Boys Soccer SCCS vs CCS 5:30 Thursday

Jaguars hold off Bulldogs 4-3

By David Boldt

      A late surge by the CCS Bulldogs made what looked like it was going to be an easy win for the Jaguars into a real nail-biter in which SCCS finally won 4-3, enabling Co-operative to claim an undefeated day at the Friendship Games Thursday.
     The game came at the end of what had been a long, draining day for both teams. Each had played a soccer game earlier in the day, and many of the players on both teams had also played a volleyball game as well. The game started slowly with the two teams testing each other, both able to move the ball, but neither forcing the goalies to heroic measures.
      Josue Abuawad opened the scoring for the Jaguars, set up by a fine pass from Juan Carlos Laguna. A short while later the score went to 2-0 in favor of the Jaguars when Nicolas Aguirre headed in a corner kick.
      That lead was halved when Bulldog Rodrigo Pena neatly threaded a free kick past the Jaguars' wall and into the corner of the net just out of reach of Jaguar goalie Eduardo Rivera.
      However, Rafael Sakuma retaliated for the Jaguars with a long booming kick from the left side of the goal, giving Cooperative a 3-1 lead at the half.
       Things continued going the Jaguars' way as the second half started. Aguirre got an open shot that missed, but only minutes later he got a second very similar opportunity, and this time he nailed it, putting the Jaguars ahead by what might have seemed a comfortable 4-1 margin.
     But then Pena of the Bulldogs got another free kick opportunity and converted it into a goal, this time with a long, low kick that skidded into the corner of the goal.
     Bulldog Adrian Armijo cut the Jaguar advantage to a single goal with his score, and there was still plenty of time on the clock.
     Both teams were now tired and desperate, and the game became the soccer equivalent of trench warfare. Laguna of the Jaguars connected on what seemed to be a fifth goal for the Jaguars that would have giuven them some much needed breathing room, but it was called back for an offside penalty. He later missed on an attempted diving header.
      The Bulldogs also had their chances, and two yellow cards were issued to increasingly frantic Bulldog players, and collisions resulted in two players -- one Jaguar and one Bulldog -- requiring medical attention. Thge Bulldog player had to hobble off the field.
     The action only became more intense after the referee announced to both coaches that there were five minutes remaining in the game, and time ran out on a dangerously well placed Bulldog corner kick.

Girls Volleyball SCCS vs.CCS 4:00 Thursday

Jags win heart-stopper 2-1 over CCS

By Ximena Fagan
     In one of the toughest and closest games of the first day the Santa Cruz Jaguars defeated the Cochabamba Cooperative School Bulldogs in a three-set marathon.

     The Jaguars won the first set with what appeared in retrospect to be surprising ease, 25-9. then struggled in the second set, losing 25-17. They rallied to take the final set 15-10.

     Jaguars got off to a good start in the first set. Both teams were putting in all their effort but the Jaguars somehow seemed to come out the winner of of the prolonged rallies. The crowd could not stop cheering.

    The second set was much more of a tight game with both Jaguars and Bulldogs really putting in all their effort and energy, but the Jaguar game was no longer clicking the way it had in the first set. The Jaguars were behind by 8 points when they finally got their game back together, and the teams played evenly after that, but the Jaguars couldn't cut into the Bulldog lead. 

    The two teams were battling and the quality of play was even stronger and more powerful, with amazingly strong spikes and powerful serves by both teams. The second half finally ended 25-17 in favor of the Bulldogs. 

      The teams were now off to the third set, and a new star made her appearance on the Jaguar side. Tania Landivar,  known mainly as a soccer star, came off the bench and shone. She put in her best effort and helped the team,  along with Nabila Farah. Alheli Lopez, a Bulldog, cheered up her team and allowed them to concentrate. But a Jaguar surge meant that the game ended with a victory for the Jaguars, 15-10.

Boys Volleyball SCCS vs AISB 2:30 Thursday

Jaguars rally to beat AISB 2-1

By Lucia Landivar

Both the SCCS Jaguars and the AISB Phoenix were tired from the hot day,  but still had enough energy for an epic volleyball encounter.

The first set started of with a 4 to 4 tie between the Phoenix and the Jaguars. Jaguars soon took the lead 10 to 7, with Camilo Avila's serves going straight to the ground, and Milan Marinkovic's smacks doing the same.

The Phoenix players didn't waste time, however, coming back to match the Jaguars at 12-12. Jaguars started to worry, and there was tension and nervousness evident on both teams. Jaguar Avila threw himself and slid through the court a couple of times to save balls.

After some smacks and serves from both teams, the score was 19-17, with Phoenix in the lead. But then it was the Jaguars' turn to storm back. With Milan Marinkovic's 5 straight strong serves and Jose Abuawad's strong smacks, the Jaguars won the first set 25-20.

The Cougars started the second half with an 10 to 1 lead over theJaguars, and the Jaguars never recovered.  Phoenix players kept scoring points, while the Jaguars just got more frustrated, and the score was soon 19-5, in favor of Phoenix. The Jaguars held their own in the last phase, but it was too late, and the second set ended as a  25-10 Phoenix victory.

The third set was full of high tension. The game started with a 2-2 tie. Phoenix then gained some points, and the score was 7-2 in their favor, and the Jaguar adherents were definitely worried. Nevertheless, Jaguar Jose Abuawad and Camilo Avila managed to save many balls and perform wonderful smacks, cutting ASIB's lead to four,  9-5. 

Jaguar Milan Marinkovic blocked the ball several times, scoring points for his team, and the Jaguars tied the score at 10-10. The two teams played evenly to 13-13, and the tension became extreme. Jaguar player Camilo Avila continued playing even though he was in pain due to a leg injury, and the Jaguars got the next two points to take the set 15-13, and win the match.

Girls Soccer SCCS v. AISB 1:30 Thursday

Jaguar Girls defeat AISB 10-0

By Lucia Landivar

The afternoon started out with not so much energy. Seems like the players weren't very used to the altitude, it was getting hot, and they looked tired.

The match started out with long passes by both that SCCS Jaguars and the AISB Phoenix. But after a few minutes,  Jaguar Fernanda Vaca Diez scored the first goal for the Jaguars by kicking the ball in from the corner.


Soon after, a Phoenix defender instinctively grabbed the ball with her hands after it bounced off the goalie. Tania Landivar got a penalty shot because of that incident, and scored another goal for the Jaguars. 


The Jaguars were now playing confidently, and were constantly in the Phoenix' end.. Fernanda Vaca
Diez had some asthma problems, and .Analia Mostert, Jaguar cheerleading coach, had to rush to give Vaca Diez her inhaler. Nevertheless, she kept playing as strongly as ever and scored the third Jaguar 
goal on a rebound from the Phoenix goalie.


The game continued to be mostly played at the Phoenix' end, with the Jaguars constantly attacking. Tania Landivar managed to score the fourth goal for her team, shortly thereafter scored another goal, making the score 5 to nothing at the half.

The second half of the game started out smoothly, with passes from both teams moving the ball up and down the field. The Jaguars were tired, but felt confident about their game.

Tania Landivar scored another goal, with each goal less than a minute apart, leaving the  score 8 to nothing, right before asking for her inhaler again. Moments after, Jaguar Paola Querejazu scored the eighth goal for the Jaguars.


After a collision with another Phoenix, Vaca Diez had to be carried out of the field due to injury and because she was already exhausted.

Shortly after, Jaguar Tania Landivar set the score at 9 to 0 for the Jaguars with another goal.


Jaguar Anna Sophia scored the tenth and last goal in the Jaguar's victory.

Boys Soccer SCCS v. ACS 10:30 a.m. Thursday

Jaguars dominate ACS Cougars, 3-0

By Lucia Landivar

      SCCS Jaguars boys soccer team won their first match of the Friendship Games against the ACS Cougars 3 to nothing.

       At first, the SCCS players were nervous, some  with patches on their noses to ease breathing in the unaccustomed altitude, while the Cougars were just excited to be playing on their home field. Drums from both teams were being banged, while people cheered on the players. It was a sunny day with a

small chill in the air.
       The game started out with passes back and forth, and a lot of energy from the Jaguars. The Jaguars were on the Cougars side constantly, but didn't manage to score a goal for some time. The SCCS players got
easily tired. The first minutes of the game passed, and Jaguar players seemed frustrated and tired, while the Cougars still had a bundle of energy stored inside of them that didn't seem to wear out.

      Jaguar  Juan Carlos Laguna kicked the ball full of force , that seemed like a sure goal, but Cougar  goalie Jack Prommel snared it. An apparent goal from Milan Marinkovic got the Jaguar crowd screaming and cheering, but unfortunately offsides was called, nullifying it. 

       Minutes after, Nicolas Aguirre from the Jaguars kicked the ball straight to Hyun Kim, who headed the ball into the goal, scoring the first point for the Jaguars. The score was 1 to 0, with a Jaguar lead.

      Jaguars came close to scoring another goal, but the Cougar defense fought hard, and finally cleared the ball out of the way.
         Milan Marinkovic danced his way through Cougar players, and almost scored another Jaguar goal, but turned out to be offside again.
       Jaguar Josue Abuawad and Cougar Pablo fought for the ball, and clashed together like bulls only to end up on the ground. Fortunately, neither was seriously injured. Minutes after, the first half of the game ended.

      Both teams started the second half strong, full of renewed energy. A kick made by Cougar Oscar Bonifaz went straight into the goal, while Jaguars screamed offside, Cougars celebrated, leaving many people confused. The final verdict made by the referee was that the Cougars were offside,  and the Jaguars
breathed a sigh of relief. 

      The Jaguars came close to scoring a goalfor their team many times, while Jaguar goalie Eduardo Rivera seemed confident,  and stopped the balls that came his way every now and then. 

       Jaguar Manuel Navarro shot a ball straight into the goal, leaving the Cougars no chance to react, resulting in a second goal for the Jaguars. 

      Jaguar Sebastian Vedia was in front of the Cougar goalie when he shot a goal for the Jaguars. The score was now 3 to 0. The Jaguars at this point were very confident, while the Cougars seemed to be losing hope. Soon after, the game ended

Girls Volleyball SCCS vs.ACS 9 a.m. Thursday

Jaguars beat ACS in straight sets

By Ximena Fagan

People were excited, a cool morning, nerves on edge.There was pop music playing before the game and each school was cheering for their team with drums and cheer chants.

Nabila Farah started got the Jaguars off to a good start. The ACS Cougars began to catch up and the game got intense.The Jaguars were able to recuperate and the Cooperative Jaguars finished the first set 25-13.

The second half was even more intense and the Cougars and Jaguars really showed all their energy and put forth their best effort. Cougar Tawni Alston had several excellent plays. The score was always tied  or close, with no more than three points separating the two teams. For the first half of the game the Cougers seemed to be the stronger team. 

But finally the Cooperative girls got it together and were able to bring the score up to 25-21 to win the second set and win their first Friendship Game.

Photo Album Friendship Games - La Paz 2011

Photography by: Ximena Fagan

Schedule Announced

Let the Games Begin . . . .

      The 2011 Friendship Games will begin with opening ceremonies on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 8:20 a.m. in the coliseum of the American Cooperative School in La Paz, and continue through the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 12.

      Four Bolivian schools united by the fact that each has its roots in an institution that was at one time popularly known as the "American School" in its city, will participate. They include two schools from Cochabamba -- American International School Bolivia (AISB) and Cochabamba Cooperative School (CCS) -- together with one from Santa Cruz  -- Santa Cruz Cooperative School (SCCS)-- and the host school -- American Cooperative School (ACS) of La Paz.

     Following the Opening Ceremonies the four schools will conduct a round robin competition in girls soccer, boys soccer, girls volleyball and boys volleyball, with each team playing each of the other schools in the course of twenty-four separate contests to be held Thursday and Friday.

      On Saturday, the final day of the competition, the schools with the best records will meet in the championship games. Consolation games to determine third and fourth places will also be played.

     The closing ceremonies will also include a cheerleading exhibition in which  squads from each of the four schools make presentations beginning at 2 p.m..

     The Games, which were once an annual event, have been played less regularly in recent years for a variety of reasons. They were last held in Santa Cruz in 2009, and were dominated that year by the home team.