Photograph by Skye Dunlap

The Los Gatos field hockey team celebrates after beating Prospect 2-0 in the Central Coast Section championship game. Goals by Heather Kottmeier and Rachel Lichte helped the Wildcats clinch the win and secure the title.

Hockey crown goes to Gatos

Goals by Kottmeier, Lichte help Cats clinch title

By Dick Sparrer

JoNina Cross could hold off the powerful Los Gatos offensive onslaught only so long.

But the Gatos field hockey team didn't get to the Central Coast Section championship game by not scoring goals. And the Wildcats, who had beaten Willow Glen and Mitty to get into those finals, found a way to score two second-half goals last Monday (Nov. 22) to win the CCS championship.

Cross, the talented Prospect goalkeeper who has put up big save numbers for the Panthers all season long, managed to hold down the powerful Wildcats in the first half.

But senior Heather Kottmeier knocked in a penalty stroke in the second half to break the scoreless tie and start the Wildcats on their way to the CCS title-clinching victory.

Los Gatos added an insurance goal later in the half when a Nikki Anderson pass set up Rachel Lichte for the goal that all but secured the 2-0 victory for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats, 12-1-2 for the year, secured their fourth CCS championship of the decade with the win. But it certainly didn't come easy for the Cats, who had to go to penalty strokes to pull out a first round CCS win over Willow Glen after clinching their league championship with a tie against Prospect.

The Cats had earned their place in the CCS playoffs by winning the title in the well-balanced Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Los Gatos beat both Mitty and Saratoga twice during league play, and the Cats beat Willow Glen twice, too, but both times by slim one-goal margins.

The Wildcats had a tougher time with both Prospect and Lynbrook during the league season. The Cats lost 4-2 to the Panthers, their only loss of the season, and they managed a win and a tie against the Vikings.

The league championship came down to a head-to-head matchup between Los Gatos and Prospect, and the Cats won the title by tying the Panthers 1-1.

The Wildcats took a 9-1-2 season record into the CCS playoffs and opened against league rival Willow Glen. The Rams fought the Cats to a 2-2 tie, but Gatos won 3-2 on penalty strokes to advance.

Los Gatos then blanked Mitty 1-0 to move into the finals against Prospect.

Prospect, 12-2-4 for the year, followed a similar path to the CCS finals.

The Panthers were second in the division, beating Saratoga twice, but splitting 1-0 decisions with Lynbrook. They had a win and a tie against Willow Glen, Mitty and Los Gatos, but it was that extra tie that cost Prospect the title.

Prospect moved into the CCS playoffs and destroyed Monta Vista 3-0 before edging St. Francis 1-0 to move into the finals. But the Panthers lost to Los Gatos in the title game, only their second loss of the season.


Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Slapping the ball up the field is Jessica Egan of Los Gatos in last week's CCS field hockey championship game. Gatos pulled out a 2-0 win over Prospect to win the title.




It was appropriate that Lichte, Anderson and Kottmeier led the offensive attack for the Cats in the championship round, since they joined with Anita Reyes, Cortney Kelly and Emily Scott as top offensive players all season for Los Gatos.

Kataya Dara, Lindsay Erickson and Jessica Egan also figured among the Gatos leaders in the CCS championship season.

Cross, the talented junior keeper for the Panthers, led the effort on the defensive end of the field for Prospect this season. At the other end, it was top goal scorers Cameron Kato, Tiffany Mine, Amber Madsen and Alex Harkins and assist leader Samantha Robertson leading the offense.

Brook Madsen, Nancy Vo, Young Pham, Kate Rainey, Stephanie Marshall and Jenny Tran were other top players for the Panthers.

Wildcats fall

The season ended on a disappointing note for the Los Gatos girls volleyball team.

But there was really nothing disappointing about the Gatos season in 1999.

The Wildcats played their way into the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs with a strong finish in the rugged De Anza Division of the SCVAL, and they cruised into the CCS finals to earn a berth in the Northern California tournament.

The Wildcats opened NorCal with a convincing 15-10, 15-0, 14-16, 15-3 win over Foothill of Redding, but then lost 15-6, 6-15, 15-9, 15-11 to Sonoma Valley in the semifinals.

But just getting that far was quite an accomplishment for Los Gatos.

The Wildcats, 26-10 for the year, cruised to three straight wins in the CCS playoffs before losing a tough decision in five games to Los Altos in the finals.

Still, by reaching the section finals, the Wildcats clinched an automatic berth in the NorCal playoffs. And they took advantage of the opportunity by opening with the win over Foothill.

But Gatos lost a match later to see its season wind to a close.

Alyson Coler had an incredible night in the CCS semifinals against Palo Alto to help Gatos clinch its NorCal berth.

Coler, Erin Lewis, Kelly Rinehart and Lauren Rinehart were top players for the Los Gatos in an outstanding 1999 season.

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