record in the beginning, there were games that didn’t look like we would be a team to make it here,” Arceo said. “I’m so proud of this group.”