Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita
Los Gatos senior Kim Christiansen, fighting for the ball in a game earlier this season, knocked in three goals and added three assists last week in a 10-0 field hockey win over Saratoga.
Big day in big win for Christiansen
Hockey team rolls, polo team splits
By Dick Sparrer
Three goals and three assists wouldn't be a bad year for many girls field hockey players. But for Los Gatos sophomore Jodi Christiansen, it's all in a day's work.
At least it was last week when the Wildcats met up with Saratoga in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. The Cats pounded the Falcons 10-0 behind a brilliant offensive display by Christiansen.
Of course, she wasn't the only Gatos player getting in on a little scoring last week. Junior Merin Clark knocked in three goals and had an assist in the lopsided win, and Ashley Ogle chipped in with five assists.
Alison Reyes had just two assists in the Los Gatos win. But the talented sophomore was not held scoreless last week by any means.
Reyes pumped in two goals, both off of Ogle assists, to lead the Wildcats to a clutch 2-1 win over a solid Willow Glen team to open the week.
The clash with the Rams was clearly the biggest of the week for the Wildcats. Willow Glen's 1-3 record entering the game was not all that impressive, but the Rams are among the toughest teams in the division.
Reyes gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at intermission when she scored her first goal in the first half off a pass from Ogle.
Photograph by Paul Myers
Senior Jen Azlant (right) reaches in to steal the ball away in last week's 2-1 Los Gatos field hockey win over Willow Glen.
Willow Glen scored in the second half, but so did Reyes--again off an Ogle assist--and the Cats were able to hang on for the tight victory.
Two days later the Wildcats found themselves in a laugher with Christiansen, Clark and Ogle leading the charge.
Christiansen and Clark led the Cats to the win with three goals apiece, and Tiffany Baiardo, Sara Cochran, Lauren Batinich and Jen Azlant also scored.
Ogle's five assists topped the club in the win and Christiansen added three. Reyes added two assists in the game, and Baiardo, Clark, Lyndsey Erickson, Adrienne Peetz and Annie Smith added one each.
The two wins left the Wildcats with a 5-1 division record and a 10-1 mark for the season.
Los Gatos will now prepare for three very tough upcoming bouts. The Wildcats will visit St. Francis (4-1-1 in league, 8-1-1 overall) on Oct. 23, will host Lynbrook (3-2-1, 7-2-3) on Oct. 25 and will head to Mitty (3-2-1, 7-2-2) on Oct. 30 for three crucial games. All three are set for 3 p.m. starts.
Polo team wins, loses
The Los Gatos girls water polo team opened play last week with a 7-5 win over Los Altos, but the Wildcats lost 9-4 to Cupertino two days later.
The split left the Cats 9-2 in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Cupertino leads the pack at 10-0.
Junior standout Catherine Eastman poured in three goals and Rachel Jeffers added two to lead the Wildcats to the 7-5 win over the Eagles to open the week. Becca Stein and Monica Young also scored for the Cats.
Los Altos actually took the early lead with a goal in the first period, but the Wildcats outscored the Eagles 4-1 in the second to lead 4-2 at the half.
The Eagles cut the Gatos lead to a goal by outscoring the Cats 2-1 in the third, trimming the lead to 5-4. But it was the Wildcats topping the Eagles 2-1 in the fourth to pull out the 7-5 win.
Things didn't go as well for LG two days later at Cupertino. The Pioneers tossed in five goals in the first period and led 7-1 at intermission on their way to a 9-4 victory.
Eastman, Jeffers, Young and Becca Norman each scored single goals for Los Gatos.
The Wildcats will try to get back on the winning track this week when they take on Santa Clara on Oct. 23 and Lynbrook on Oct. 25 in a couple of 5:30 p.m. games at Saratoga.
Cats lose two
The Los Gatos girls volleyball team dropped a pair of matches last week, falling in three games to unbeaten St. Francis and losing in four to Los Altos.
The Wildcats lost 15-13, 8-15, 15-9, 15-10 to Los Altos to open the week.
The Cats then fell 15-6, 15-7, 15-11 to powerful St. Francis despite getting nine kills from Caroline Walters.
The two losses left Gatos 3-6 in the rugged De Anza Division and 8-11 for the year.
Golfers lose
Jackie Pimentel fired a 10-over par 45, but the Los Gatos girls golf team lost a 183-191 decision to St. Francis at San Jose Country Club last week.
The Wildcats came back a week later to top Menlo-Atherton 206-228 to improve to 5-7 for the year.
Cats net split
Cristi Green won twice at No. 4 singles, but the Los Gatos girls tennis team could manage just a split against Gunn and Saratoga.
The Wildcats edged the Falcons 4-3. Green rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles and Katrina Lebedeva won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 2 singles.
But the Cats had lost 4-3 to Gunn earlier in the week, despite singles wins by Green and Caroline Stege.
Gatos lost twice this past week, dropping a 4-3 heartbreaker to Palo Alto and losing 6-1 to Monta Vista.
Alicia Hull won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Lebedeva won 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2 and Green won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4, but the Wildcats lost 4-3 to the Vikings.
Earlier in the week, Green was the only Gatos winner in a 6-1 loss to the Matadors. Green pulled out a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles.
The two losses dropped the Cats to 4-7 in the De Anza Division of the SCVAL and to 4-9 for the year.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
