Girls’ soccer: A couple championship previews

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Two SF Valley/North region teams will be strapping on the shin pads and the knee-high socks one more time Saturday afternoon. Here’s a quick look at these two big games:

DIVISION I Championship

Thousand Oaks (21-4-2) vs. Long Beach Wilson (29-1-4) at Downey HS, 3:30 p.m. -- My colleague Jaime Cárdenas put it best: The Lancers are 100% certified giant-killers. It’s hard not to like these gals after their victory over Division I co-champion San Clemente on Thursday and their 1-0 triumph over top-seeded San Diego Torrey Pines in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Still, there’s no one secret behind the Lancers’ overwhelming success. Goalie Laura Brain and the defenders in front of her have allowed only 10 goals all season, and leading scorer Michelle Cruz (11 goals, 25 points) has also been a go-to player. And let’s not forget about the scoreboard contributions made by Alyson Birgel, Rachel Morris and Nicole Cruz.

If all of these players can continue to play as the fierce, collective unit that has made them the surprise of the season, Southern California’s first-ever soccer title will be theirs.

DIVISION III Championship

Oaks Christian (23-3-2) vs. La Jolla Bishop’s (18-4-1) at Downey HS, 1 p.m. -- At the beginning of the season, I blogged about all the young guns Oaks Christian had in its holster. Unfortunately, some of them won’t be playing on Saturday afternoon. Freshmen Jaciara Mello and Alexandra Courtnall (daughter of former NHL player, Russ) will miss a second consecutive game because of club commitments and sophomore Kelly Johnson will be in Texas this weekend for an Olympic Development Team tournament. Still, that hasn’t caused any sleepless nights for Coach Jan Hethcock.

‘This provides a window of opportunities for players who normally don’t see a lot of playing time to step up and make a difference,’ Hethcock said. ‘We’ve already seen that happen.’

On Tuesday, freshman Marlo Smith saw more playing time and made an immediate impact, scoring her first three goals of the season in a regional quarterfinal victory over Sherman Oaks CES. She then notched the game-clinching tally in Oaks Christian’s 2-1 triumph over San Diego Parker on Thursday.

We’ll have to wait and see if anyone else emerges from the OC woodwork who can lead the Lions to the title.

-- Austin Knoblauch