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Prospect defender Matt Fischer, left, battles with Willow Glen's Gilbert Lozoya for the ball in a league game last week. The Rams blanked the Panthers 2-0.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Tough test for Saratoga soccer
Varsity veterans lead Prospect teams into new season
By Dick Sparrer
Joe Guttadauro knows the tough task his Saratoga boys soccer team faces this winter.
The Falcons are coming off of a championship season, but the Saratoga coach is well aware of the difference between the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's El Camino Division and the powerful De Anza Division.
It was for that reason that Guttadauro scheduled such powerhouses as Bellarmine, Leigh, Sequoia and Mitty in the preseason.
"We were playing a very difficult nonleague schedule to prepare for the tough De Anza Division of the SCVAL," admitted the coach prior to the start of the 2000-01 campaign.
But so far, that strategy has not paid off with a league victory.
The Falcons, who were 4-4 in nonleague play, are off to a rocky 0-3 start in the league season.
Saratoga lost a 3-2 cliffhanger to Los Gatos last week, then dropped a 2-0 nod to title-favorite Gunn two days later.
Goals by junior midfielders Alan Sung and Nolan Gaudreau, off a Sung assist, gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead at the half against the Wildcats early in the week. But Gatos scored three unanswered goals in the second half to pull out a 3-2 victory.
Saratoga was held scoreless by Gunn a couple of days later as the Titans ran their league record to 4-0.
The Gunn start comes as no surprise to Guttadauro, who picked Gunn and Palo Alto as a the preseason title favorites in the division. The Falcons lost to Paly in the league opener back before winter break.
Despite the tough start, Guttadauro is happy to see his Falcons out of the El Camino Division.
"Saratoga is back up in the De Anza Division, hopefully to stay," said the coach, whose club posted an 8-1-3 El Camino record last winter to tie Santa Clara for the title (the Falcons advanced to the Central Coast Section playoffs at the division's top seed by virtue of their win and tie over the Bruins in league play).
"It will be very difficult to replace our league MVP and goalkeeper from last year (Andrew Bosworth)," said the coach. "But we'll be counting on returning forwards Anthony Lin and A.J. Weitsman, who both could be 15-goal, 10-assist players."
Lin, a junior forward, and Trevor Adams, a junior defender, are top returners for the Falcons. Lin and Adams were each all-league first team selections last year.
Senior defender Michael Teng is back for his third varsity season at Saratoga. He was named to the all-league second team last winter.
Weitsman and Sung are other top returners for Saratoga, along with senior midfielders Osama Elziq, Guido Graziosi, Yosuke Okada and Takashi Tomonaga, sophomore midfielder Sergio Patterson and junior midfielder Derrick Wong.
Gaudreau is one of nine newcomers expected to help the varsity squad. Sophomore defenders Kenny Keast, Mark Weiner and Scott Elfving, senior forward Amir Nakhostin and junior forward Tim Chapman are other top prospects.
Seniors Jaime Prieto and Will Shippee and junior Ari Bencuya are battling for work as goalkeepers for Saratoga.
The Falcons will chase their first league win this week when they play three De Anza Division games. Saratoga was to visit Santa Clara on Monday and will host Homestead on Jan. 10, 3:30 p.m., before heading to Lynbrook on Jan. 12, 3:30 p.m.
Warriors fall
Improvement is the buzzword on the soccer field at Westmont High School this winter.
At least, that's what first-year coach Liz Bricmont is looking for from her Warriors in 2001.
"Our team is very young, and determined to do better than last year," said Bricmont of the Warriors, who were 4-12-4 in 2000. "We have very strong unity and a desire to play well."
But the Warriors are not off to an especially good start in the young season. Westmont has just two wins in its first seven games, and the Warriors are just 1-3 in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Westmont lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to San Jose Academy last week, then were blanked 4-0 by Gunderson in league action.
Sophomore midfielder Michael Sato had a goal and an assist in the loss to San Jose last week. Sato scored a first-half goal off an assist from junior center forward Eduardo Perez, then assisted junior Eric Kimzey on a goal in the second half.
But the Bulldogs scored two goals in the second half to pull out the tight 3-2 victory.
Leading the attack for the Warriors this season will be veterans Nobu Kurata, a senior center midfielder, and Ben Peterson, a junior sweeper. Both return for their third varsity season.
Senior center defender Tito Barajas joins with Sato, Perez, sophomore midfielder Josh Herzburn, senior forward Danny McNiven and junior goalkeeper Israel Velasquez as other top varsity returners for Westmont.
Freshman midfielder Matt Schombri is a talented newcomer on the varsity club this winter.
The Warriors are coming off of a 3-9 league performance of a year ago, but Bricmont is looking for her squad to climb to "second or third" in the league standings this season.
Westmont will try to get back on the winning track this week, hosting Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 9 and Del Mar on Jan. 11 in a couple of 3:15 p.m. games.
Panthers lose
The Prospect boys suffered their first loss of the Mt. Hamilton Division season last week after dropping a 2-0 decision to Willow Glen.
The Rams took a 1-0 lead in the first half and added another unanswered goal in the second half to pull out the victory.
The Panthers slipped to 2-1 in division play and to 4-5-1 for the year with the loss.
Jason Hawthorne, Julian Sam, Santiago Ortega and Myles Forman are all top returners for the Panthers this season. The four seniors each return for a third varsity season, along with junior defender Matt Fischer, another three-year varsity starter for the Panthers.
Hawthorne pumped in four goals in a game early this season to lead the Panthers to a 5-1 win over Piedmont Hills.
Prospect girls even
It was a tough week for the Prospect girls soccer team.
The Panthers, who started the Mt. Hamilton Division season with two wins, lost 2-0 to Mitty, then dropped a 3-1 nod to Santa Teresa. Prospect is now even at 2-2 in league play and 6-3-1 for the year.
The losses didn't really come as a surprise to Prospect head coach Jason Potmesil, who had picked Mitty and Santa Teresa to finish one-two in the division race this winter. He figures his own Panthers for a fourth-place finish, right behind Presentation.
Leading the attack for the Panthers this season will be senior forward Shani Armstrong, junior midfielder Natalie Kiyama and sophomore forward Brooke Madsen.
Armstrong and Kiyama each return for a third varsity season. Both were all-league first-team picks last year, and they shared their team's most valuable player award.
Madsen returns after winning all-league second-team honors as a freshman at Prospect.
Sophomore midfielder Katie Gazlay is back on the varsity this season after missing most of last year with a shoulder injury.
Forward Tara Rodriguez and defenders Pam Salter and Meghan Dunagan are "all freshmen expected to start this year," said Potmesil.
Seniors JoNina Cross and Kate Rainey join Armstrong as co-captains on this year's squad, and midfielder-goalkeeper Janet Long is another Prospect senior. Long and junior Jessica Coen are battling for the starting 'keeper job.
It was a penalty kick by junior midfielder Vicky Eustace that kept the Panthers from getting blanked twice last week. The Panthers had lost 2-0 to Mitty, but Eustace knocked one in in the loss to the Saints.
The Panthers will be on the road for a pair of 3:15 p.m. league games this week, visiting Leigh on Jan. 10 and Piedmont Hills on Jan. 12.
Warriors, Falcons win
The Westmont and Saratoga girls soccer teams each posted back-to-back wins last week.
The Warriors won twice in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL, edging Oak Grove 1-0 and Valley Christian 2-0.
Megan Gurney scored off a Megan Clapp assist for Westmont's lone goal in the win over the Eagles.
Gurney came back with a goal and an assist in the win over the Valley two days later.
Westmont is now 3-0 in division play and 5-4 for the year.
Saratoga, meanwhile, nailed a pair of tight 1-0 victories, beating Los Gatos and Gunn, to improve to 2-2 in the De Anza Division of the SCVAL.
Annie McAllister scored off a Jamie Pfeifer assist for Saratoga's only goal in the win over the Wildcats, and Keala Meyer's goal gave the Falcons the 1-0 win over Gunn.
Saratoga is now 7-3 overall this season.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
