Young talent rises to the top at Los Altos Young talent rises to the top at Los Altos (December 12, 2003)

Underclassmen are stars on varsity team

By Mark DeVaughn

The gifted young women soccer players who attend Los Altos High School have an advantage over their peers who choose St. Francis or any other highly-ranked private school -- the chance to earn immediate varsity playing time. So far, several young local players have been keys to the Eagles' success.

Fresh off a SCVAL El Camino Division title and a victory in the first round of the Central Coast Section playoffs, Los Altos is in need of replacing four graduated starters.

Enter freshmen Sarah Nolet and Lauren Machado, who each scored goals in a 2-1 win against Homestead. Sophomore Erikka DeSilva has seen extended playing time at goalkeeper, holding a starting position of late while junior Erin Maulhardt has been out sick.

All three underclassmen are supremely talented. Machado and Nolet are involved in the Olympic Development program, while DeSilva plays for the Mountain View/Los Altos Titans, one of the top club teams on the Peninsula.

"St. Francis is a talented team, I can certainly vouch for that," said Los Altos head coach Roberto Magellan. "But with the size of our school, what we can offer here is the chance to contribute right away. They don't have to play JV at first."

The Eagles (3-3) went 1-2 in last week's Palo Alto tournament. The team followed up a victory against Homestead with a pair of losses: a 5-0 and a 1-0 defeat to St. Francis and Leland, respectively.

Los Altos began the season in the Burlingame Tournament, where it dropped a 1-0 decision to defending CCS champion Notre Dame-Belmont and scored an 8-0 whipping of Mills. Marcela Mission tallied four goals in that game, while Alicia Incerpi -- fresh off playing No. 1 singles for the Eagles' varsity girls' tennis team -- added three more.

Magellan expects his team's tough early-season schedule to be beneficial as the year progresses. Los Altos has moved up this season to the SCVAL's tougher De Anza Division, where they have joined tough competition like Gunn and Palo Alto. The Titans reached the finals of the Palo Alto tournament, losing 2-0 in the championship to St. Francis.

The Eagles will have played the Lancers twice before SCVAL play begins next week.

"We lacked tough competition last year, and I think that hurt us when CCS came around," Magellan said. "This year we want to be ready."

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