TOHS boys' soccer team hunting the Highlanders
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers RAIN MEN- Despite the wet weather on Tuesday, Lancer players Robbie Spangler, left, and Eddie Gonzalez hit the practice field.

Although the Thousand Oaks High boys' soccer team is currently in second place in the Marmonte League, their play over the past month has been stellar.

Since their loss at Royal High on Dec. 18, the Lancers have gone 6-0-2. Unfortunately for TOHS, Royal has gone 9-0-3 during that same period and leads Thousand Oaks by mere percentage points in league play. With four games left to play in the regular season, the Lancers will look to run the table.

"We have to worry about what we are doing and that's it," senior goalkeeper Tony Silvestri said. "We have to concentrate on each game and can't get tied up by watching what Royal is doing."

If there's one thing the Lancers have been concentrating on lately it's their defense. Over the past eight games, Thousand Oaks has only given up four goals.

The defense has been led by Silvestri, who has posted five shutouts on the season. According to head coach Mark Tietjen, Silvestri has improved his play dramatically since a lesson Silvestri learned his sophomore year.

"We had a really good goalkeeper in Chris Seitz that year (2005), but one game Chris couldn't play," Tietjen said. "Tony was our backup, and before the game he was complaining about some shoulder pains and how he could barely lift his arm. We ended up playing someone in goal that had never played the position, and we lost 2-1.

"The next day I explained to him that sometimes you have to learn how to play though the pain with minor injuries. The past two years, he has done that very well."

Silvestri said his success in the net is due to some good advice he received from his coaches.

"They've taught me to move on if I make a mistake," Silvestri said. "Try and correct your mistake and learn from it, but forget about it and focus on the next play."

Silvestri is a co-captain this season, along with senior Robbie Spangler, who's played two years at the varsity level. Spangler, a sweeper, has also been a key to the Lancer defense.

"Our defense this year is very young, but they've learned fast," Spangler said. "Guys like Jimmy Osorio, Kenton Mattoon, Josh Hibbert and Clayton Work have all contributed. They listen in practice very well and have learned how to play great because of it."

Spangler said the team has been successful over the past month because it's doing a good job of getting the ball to its forwards, allowing them to have more scoring opportunities.

"We have been playing quality soccer, and I think it's because we have been doing a good job of connecting more through balls at midfield to our forwards," Spangler said. "We have what we call 'the deadly trio' of scorers in Russell Jackson, Eddie Gonzalez and Norby Rodriguez, and we need to just get the ball to them."

Over the last eight games TOHS has scored 16 goals including an offensive outburst against Agoura in which the team won 61. Although the team has played well the past month, Tietjen is hoping they don't have any letdowns during the rest of the year.

"We have to continue building on what we have been doing," Tietjen said. "Our defense must continue to stay organized, and we need to find more ways to score goals on offense. Yes, we have been playing good lately, but how we measure up against other teams will be determined at the end of the season when playoffs are done."

Although TOHS has played well, they are very young and could develop into a powerhouse in the future. Still, Tietjen isn't taking anything for granted.

"Nothing is promised to us for the future," Tietjen said. "I'll worry about next year when next year comes. In the meantime, I want to make the program one of those teams that no matter who we have on our team, we are dangerous. I want other teams to look at their schedule and say 'Oh no, we have to play Thousand Oaks; that's going to be a tough one.'

"I think teams like Royal and Millikan have that now. Hopefully we can be that kind of team in the years to come."

Silvestri said even though he appreciates his parents coming out to see him play, not too many Thousand Oaks students have come to see the Lancers win game after game.

"I guess our students are more into football and basketball right now," Silvestri said. "If we keep playing the way we have been playing lately, I do think our stands will eventually be filled every home game in about four years."

Thousand Oaks continues its hunt for the Marmonte League title when it hosts Agoura tomorrow at 6 p.m. The team the Lancers are trying to catch, Royal, plays at home tomorrow night against Westlake.