The beauty of the Los Gatos High field hockey team is its ability to never underestimate the competition, even though oftentimes their opponents are clearly out-classed. That mental focus is one of the many reasons why the Wildcats have been the Central Coast Section’s premier program for the better part of three decades.
On the rare occasions when the Wildcats do get to face an opponent that will surely challenge them, the players get an extra pep in their step.
“This is the first time in a long time I’ve seen them get really excited,” Wildcats coach Henry Reyes said, moments after a pivotal 1-0 win over rival Mitty on Oct. 20. “It’s a very normal thing to see for us to put up 19, 20 wins in a season, but they have to mean something deeper and I think they found that today. It’s exciting because they played like they all had their heads together, and it made a big difference.”
Los Gatos (15-1 overall, 12-1 SCVAL El Camino) and Mitty will likely share the El Camino Division championship. The Wildcats will face either St. Francis or St. Ignatius from the De Anza Division on Oct. 30, and that result will determine their seed in the CCS playoffs. This much is certain: Los Gatos, St. Ignatius, Mitty and St. Francis seem to be well on their way towards clashing in the CCS playoff semifinals.
Those matchups will likely mirror the Wildcats’ latest victory over Mitty, which avenged a 2-1 overtime loss to the Monarchs on Sept. 24. Los Gatos hasn’t yielded a goal since then, outscoring eight opponents by a combined margin of 53-0 in that span. In an intense, gritty and back-and-forth contest, Lizzie Moorehouse’s goal with eight minutes remaining was the difference against the Monarchs.
Running along the left side of the field to the endline, Moorehouse used her deft stick-handling skills to weave her way past two Mitty defenders before coming in close and flicking a shot over the goalie.
It was an incredible play considering the Monarchs had a couple of defenders in prime position to deflect the ball away.
However, there’s a reason why Reyes—who is in his 35th season as Los Gatos coach—said Moorehouse is one of the program’s all-time greats in regards to stick-handling. Time and again, Moorehouse’s Midas touch on the ball allowed her to glide past defenders.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “She’s one of the better ones I have had for sure. She got surprised on the first one (when she came in on goal) because she shot it low and the goalie had a great save with the foot. But on the second one coming through she knew she had to get the ball up, and she got the ball up with some elevation and it went in.”
Moorehouse also was key on short corner defense, clearing the ball away two times in the midst of three consecutive Mitty short corner possessions with a couple of minutes left in the match. Senior Stella Musser was solid once again in her center defender/sweeper role. Musser’s ability to control the possession from the back and move the ball upfield has been key for Los Gatos all season.
“She’s very steady,” Reyes said. “We had some great performances from around the field. But in general, the collectiveness of everybody trying to make every effort for each other is what I’m proud of. That’s why they’re a band of sisters, because they play for each other.”
Wildcats junior Tori Schubert was superb in goal yet again, making all the key stops. With a deep roster, Reyes substitutes liberally to keep his players fresh, a big reason why the team has plenty left in the tank come closing time. Players including Eastin Boyle, Jihyung Hong, Franny Tolich, Colette Von Klemperer, Bea Monk, Kendall Welsh, Stiene Bastien, Mila Maletic, and Brynn Vivoli—the list is certainly not comprehensive—made contributions throughout.
