Longtime Live Oak High girls soccer coach Tony Vasquez can’t remember the last time his team has won a Central Coast Section playoff game.
“It’s had to be at least five or six years ago,” he said. “It’s been a struggle.”
It was a struggle yet again for the top-seed Acorns Wednesday when they played No. 16 seed Woodside Priory in the opening round of the Division II playoffs. Live Oak, despite completing the regular-season with an impressive 16-1-2 record, had all it could handle with the last team to make it in the Division II tournament.
The Acorns prevailed after winning in a nail-biting penalty kick session, 6-5. The game was 3-3 when the shootout began. Given the program’s lack of success in the playoffs the last several years, everyone on the team was motivated for a breakthrough. Vasquez and one of the three senior captains, Olivia Williams, agreed the difference in this year’s squad is the superior talent and chemistry. Live Oak plays host to No. 9 seed Sacred Heart Cathedral (11-7-3) on Saturday at 5 p.m. in a quarterfinal contest.
“More than anything, the team chemistry is better,” Vasquez said. “The girls truly get along, and that’s especially important in the girls game. They have to like each other and enjoy playing with each other in order to do well on the field. … We’ve got some good girls coming in, and it’s a different generation. You combine the youth of the team with the strong senior leadership, and that goes a long way toward achieving success.”
Said Williams: “When I was a freshman and even as a sophomore, the chemistry was not there. But this year we’ve got such a great group of girls, and I think it was important the seniors welcomed the freshmen to the team because we have so many of them. Honestly, the team dynamic is so much better compared to my freshman year. In my freshman year, if you made a mistake, everyone would get mad at you and hold a grudge. But this year if you make a mistake, we just forget about it and move on. That attitude has helped everyone.”
Vasquez said he’s never had a freshmen class as impressive as this year’s group. Led by striker and Division I prospect Karlie Lema—who racked up an impressive 43 goals in 19 games—the Acorns are a threat to score whenever the ball is on her feet.
“I don’t care what level is it, no one can stop her,” Vasquez said. “Everyone looks at her speed, but technically she’s great and she can finish. … I’ve never had a freshmen class like this.”
Lema and fellow freshmen Audrey Reed, Isabella Fiorentino and goalkeeper Molly Newquist have been impact players who will be key in the team’s CCS title hopes not just this season but for the years ahead. Most of the girls who end up playing for Live Oak have already played for Vasquez for his club program, the Orchard Valley Toros.
“So it’s an easy transition for them since they know my system,” Vasquez said.
It’s seniors like Williams who have also been key, as the center back plays a vital role in helping the team maintain constant communication on the field.
“One of the captain’s roles is to help each other gain more confidence, encourage each other and lift spirits up,” Williams said.
Williams credits Lema and Vasquez for making her a better player. Trying to defend Lema in practice presents plenty of challenges.
“Karlie is so fast that you have to improve,” she said. “But it’s been great with all the new girls coming in because they’ve helped practices get better and better. We’re all working hard in every practice, and it would be really awesome if we can go all the way (and win a CCS championship).”
Williams has truly grown on and off the field in her four years at Live Oak, and she said soccer has played an important role in strengthening her in every phase of life.
“Because I’ve overcome challenges in soccer, it makes me more confident to be stronger in life situations,” she said. “On the field, my soccer IQ has gotten so much better. I’ve been thrown in so many different positions and gained so much knowledge from that. I’m a different person now than I was four years ago. If it wasn’t for Tony, I wouldn’t be the soccer player I am today. He’s helped me so much.”
