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Berkeley High rugger Joanna Hoch scored all three tries for the BHS/Piedmont contingent in Saturday’s match at Fielding Field in Berkeley, but the more experienced Oakridge squad had the offensive consistency to prevail, 25-15.  

The losing effort went down as one of the best all season for the BHS/Piedmont squad, which is currently in its first-ever year of competition. According to the BHS players, the passing and defense have improved exponentially over the past weeks, and the narrow loss to Oakridge – a team with four years of experience – was something of a moral victory. 

“I think this was our best game. The coach came up to us after the game and said it was one of the most well-matched (all season),” Hoch said. “They’ve been in existence for four years, and we were at their level. Our team’s improvement is really obvious.” 

The squad travels north to Roseville this weekend to participate in a tournament featuring Granite Bay and Elsie Allen. BHS/Piedmont is guaranteed at least three games, and could win its way into a fourth.