Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Gatos boys, girls play for CCS soccer titles

By Dick Sparrer

Los Gatos is playing for the Central Coast Section soccer championship.

Wait . . . no adjustment of your newspaper page is necessary. It's no mistake that the statement was repeated, because it's true. Los Gatos will play for two different CCS soccer championships.

Both the Los Gatos girls' and boys' soccer teams qualified for the CCS finals with victories last week.

The girls pounded Leland 4-0 to move into the CCS Division I title game against longtime rival Leigh. The Longhorns battled Menlo-Atherton to a 1-1 tie, then pulled out a 4-2 win on penalty kicks.

It was penalty kicks that decided things in the CCS Division II boys' semifinals, too. Los Gatos and Willow Glen tied 1-1, but the Cats won 4-3 on penalty kicks to advance to the finals.

Los Gatos, 11-7-4 for the year, will challenge No. 1 seeded Pioneer (13-7-4) in the CCS title game Feb. 28 at San Jose PAL Stadium. Game time was not available at presstime. Pioneer beat Burlingame in overtime to move into the finals.

In the girls' Division I final, Los Gatos will take its impressive 23-0-1 record up against a tough Leigh squad that's 16-2-3 this season. Date and time of the championship game had not been determined at presstime.

It's the third straight year that Gatos and Leigh have met in the CCS title game. Los Gatos won 3-0 in 1994 and 1-0 in 1995. This marks Los Gatos' fourth straight trip to the section championship game.

Los Gatos cruised into the finals over Leland, but it took a big second half for the Cats to clinch the win.

The Wildcats and Chargers were scoreless through a half, but senior co-captains Stacey Mallison and Amy White took charge in the second half.

Mallison's pass to Amie Salfen led to a goal by Anne Zuparko early in the second half gave the Cats a 1-0 lead.

Then it was Mallison scoring off a White assist, and the Wildcats were on top 2-0.

Melissa Schmidt set up Zuparko for a second goal and Mallison scored her 22nd goal of the year to wrap up the 4-0 victory.

Goalkeeper Carrie Walsh blanked the Chargers throughout, but it was her brilliant performance in the first half that keyed the win.

In the first half the offensive efforts of Natalie Stuhlmueller, Kelly Lumby, Tessa Donnelly and Stacey Caro helped the Cats control the ball and keep it out of Leland territory.

While the Gatos girls were winning big, the boys were taking a thriller from Willow Glen.

A first-half goal by Carlos Velez helped the Cats match the Rams 1-1 by intermission. But that's how it remained through the second half and two overtime periods.

The outcome went to penalty kicks and the clubs matched goals until Joel Gremore stepped up for the Wildcats. His shot broke the tie and gave the Cats the victory and a place in the CCS championship game.