This season, girls soccer has accomplished the unexpected: the team has claimed the CCS Champions title for the first time since 2007. After placing third out of seven teams in the De Anza Division below Mountain View and Los Gatos, the varsity girls soccer team left the regular season with a strong 7-3-2 record and the determination to prove its strength in CCS. By the end of the tournament, they proved they belonged with the best.

“It’s awesome to win CCS, especially after a tough past few seasons where we were struggling to just stay in the de Anza league” senior Audrey Mays said.

In all honesty, the girls varsity team was not expected to make it to be CCS champions this year. As the Eagles failed to make CCS last year, no one even thought that the team would make the tournament this year. However, the right conditions led the underdog Eagles to an astounding series of wins in the CCS tournament, where the team upset both the first and second seed teams to claim the CCS champions title.

The Eagles started off in a respectable position as the fifth seed among 13 teams. The team got off to a easy start at CCS, playing the twelfth seeded Aragon High School at home and defeating them 1-0 in overtime. It continued to build momentum, facing off against the fourth-seeded Del Mar High School at St. Francis and defeating them 2-0. Despite early tournament success, huge challenge loomed ahead. The Eagles’ next game was the CCS semifinal game against the top seeded team in the division, the previously undefeated Archbishop Mitty, which had an overall record of 18-0- 4 and was ranked third in the nation. The Eagles’ momentum combined with their defensive tactics allowed them to take down the Monarchs, resulting in a 1-0 win for Los Altos and placing the Eagles in a position
to win the CCS title.

“Mitty played an aggressive game,” sophomore Nicole Atkins said. “We were able to dominate the game by sticking to the way we know how to play.”

Now in the CCS finals, Los Altos had one final obstacle in their way: second-seeded St. Francis, known, like Mitty, for its aggressive style of play. Los Altos scored an early point and focused on defense, similar to the game against Mitty. The Eagles’ defense played a key role, turning back St. Francis’s attacks again and again, not allowing them to score any goals and equalize the score. After holding out against St. Francis for a grueling 90 minutes, the Eagles finally did it. They won the CCS championship title, their momentum leading them through two incredible upsets to victory.

“I feel extremely proud of everyone,” Audrey said. “A lot of people doubted us throughout
the entire season, from league through CCS. But we never gave up and our defense all over the field was our greatest strength.”

The Eagles’ defensive style of play allowed them to take a lead over offensive teams such as Archbishop Mitty and St. Francis in CCS. Both the semifinal and the final games played out in a similar fashion: Los Altos scored an early point, then maintained their strong defense to secure their lead. Sophomore Allie Crum was a key player against St. Francis and Mitty, scoring the only goal in both games and allowing the Eagles to utilize their strong defense to its full capacity.

The Eagles exceptional teamwork and ability to capitalize on opportunities created momentum that helped them power through all opposition to secure the championship title.

“The season has been very good. We have been very consistent in our level of play and we have played great defense all season,” head coach Armando Luna said. “The team has focused on defending well and taking advantage of our chances. I am proud of the team and happy for all the players.”