Photograph by Robert Scheer
The season came to a tearful end for the girls' soccer team at Los Gatos. Teammates Lauren Proctor (left) and Christy Filice comfort each other after a 3-0 loss to Presentation in the CCS Division II semifinals.
By Dick Sparrer
So close...
Four area soccer teams had a shot at reaching the Central Coast Section finals. But the girls' and boys' soccer teams from Los Gatos and Leigh all suffered disappointing losses in the CCS semifinal round.
The Los Gatos boys came within a half of playing Pioneer for the CCS Division II championship, but two second-half goals lifted Burlingame to a 2-1 victory.
The Gatos girls were shocked 3-0 by Presentation in the CCS Division II semifinals, and it was the Panthers who went on to face St. Francis for the section championship.
In CCS Division I action, the Leigh girls dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Menlo-Atherton to face elimination from the post-season tournament, and the Leigh boys lost a tough 2-0 nod to Watsonville to see their season come to an abrupt halt.
The Los Gatos boys were hoping for a championship game rematch with Pioneer. The Wildcats had lost to the Mustangs in the CCS Division II finals a year earlier and were hoping for a little revenge in 1997.
But Burlingame had other ideas.
Zach Pine knocked in a first-half goal off an Andy Pierce assist to give the Cats a 1-0 lead at intermission, but Burlingame scored two goals in the second half to claim the 2-1 victory.
It was Burlingame going to meet Pioneer in the title game, posting a 1-0 victory to win the CCS title.
The Wildcats finished the year with an 11-4-4 record.
The Los Gatos girls also had a shot at reaching the CCS Division II finals, but the Cats were blanked 3-0 by unbeaten Presentation. Gatos trailed just 1-0 at the half, but the Panthers added two insurance goals in the second half to claim the victory.
The Gatos girls wrapped up the year with a solid 15-3-1 record.
Anne Zuparko, Natalie Stuhl-mueller, Marcia Wallis and Amie Salfen were top players for the Wildcats this winter. Other members of the team included Lina Biber-Ferro, Adrianna Busi, Stacey Caro, Katy Castaneda, Laura Destro, Erika Duggins, Christy Filice, Kim Fredkin, Tyler Holcomb, Kelly Lumby, Stephanie Pearson, Bethany Peterson, Lauren Proctor, Melissa Schmidt, Giselle Sylvester, Carrie Walsh, Megan Geldman and Sunny Vizzusi.
The Leigh boys, like the Gatos girls, trailed 1-0 at intermission in their semifinal game against Watsonville. But the Longhorns gave up another goal in the second half and ended up falling 2-0.
Leigh finished the season with a 15-4-6 record.
Seniors Nolan Ray, Rooz Tahamtanzadeh and Kasey Krall joined sophomores Scott Gellman and Kelly Gray as key players for Leigh this season.
Aaron Adam, Mike Roon, Chad Salstrom, James Boucher, Shamim Samadi, Hector Sorto, Lee Wilcox, Chris Oparowski, Scott Manthey, Andy Marvin, Ramsey Junaid, Yukihiro Kobayashi, Lafe Ray, Matt Oliver, Chris Ichien, Matt Jones and Jon Senior were other members of the Leigh squad.
Sophomore Pedram Elahi and freshmen Eric Bembrey, David Harris, Jake Johnson, Kenny Johnson, Andy Kreamer, Chris Merkt and Jimmy Rose rounded out the Leigh roster.
Freshman Kassie Doubrava knocked in a pair of goals off assists from sophomore Emily Patterson, but the Leigh girls lost a tough 3-2 decision to Menlo-Atherton.
Leigh and M-A were tied 2-2 at the half, but Menlo-Atherton snapped the tie with a second-half goal.
The Longhorns ended the season 18-5-1 overall.
Seniors Jessica Intrator and Heidi Rawson teamed with Patterson and Doubrava to lead the Longhorns to their solid finish this winter.
Rounding out the squad were Stephanie Vieler, Lynsey Gahl, Dani Juarez, Lauren Hawley, Candise Leven, Lisa Callahan, Leanne Reuss, Nikki Hartz, Kathy Oliver, Nicole Davila, Chelsea Reda, Michelle Lawrence and Pamela Durrett.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, March 5, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.