GIRLS SOCCER: Scotts Valley Prepares For Start of CCS Playoffs

The Scotts Valley High girls soccer team began the 2010-11 season Nov. 30, 2010, at Valley Christian High School in San Jose.

Eighty-six days later, the two schools will meet again in the same location, but with much bigger stakes on the line.

Scotts Valley, the No. 1 seed in the Central Coast Section Division III Girls Soccer Playoffs, will have to go through Valley Christian in order to continue its march toward a possible CCS championship.

Valley Christian defeated Scotts Valley 2-0 in the first matchup, dominating the pace of play and the overall chances.

Unable to generate much offense on that day, Falcons head coach Art Munoz says his team has come a long way since the season opener.

“My attitude is, to be the champion, you have to beat a good team,” Munoz said. “We’ve become a better more mature team over the season. We just need to be aware of their speed and connect our passes better than we did the first time against them.”

The Falcons wrapped up a seesaw non-league slate with their coach a little unsure of what he would see from his young team once Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play kicked off.

Surprising many, including their head coach, the Falcons took the league by storm and only dropped one game en route to a gaudy 10-1-1 record.

The success earned Scotts Valley a SCCAL league title and a top seed in the CCS playoffs.

“The girls really pulled it together,” Munoz said. “They matured as soccer players. We have young players playing all over the field for us. They just kept working hard, improving, and finding ways to win games in a very tough league.”

Aptos, Harbor and Soquel all qualified for the playoffs as well.

Scotts Valley finished out the regular season strong with wins over all three teams, outscoring three of the league’s best 5-0 during the stretch.

Sophomore Emily Johnson has started all year in net. Freshman Megan Keating (Defense), freshman Lena Gustafsson (Midfield), sophomore Olivia Gonzalez (forward/midfield), sophomore Madison Black (forward) and freshman Rachel Dubridge (Defense) all have played major roles in the teams success as well.

Jordin Carlson led the team with 11 goals, while junior Taylor Rodhe finished with nine goals on the year. Emily Payne dished out a team-high six assists in 2010-11.

Another important factor in the team's SCCAL title run was a position swap by a team leader.

Senior captain Aly Bothman moved from center midfielder back to defense early in the season. The change solidified the back end of the Falcons attack, placing a seasoned veteran player alongside a pair of talented underclassman.

If Falcons advance Saturday, they will play in the semifinal round Tuesday or Wednesday.