The Menlo girls’ soccer team jumped out of the blocks, scoring early and controlling the game  in a 3-0 top seed Gilroy in a CCS Div III opener Saturday.The eighth-seeded Knights (10-4-7)  will face fifth-seeded Palo Alto (7-6-7) in the semifinals  on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at a site and time TBD.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Against Gilroy, sophomore Carolina Espinosa got the Knights on the scoreboard with a stunning volley eight minutes in. Espinosa would later assist senior Carly Retterer on the Knights’ second goal before the half, and Gabby Kogler would score the third on an assist from fellow junior Julia Deffner with nearly 7 minutes left. Freshman Sam Sellers and sophomore Ayla Seddighnezhad combined for the shutout. 
Photo: Menlo sophomore Carolina Espinosa scored the Knights’ first goal and assisted on the second in Menlo’s 3-0 win over Gilroy on Saturday.