AREA NOTEBOOK: LANCERS SHOW POTENTIAL IN EARLY-SEASON LOSSES.

Byline: Heather Gripp and Jim Inghram Daily News Staff Writers

Don't look at the Thousand Oaks High girls' soccer team's record for an indication of the Lancers' potential. Thousand Oaks is 0-9-1 but has spent the early portion of the season facing nothing but the region's top teams.

Along with Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks participated in one of the state's toughest tournaments, this week's Excalibur Tournament in Orange County. The Lancers dropped their first two games, then played to a 1-1 tie during regulation against Marina on Wednesday. Marina won on penalty shots. Simi Valley, which won its own tournament the week before, lost two of its three games at the tournament.

``We don't usually do very well there,'' Thousand Oaks coach Gail Kanney said of the tournament, ``but it gets us ready for the season.

``I scheduled us with a tougher preseason than probably anyone else. We lost those games, but we weren't out of them by any means. That's the only way to prepare for our league, (by) playing the toughest teams.''

Senior goalkeeper Sara Fulk, sophomore Andrea Keesling and juniors Kelly Hibbert and Marissa Maddocks form a strong defense, but the Lancers (0-1-1 in Marmonte League play) are searching for the offensive spark needed to win. Junior midfielder Meryl O'Connor appears to be back at full strength after suffering a broken leg as a freshman, and as a result, playing timid the next season.

``This may just be a year of building and next year will be our year,'' Kanney said. ``Or maybe we'll come around this year. You never know in our league. Our league is one of the toughest leagues around. Our third- and fourth- place teams could be first-place teams in other leagues. You can't count anybody out until the last game.

``We're struggling a little, but we're very young.''

Not a good showing: Several teams from the area's strongest league, the Marmonte, participated in the Hart Tournament, but the best finish a league team could muster was eighth place by Newbury Park.

The Panthers, playing without forward Casey Schmidt, lost 2-0 to Kennedy of Granada Hills in the seventh place game.

Schmidt, who is in San Diego training with the under-18 National Team, will return for the resumption of league play Wednesday.

Hit and miss and hit: It was an either-or situation for Marmonte League teams in pool play at the Buena Tournament. Agoura dominated St. Bonaventure 4-0, then lost to Notre Dame 2-0. Westlake looked great in defeating Oxnard 4-0, but fell to Narbonne of Harbor City 2-0.

Moorpark did manage two victories to move into the championship round. The Musketeers defeated Buena JV 2-0 and Antelope Valley 1-0.