Varsity girls soccer is living up to its reputation as CCS champions. Even with a handful of injured players, the team still manages to kick off the season explosively with an impressive record of 6-1.

“We have a good solid group,” coach Erin Montoya said. “We don’t have too many changes since we only lost one senior.”

The varsity team welcomes five new members this year—a freshman and four former members of JV. According to Montoya, all the new members “fit right in” with the rest of the team.

“We had a lot of nervous kids [during the first varsity practice],” Montoya said. “But they’re all really good.”

Senior Emily Langston is also optimistic about the team and the contributions the new members will bring.

“Bringing in new players means new styles of play,” Emily said. “I really think they’ll help [the team].”

Montoya has high hopes for the team in competition this year and expressed optimism at reaching CCS.

“Definitely our goal is to get [to CCS],” Montoya said. “And we’re definitely capable.”

The team recently participated in a tournament known as the Palo Alto Winter Classic in which it had dominated on its way to the finals with two crushing defeats over Woodside Priory (5-0) and Pinewood (6-0). A narrow win over Saint Francis (4-3), a school that Los Altos hasn’t defeated for over 10 years, according to Montoya, made the event all the more sweet.

“I’m very happy with the team so far,” Montoya said. “We have five players injured, so it will be a bonus when they return. In the meantime, a ton of players have stepped up.”

Injuries and commitments to the Olympic Development Program deprived the team of six starters during the tournament finals, and the Eagles lost their last game to Palo Alto 1-3. Late in the second half of the game, a combined effort from Emily and senior Julia Cashen dented the scoreboard and gave Los Altos its first point.

Despite its impressive performance so far, the team is currently coping with initial pre-season injuries that have temporarily taken many veteran players out of the season. Seniors Brittany Westrum and Margueritte Aozasa will be unable to play for a period of a few months due to torn ACL’s, and senior Nicole Duller is currently recovering from a knee injury that will render her unable to play for two to three week.

However, the team is still optimistic. With only one loss in seven games so far, the team is proving that even with a large chunk missing, it can still back up their CCS title with skill and talent. Come February when the rest of the team is back in shape, that title will be nearly impossible to take away.

“I think we have a pretty good chance at CCS if we do our best and work hard,” Emily said.