St. Francis ties Mitty 1-1 to earn share of section field hockey crown

By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer

The Los Altos High girls water polo team had been here before.

The Eagles were in sudden-death overtime for the third time this season, with a trip to the Central Coast Section Division I final on the line.

But the past experiences didn’t prove beneficial for third-seeded Los Altos. No. 7 Mitty scored with less than a minute remaining in the third overtime to prevail 4-3 in last week’s semifinal at Lynbrook.

Sara Collins scored the decisive goal for the Monarchs just seconds after the ejection of a Los Altos player.

“It was a quick conversion,” said Travis Wyckoff, coach of a Los Altos team that split its two previous sudden-death games. “There was no time for the defense to set up for the power play.”

Los Altos goalie Cassandra Wyckoff had 11 saves in the Nov. 15 game, but there was no stopping Collins’ shot from within 10 feet of the goal.

“It was too quick,” said coach Wyckoff, who has two daughters on the team. “It was a bang-bang thing.”

It was a disappointing end for the Eagles (19-9), who got off to a fast start against Mitty (20-10). Los Altos led 3-1 at halftime.

The Monarchs rallied in the third quarter, tying the game at 3. After the teams traded goals in the fourth, coach Wyckoff felt confident entering the extra period.

“We had great momentum going into overtime,” he said. “We played well in overtime and pretty much controlled it, but we couldn’t put the ball in the net.”

Meghan Powers finished with two goals to lead Los Altos; Rachel Levin and Carey Wong added one each.

Coach Wyckoff said he’s proud of the way his team played - not only in the game but also throughout the season.

“The girls are so mentally tough and they really battled,” he said. “It was a tremendous season for them.”

Mitty defeated No. 2 St. Francis 5-2 in Saturday’s title game at Independence. The Lancers (21-10) trailed 4-0 entering the fourth quarter, then received goals from Kim Benedetti and Jenna Gunderson.

Field hockey

Playing to a draw for the third time this season, St. Francis (14-1-4) and Mitty (17-0-4) also played to a scoreless tie in last year’s final. The Lancers have earned at least a share of the CCS title four times in the last six years.

Mitty scored in the 10th minute Saturday, but host St. Francis evened the score on its next possession on a shot by Stephanie Byrne, assisted by Soula Ellenikiotis and Shannon Millson.

In the semifinals Nov. 14, St. Francis edged No. 6 Los Gatos 1-0. The Lancers’ goal came in the third minute on a shot by Ellenikiotis.