Nothing Gained or Lost for Harvard-Westlake

By CHRIS SHAFFER

Dec. 3, 1999 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Less than a week ago, Coach Ned Smith of Harvard-Westlake High said, on paper, his team was the best his school has ever had.

Smith can take out the word paper.

This is definitely the best team Harvard-Westlake has ever had.

Just ask Marmonte League powerhouse Westlake, which battled the Wolverines to a 0-0 tie Thursday in a showdown of the region’s top teams.

“They are unbelievable,” Coach Aerick Brown of Westlake said. “I’m happy to come into hostile territory and get a tie.

“They are downright impenetrable through the middle. Those girls tackle like men. They are going to be hard to beat.”

The Wolverines (1-0-1), ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times, answered all doubts of whether they could stir up offense, their downfall last season.

Freshman forward Tracy Lansing led the Wolverines’ attack that outshot the Warriors, 21-6.

“They were pounding us,” Brown said. “It was like the house was burning down and we were scrambling to put the fire out. “

The Warriors (1-0-1), ranked No. 3 in the region, seemed capable of shocking the Wolverines, dominating the first 20 minutes. They nearly scored on a shot by forward Sara Silver-Hill that sailed just over the crossbar in the fourth minute.

“I thought it was going to drop but it didn’t,” Silverhill said. “I had a bad angle on it.”

As soon as Smith moved Jill Oakes from defender to midfield, the Wolverines’ offense came alive and created their best opportunity in the 27th minute when sweeper Imani Dorsey headed Kim LaVere’s corner kick just above the crossbar.

“I knew where the ball was going, so I tried to get myself in the area,” Dorsey said. “I didn’t think it was going to go in. I almost got it, but not quite.”

With Oakes and Molly Cahan guiding the offense in the second half, the Wolverines outshot the Warriors, 15-1.

“I’ve never taken so many goal kicks in my life,” said defender Kristina Von Krog of Westlake, who held the defense together playing stopper in place of injured Lauren Loftus. “I knew this was coming. I knew this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for us. They are a good team.

“We held up pretty good. They got a lot of shots off, but not a lot of good ones.”

At one point midway through the second half, the Wolverines put together 12 consecutive passes but couldn’t finish.