Sports Wrap Sports Wrap (February 13, 2004)

By Reza Kazempour Heeb scores hat trick in MV victory

In a battle on the road on Feb. 5, the Mountain View girls' soccer team earned a 5-1 victory over the Milpitas Trojans. Jessica Heeb's hat trick performance resulted in the final three goals in the second half and allowed the Spartans to walk away with a road win.

Lisa Griego opened up the scoring early in the first half at the four-minute mark. Her goal was the only one scored in the first half.

The scoring in the second half opened up with a deflected shot from Loralyn DeWitt.

Senior Dawn Maxey earned two assists and Griego earned an assist, each coming from Heeb's three goals. As of Feb. 9, the Spartans were 13-3-2 overall and 10-1 in league play.

MV girls' take division title

With the El Camino division crown on the line, the Mountain View girls' soccer team walked away with a 2-1 victory over the Matadors of Monta Vista on Tuesday. Both teams had 10-1 records in league play, but goals from Jessica Heeb and Lisa Griego were enough for the Spartans to walk away with the division title.

At the 15-minute mark, Heeb netted the first goal off a chipped pass from Griego that went over the netminders’ reach.

Griego put the Spartans in the lead after the Matadors tied the game at the 57-minute off a loose ball in the penalty box. With a lane pass from Haley Finkelstein, Griego netted the game winner at the 70-minute mark.

Sweeper Abby Damm and the Mountain View defense kept Monta Vista silent for the rest of the game.

With the win, the Spartans moved to 14-3-2 overall and 11-1 in conference play. The Spartans will host a first-round CCS playoff game on Feb. 17.

Spartan boys rise to the occasion

Strong overall team defense and a high scoring bench was all that the Mountain View Spartans needed last Friday to secure their lead in the El Camino Division.

The Mountain View boys defeated the visiting Matadors of Monta Vista 65-28 and moved up to sole possession of the division lead with a 7-1 record.

"The best thing is, I thought, our defensive intensity, when we brought in the second team, was just as good as it was as the first team," said Mountain View coach Bob Heckmann. "That is what we were looking for. Regardless of how good the other team is, we were looking for intensity in the half-court."

The early defense provided by the Spartans' starters ignited a force that was too much for the Monta Vista to handle.

Mountain View forward Kevin Harris broke out in the first quarter with solid defensive pressure at half-court. He ended up with a game-high six steals, four of which came in the first quarter.

"The intensity was high," said Harris. "Coach wanted us to show them that we are number one like we used to be."

The Mountain View defensive pressure was sustained through the entire game. However, the best performance came from bench player Mark Morgan, who nailed eight field goals and finished with a game-high 21 points.

"I was very happy with the way we executed the half-court offense, very happy with the ball movement and finding the open man and making the baskets," said Heckmann.

In the final seconds of the first half, ball movement was well executed, allowing an open Morgan to sink one of his four three-pointers of the night.

Other superb bench performances came from Patrick Kagawa-Gee, Doug Wiersig and Danny Bishop, who each scored eight points.

The next home game for the Spartans will be on Feb. 18 against Saratoga at 7 p.m.

E-mail Reza Kazempour at sports@mv-voice.com

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