OCHS girls win first two in CIF soccer

When the Oaks Christian girls’ soccer team traveled to Malibu last Thursday, it marked the first time in the two-year history of the Lions that the team played a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff game and so coach Jan Hethcock hoped to impart some of the wisdom accumulated from 12 previous appearances as a coach.

"This is my 13th high school playoff," said Hethcock, who most recently was head coach at Christian High School near San Diego, where he was also athletic director. "To get the first one under your belt is huge because I’ve got a bunch of kids that have never been in the playoffs."

The OCHS coach knew it would take at least one postseason game for his team, now 21-0, to adjust to playoff soccer.

"They were nervous and they were tight," Hethcock said of his players, "and they didn’t know what to expect. Now they’ve played it, they’ve done it and it’s ‘Okay, it’s just any other game, let’s just go with the flow.’ But, yeah, it feels good to get it over with."

Alysha Hoven, a sophomore, took a pass off a corner kick and assisted on a goal scored by Katie Hampton, a sophomore, a left-footed shot which gave the Lions a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, Katie McGrath, a freshman, made a crossing pass to Mollie Taylor, a junior, who converted for the 2-0 lead. Then Hoven scored in an open goal to close out the scoring vs. Malibu.

"They were a lot better than the last time we played them," said Hoven. Earlier this season the Lions beat the Sharks 4-1 and last year the score was 9-0.

"We were a little surprised at their aggressiveness," said McGrath. "The last time we played them they weren’t as good."

Prior to a second round 1-0 win over Laguna Blanca on Saturday, Hethcock said he was concerned of a letdown because his team had beaten Laguna Blanca easily twice earlier in the season.

"The kids can have a feeling of complacency," said Hethcock. "How up can you get up when you’ve beaten somebody already 6-0 and 9-0, and then have to get fired up for a situation where subconsciously, they’re saying, ‘We’ve killed these guys, coach, what are you worried about?’"

The third time against Laguna Blanca was indeed tougher, but the Lions prevailed on a goal by Sydney Latta, a freshman, on an assist from Taylor. Goalie Katie Lorier, a junior, had five saves in the shutout win.

The Lions’ players are united and have high hopes.

"We all get along very well," Taylor said. "And we push each other and everybody works hard about 100 percent of the time, and I think that’s where our success comes from."

Said McGrath, "I really hope we go on to win the whole thing, that would be amazing. It would be incredible to get CIF rings. We’re shooting for the entire thing."

Tiffany Day, a sophomore defender, agreed.

"I definitely think you’ve got to do it one game at a time," Day said, "but it’s always in the back of your mind. Each game you win, you move closer to winning the championship."