Sports
GIRLS SOCCER: Monta Vista Clinches Playoff Berth
Matadors earns point in hard fought De Anza draw against the 'Cats.
Monta Vista 0, Los Gatos 0
The Star: The Monta Vista defense, anchored by senior defenders Sandra Ley and Zohar Lierbermensch, was superb in the key late season Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division battle. With the defense making life difficult anytime the ball traveled into the home teams half of the pitch and sophomore goalie Gal Haroush handling anything that may slip through the cracks, Monta Vista held its opponent off the scoreboard to secure a much needed point Friday afternoon. The tie improved the Matadors position in the league standings, giving them some security in the top three of the De Anza division.
The Turning Point: With both sides not giving up an inch on either side of the field, a fortunate save by the extra defender saved the host Matadors. Los Gatos (11-2-6, 6-0-5) sophomore forward Hannah Rosenberg blasted a shot off the cross bar in the 12th minute, the near score instead rung off the bar before the ball was sent safely away from the Monta Vista (7-6-5, 5-3-3 De Anza) net.
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The Quote: "We didn’t want any counters against us today." —Monta Vista senior midfielder Cheryl Tom said about her teams calculated attacks against Los Gatos. “The Gunn game last week wasn’t a good game for us. We wanted to come out and play much better today. All their (Los Gatos) players are strong. It feels good to come out with a tie and know that we’re going to CCS.”
What's Next? Monta Vista finishes off the regular season next Wednesday at Los Altos High. Central Coast Section playoff action begins the following week.
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Bottom Line: It was an important draw for a Monta Vista team looking to keep its place in the top three of the De Anza division. Sophomores Casey Kute and Jenica Wang both had solid scoring chances midway through the first half, but both shots couldn’t find the back of the net in the scoreless 80-minute affair. Now aligned just behind Los Gatos and safely in front of Los Altos, Monta Vista can head into next weeks finale looking to get one more strong effort in before the pressure packed CCS playoffs begin the following week.
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