By Dick Sparrer
It all came down to one final game.
And the Los Gatos Bengals were ready.
The Bengals blanked the Milbrae Hornets 4-0 to clinch the Redwood League championship in the girls' under-13 competition division.
The clubs had played to ties in three previous meetings, but the fourth time proved the charm for the Bengals.
Los Gatos scored the goal that would prove the game winner just 23 seconds into play. Chelsea Christiani and Lauren Rinehart worked the ball down the field, and Michelle Beritzoff knocked it home to give the Bengals a quick lead.
Beritzoff scored again just a couple of minutes later, and Rinehart knocked one home from 15 yards out to up the score to 3-0 before the half.
Christiani scored a second-half goal to make it 4-0, and the rest was up to the defense.
Sweeper Emily Scott, fullbacks Leigh Haskin and Kelly Rinehart and stoppers Julia Pugliese and Stephanie Pando allowed Milbrae just five shots in the game, and goalkeeper Erin Lavey blocked them all to preserve the shutout.
Wings Veronica Campanella and Rachel Lichte joined with forwards Anne Masterman, Cheryl Betzina, Jessica Hall and Becca Bradley to keep up the pressure on the Milbrae net.
The league champion Bengals were coached by Chris Daren.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 10, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.