It's official: Thousand Oaks is No. 1
Girls' soccer team beats Moorpark for CIF Division II championship
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers THRILL OF VICTORY- The Thousand Oaks High girls' soccer team celebrates Saturday night's 2-1 win over Moorpark in the CIF-SS Division II title match at Downey High. The victory was the first CIF title in the history of the TOHS girls' program.

Thousand Oaks High sophomore Michelle Cruz gave her older sister, Nicole, an early graduation gift last Saturday night.

Rather than get the senior defender a Hallmark greeting card in June, Michelle Cruz instead scored twice for the Thousand Oaks girls' soccer team in its game against Moorpark for the CIF-Southern Section Division II championship at Downey High.

The two goals propelled the Lancers to a 2-1 win and gave the girls' program its first CIF title.

"When we were all huddling up and going crazy after the win, I grabbed my sister and told her that this is her year," Michelle Cruz said. "She's off the hook. Her destiny is now here."

After the match, Moorpark head coach Frank Paletta complimented the Lancers on their title-winning performance.

"They were the better team today," Paletta said. "We played them as tough as we could, and we still couldn't stop them."

Although Paletta was quick to point out that TOHS was the real winner, he also said the postseason was a big victory for the Marmonte League in general. Saturday's game was the first time two Marmonte League girls' teams squared off in a CIF soccer final.

"Hopefully, some people's eyes will now open on the playoff seeding of Marmonte League teams," Paletta said.

"Thousand Oaks and Agoura should have both been top 10 teams this postseason. I think more people will take this league seriously now that three of us made the semifinals."

Agoura lost to Moorpark in sudden death in the semifinals.

Early in the title match, Michelle Cruz made her presence felt. In the 20th minute, Cruz dribbled around several MHS defenders as well as goalkeeper Alisa Reich for an open-net score that gave TOHS a 1-0 lead.

In the 49th minute, Cruz once again beat Reich in a one-on-one situation to put the Lancers up 2-0.

"Anyone who scores twice in a soccer game is a difference-maker," Paletta said. "(Cruz) is very quick, and she's a great player."

Cruz said her second goal lifted a weight off her shoulders.

"It was very relieving when I scored the second time," Cruz said. "We knew then that Moorpark would have to score not one, but two goals in the second half to tie us, and we were confident we could hold them."

Just when the Lancers started to feel satisfied, the momentum changed.

In the 64th minute, Moorpark proved they were still alive when sophomore Stacey Fujikuni scored to cut the Lancers' lead in half.

"In the final minutes we pushed (Kaitlin Paletta) and Ariana (Martinez) up top to create more pressure offensively," Frank Paletta said. "That's how we got our goal."

Moorpark had the ball in its zone for the next five minutes but couldn't convert.

A few moments later, Thousand Oaks just missed an opportunity to put the game away when Michelle Cruz's attempt at a hat trick was blocked by a sliding Reich. The rebound then fell to Lancer junior Mary Madden, whose shot went high.

TOHS continued to keep the ball in its zone, and a few minutes later, they were champs.

"This team was really focused," TOHS senior goalkeeper Laura Brain said. "After Moorpark scored to make it 2-1, we didn't put our heads down; we just kept playing hard. I have no doubt that every girl on our team gave it everything they had."

Although the Musketeers' Cinderella season came to an end, Moorpark co-captain Jessica Dingman had no regrets.

"If you would have told me a month ago we would have made this game, I'm not sure I would have believed you," Dingman said. "After we lost to T.O. for the second time, I thought we were out and our season was done.

"Now, look at this. I was here at CIF on this great field playing for a championship. This was more than just a soccer team to me, it was my family."

The game also marked the last time Frank Paletta would coach his daughter, Kaitlin, who's heading to Berkeley in the fall.

"For the first time in my life I get to be a father in the stands watching rather than coaching," Paletta said. "I'm looking forward to sitting in the stands at Berkeley, grabbing a hot chocolate and watching my daughter play."

Brain was ecstatic to be a champion in her senior year.

"I can't really describe how good this feels; there's no word for it," Brain said. "Moorpark was a great team, but I felt we just had a lot of heart on our team. We just wanted this moment so badly."