By Pete Borello

courtesy of Claudia Westrum The Mountain View/Los Altos Mercury, an under-16 girls soccer team, won State Cup last month. Back row, from left, are head coach Albertin Montoya, Margueritte Aozasa, Brittany Westrum, Lindsay Taylor, Sarah NeSmith, Lauren Machado, Hallie Keenan, Lauren Crum, Danielle Brunache, Jessica Lau, Nicole Duller, and assistant coach Alberto Montoya. Front row, from left, are Emily Langston, Teresa Noyola, Jessica Ingram, Julia Cashen, Kellie Welch, Yiana Dimmit, Lauren Brown, Stephanie Righetti and Sara Chehrehsa.

Soccer coach Albertin Montoya believes the regular season is more about developing players than winning games, and that philosophy has served his under-16 girls club team well this year.

After finishing fourth in its league, the Mountain View/Los Altos Mercury won State Cup at the Class I level last month and enters the upcoming Far West Regionals ranked second in the nation.

Mercury played most of the 64-team California Youth Soccer Association-North State Cup tournament without four key players who were either injured or away with the under-16 national team. By doling out significant playing time to all his girls during the season, Montoya developed enough depth to overcome absences that would have crippled most teams.

“It’s a long season and it paid off playing the other girls,” he said. “A lot of players stepped up and played well.”

This includes several players in the midfield, where Mercury was hit particularly hard by absences. Montoya said he couldn’t have asked for more from replacements Sarah NeSmith, Hallie Keenan and Teresa Noyola.

“They stepped up to a different level,” he said. “It was exciting to see.”

NeSmith and Keenan, like eight others on Mercury, attend Los Altos High. Noyola is from Palo Alto High.

Mercury’s semifinal game against the Danville Mustangs went to penalty kicks, and Noyola delivered the decisive blast in a shootout her team won 4-3.

The semifinal was tied at 2 after regulation, with Mercury scoring on shots by Brittany Westrum and Lindsay Taylor. After neither team scored in overtime, the game went to penalty kicks.

While Noyola delivered the game-winner, Montoya said his goalkeeper made a play of equal importance during the shootout. After each team made its initial penalty kick and Mercury missed its second attempt, the Mustangs were in position to win it with their next shot. Mercury goalie Yiana Dimmit (Woodside High) made the save, but the ref ruled she moved early and gave Danville another try. The shooter tried for the opposite post this time and Dimmit “made a huge save,” Montoya said.

In the State Cup final, played May 7 in Livermore, Mercury came from behind to beat Santa Rosa United 2-1. Down 1-0 at halftime, Mercury “came out much stronger in the second half,” Montoya said. Westrum and Taylor again led the offense, each scoring a goal.

Taylor, a Los Altos resident from Castilleja School, leads the team in scoring for the season.

“She’s the best forward in the country in her age group,” Montoya said. “She’s an unbelievable player.”

Taylor and Los Altos High’s Westrum may have more goals, but Montoya said fellow forward Emily Langston has been just as crucial to the Mercury’s success.

“She’s playing as good as anyone,” he said of the Los Altos High player. “She’s small, but she’s a sparkplug. She’s one of my favorite players in the country and one of the most highly recruited. She creates constantly and never gets tired. I’ve never seen a player with such stamina.”

Of course, it takes more than offense to win soccer games. The defense also has a lot to do with Mercury’s run to the State Cup and its 8-0 tourney record. The fullbacks - Lauren Crum and Nicole Duller of Los Altos High and Jessica Lau of Monta Vista High - are first-rate players, according to their coach.

“We typically only play with three backs, which is unusual at this level,” Montoya said. “But we have the three best backs in the country. They’re incredible.”

Mercury also gets a lift from Jessica Ingram, the team’s No. 4 fullback.

“She steps in and sometimes starts,” Montoya said of the Herman High student. “She’s done a good job.”

Goalie Dimmit and midfielder Danielle Brunache have been “very important additions” to this year’s team, according to the coach. Brunache, from St. Ignatius College Prep, is “our best athlete and an incredible force,” Montoya said.

All have contributed to Mercury’s third straight State Cup championship. Now, the team is after bigger trophies: the regional and national championships. Montoya said his team is “peaking at the right time,” but he doesn’t want his girls to get ahead of themselves.

“It’s nice to be ranked No. 2 in the nation, but you’ve got to perform on the field,” Montoya said. “Last year, we were ranked No. 1 and lost in the regional final. But the girls are really focused and committed, and they’re looking forward to this. I think they’re hungry for it.”

Mercury won’t be at full strength for the regionals, scheduled June 19-25 in Boise, Idaho, but it should be better off than it was for state. Midfielders Margueritte Aozasa (Los Altos High) and Lauren Brown (Menlo School) remain sidelined by knee injuries, but fellow national team members Taylor and Noyola should be available.

If Mercury wins the regionals, it qualifies for the U.S. Youth Soccer Nationals in July.