Los Altos High girls eager to show they belong in the upper division

By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer

Joe Hu/Town Crier Junior forward Emily Langston, controlling the ball against St. Francis, has scored four goals for Los Altos High this season.

After dominating the SCVAL El Camino Division last season, the Los Altos High girls soccer team welcomes the move up to the SCVAL De Anza Division this season.

“We can’t wait,” said coach Erin Montoya, whose Eagles kick off division play with three games this week. “We have so many club players, and they’re used to playing at a high level.”

The El Camino Division offered Los Altos anything but high-level competition. The Eagles won all 12 of their division games in convincing fashion and surrendered just one goal.

The schedule didn’t do Los Altos any favors come playoff time. The Eagles followed league play with an overtime loss to Monta Vista - a De Anza team - in the Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinals.

Competing against other playoff-caliber teams in the De Anza should go a long way in preparing Los Altos for the postseason.

“We want to make sure we’re peaking at the end of the season,” said Montoya, whose team is off to a 3-1-1 start in non-league play. “We want to be ready for CCS when the time comes.”

Returning 14 players from a squad that posted an 18-2 overall record a season ago, the Eagles have good reason to believe the playoffs are in their near future.

“The girls are capable of going all the way, and that’s one of their goals,” said Montoya, who has just one senior among her 18 girls.

There are 11 juniors on the roster, most of them returning starters. Margueritte Aozasa is among the leaders of this group. The midfielder - who tore the anterior-cruciate ligament in her right knee while training with the under-16 national team last January - is “coming along” after a 10-month recovery, Montoya said. Aozasa entered the week with three goals.

A majority of the Eagles’ goals have come from the midfield, with Hallie Keenan and Sarah NeSmith scoring four each and Noorin Dorosti adding three.

“Now we have to get others initiated,” Montoya said. “We have the players to do it, they just need to step up.”

Emily Langston is the only forward with multiple goals, tallying four.

After racking up 25 goals over their first three games, the Eagles struggled to score in their next two. They lost 2-1 to Palo Alto in the finals of the Palo Alto Winter Classic Dec. 1, then played host St. Francis to a scoreless tie on Dec. 5.

“Both teams had good opportunities,” Montoya said of last week’s match against the Lancers. “We probably had more opportunities, but they had two dangerous ones.”

The coach said Los Altos faced “a pretty amazing keeper” in St. Francis sophomore Lindsay Dickerson.

Montoya also praised the Eagles’ defense, which she described as being “pretty strong in the back.” Goalie Emily Galli has allowed just three goals this season. Senior Sarah Nolet is one of the stabilizing forces of a defense that should be bolstered by the return of fellow fullback Lauren Crum, who has been hindered by a heel injury.

Los Altos was scheduled to open league play Monday against Saratoga, visit Palo Alto today and host Homestead Friday. All matches are set for 3:30 p.m.