Falcons make CCS after uplifting victory against Los Gatos

For the first time in over 10 years, the Falcons advanced to CCS in division A, but lost 1-0 to Burlingame in the first round on Feb. 19. The girls placed fourth in league after a 1-0 win against rival Los Gatos on Feb. 8. 

They ended the season with an overall record of 9-6-3, including preseason and CCS. Although the team has made CCS in the past, it has been over 10 years since they did so in division A.

“This year has definitely been history-making for us,” said captain junior Taylor Moran. “It was a really good feeling that we made it so far with players from all different grade levels.  And with the new coaching, we just all came together as a strong team.”

Because schools are separated into divisions based on enrollment, Saratoga played in Division II, the most competitive division at CCS. Head coach Ben Maxwell attributed their defeat to Burlingame to the six or seven missing key players, including Moran, who were on vacation during February break.

“We played well, but [Burlingame] scored with the last kick of the ball to beat us,” Maxwell said. “I think that we’re a much better team than they are, and I think if we had everybody there, we could have run them over no problem.”

Expressing disappointment with the lack of participation in the game, Maxwell said that next year, he plans to ensure the full team plays if they make it to CCS again.  

“Next year, they’re not allowed to go on their ski week vacation with their families, because we committed so much for so long, and for people just to bail kind of hurt us a little bit,” Maxwell said.

He added that although the girls may have fallen short in the game against Burlingame, he is still proud of how the team played throughout the course of the season.        

“At the end of the day, that’s one game,” Maxwell said. “If we focus on the 18 games we played prior to that, the girls were absolutely sensational.”

In their last game of the season before CCS, the Falcons beat Los Gatos 1-0, which Moran said has not happened for three or four years. Junior Lindsay Webster scored the winning goal on a penalty kick during the first half. Maxwell added that the victory was a historical achievement for the players.

“I’ve been coaching full time for 10 years, and it’s the single best feeling I’ve ever had as a coach,” Maxwell said. “It was out of this world. The stand was packed with people, and we gave everyone a night they would never forget.”

Because Maxwell said Los Gatos has strong offensive players, he decided to play with five defenders instead of four in order to build up the team’s defensive line. Maxwell said this change in formation largely contributed to their victory.

“We tried to flood the areas of the field where they would have the most people, and it worked because it just strained the life out of them,” Maxwell said. “The longer the game went on, the more they started to argue with one another, the more they couldn’t get through us, and that gave us more momentum.”

Moran said that the team connected well throughout the entire game. A few players such as midfielders freshmen Isa Berardo and Lauren Plesse and forward junior Lindsay Webster, as well as the entire defensive line, especially defender sophomore Anisha Nagarajan, had some very good plays.

“We just connected, and there were a few people who picked up the intensity, and it just influenced everybody in the game,” Moran said. “Everyone was just in it to win it, and it was all about scoring and then keeping our points.”

Looking back at the season, Moran said she is pleased to have seen the team improve.  

“We definitely improved on passing and connecting and  just being able to understand each other’s ability,” Moran said. “Connecting more with each other was definitely a big thing too.”

Maxwell echoed Moran, adding that the team has also grown closer together.

“They had a lot of fight, a lot of character, and they wanted to be there,” Maxwell said. “In terms of how we improved, we got closer as a group. This group of girls is really, really special, and it’s only going to get better.”  

Looking ahead, Maxwell said that his goal for the team next year will be to do better than they did this year. 

“[The goal] will be to finish up above fourth in the league, because that’s where we came in this year, and to get past the first round of CCS,” Maxwell said. “And for a Saratoga High school team to say that, that shows how much we accomplished this year.”