Eagles lose in quarterfinals
By Wayne Harrison
wharrison@theacorn.com

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn CONDOLENCES--Oak Park's Roxana Sadeghi, left, and Nikki Wallen console each other after losing 1-0 to Oaks Christian High School in the California Interscholastic Federation soccer playoffs.

The Oak Park soccer team last Friday was narrowly defeated, 1-0, by Oaks Christian, the team with which the Eagles shared a championship last year. The game was played at Oaks Christian High School.

Last year the Lions scored late to tie Oak Park, 1-1, and earn a co-championship in the California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) Division V.

This season the teams met earlier in the quarterfinals, and again Oaks Christian scored late, this time the lone goal of the game.

"It was a great game," said Oak Park head coach Ted Eggleston, "a very, very physical game—especially in the second half. There was a lot on the line."

The loss dropped the Eagles to 16-8-4 overall on the season. It was a year in which Oak Park started slowly but improved steadily until finally bowing out against the highly regarded Lions.

"We started off fairly weak and just kept improving," said Eggleston. "And what was neat about this team is that they didn’t get down, they didn’t get discouraged. Everybody was looking at them being the co-champion of CIF last year, and that put a lot of pressure on them.

"And yet their attitude was always positive," added Eggleston. "They really felt like they were going to put it together and they did. They became a very good team."

What was the key to turning things around after a slow start this season?

"I think it was the leadership," Eggleston said, "and the heart that these players exhibit. You look at Laura Pittman and Whitney Steininger and Sam Stoll, they are really dedicated to the team. And Tatiana Camacho really came on strong."

Pittman was a senior fullback and co-captain, Steininger a junior fullback and co-captain, Stoll and Camacho both junior forwards.

Eggleston said that junior midfielder Rachel Levine and junior fullback Roxana Sadeghi also contributed, as did sophomore goalkeeper Nikki Wallen. "She was fighting just to make the team at the beginning and then she became an excellent goalkeeper," said Eggleston about Wallen.

The loss against Oaks Christian was toughest on his seniors, Eggleston said, because it marks the end of high school soccer.

"It doesn’t matter when you lose, it doesn’t matter who you lose to. When you lose that playoff game, you’re done," said Eggleston. "So that was really sad for our seniors because high school soccer is over for them."

Daniela Spiegel, a senior midfielder and co-captain, senior midfielder Elyse Rosenberg and Kelly Viselman, a reserve senior stopper, played their last high school soccer game—along with Pittman.

The coach talked about Pittman’s presence.

"Laura does so much for our team," said Eggleston, who noted that Pittman played right fullback since her first game as a freshman. "She does an excellent job as a defensive player, but she really contributes to the team by instigating the offense."

Eggleston said his offense, in general, began with Sadeghi at left fullback, who would pass to sweeper Steininger, who would pass to Pittman, then Pittman sending it up to a midfielder, who would then send it to Stoll who would try and find Camacho.

"That was a real pattern for us," he said of the sequence. "It goes through Laura (Pittman) so often and many times you’ll see her playing in the offensive half of the field because she has so much faith that Whitney (Steininger) is going to cover for her if somebody gets by her."

Eggleston said the defense has been strong over two seasons.

"It’s been a great defense," he said. "Last year they were awesome and this year they really stepped up which gave Nikki (Wallen) time to develop as a goalkeeper."

Megan Rauch, a sophomore, started at stopper. "Megan played very well in the playoffs," Eggleston said.

The prospects remain bright for the future. Oak Park won its fifth straight Tri-Valley League title this season after going 8-0-2.

"Our junior class is very strong," Eggleston said.