Many area soccer players receive accolades
T.O's Birgel, Oaks Christian's Smith named players of the year in girls' divisions

After winning the CIFSouthern Section Division II title and advancing to the final of the inaugural Southern California Regional Soccer Championships, members of the Thousand Oaks High girls' soccer team are now reaping personal rewards from a highly successful season.

Thousand Oaks sophomore midfielder Alyson Birgel has been named the Division II Offensive Player of the Year by the Southern California High School Soccer Coaches Association in its AllLA84 selections.

Nicole Cruz, a senior for the Lancers, was honored as Defensive Player of the Year. Thousand Oaks' head coach, Geoff Raives, is Coach of the Year in Division II.

Making the AllLA84 Division II first team was Agoura defender Ashley Cheney, Moorpark's Kaitlin Paletta and Emily Geckle of Thousand Oaks.

Agoura's Kendall Dreyer and Taryn Kurcz were second-team selections, as were Moorpark's Jessica Dingman and Ariana Martinez. Rachael Morris of Thousand Oaks also made the second team.

Third team: Michelle Manning, Agoura; Stacey Fujikuni, Moorpark; and Laura Brain, Thousand Oaks.

In girls' Division V, Oaks Christian senior forward Kelsea Smith is the Player of the Year. Her coach, Jan Hethcock, who helped lead the Lions to their fifth CIF-SS title in six seasons, is the Coach of the Year.

Oaks Christian's Kristen Clark, Alexandra Courtnall and Kelly Johnson were firstteam selections in Division V, where they're joined by Sasha Arya and Lauren Kawamoto of Oak Park.

Lauren Lindstrom of OCHS made the second team.

Several Viewpoint athletes were honored in Division VI, including firstteam members Brittany Beisswanger and Lisa Dubow. Meghan Reno of Grace Brethren was also a first-team choice.

Viewpoint's Jenny Kim was a second-team selection. Midfielder Gabriella Capisani made the third team.

Moving on to the All-LA84 boys' teams, a trio of Newbury Park Panthers- Alex McKay, Vinny Muscarella and Troy Williams- were selected as first-team members in Division I after helping lead NPHS to the CIF championship match.

Defender Josh Hibbert of Thousand Oaks was a secondteam choice. Connor Burke of Westlake made the Division I third team.

In Division V, Oaks Christian senior midfielder John Paul Herold is the Offensive Player of the Year. After leading his squad to the first CIF boys' soccer title in school history, Oaks Christian's Sebastian Alvarado is Coach of the Year.

Making the Division V first team from OCHS were Harrison Hanley, JJ Koual, Chris Lee and goalkeeper Cody Thompson. Lion sophomore Patrick Harmon is a second-team selection, while defenseman Jimmy Carter is on the third team. - Stephen Dorman