DIFFERENT TEAM, SAME GOAL EL CAMINO REAL GIRLS' SOCCER SEEKS SEVENTH STRAIGHT TITLE.

Byline: ERIK BOAL Special to the Daily News

For the El Camino Real of Woodland Hills girls' soccer team, there's really no other way to go.

Despite losing head coach Shanna Sarris, three-time All-City Section performer Niki Connolly and two-time Daily News All-Area Player of the Year Katie Oakes, the Conquistadores are thinking bigger than ever as they look to add to their City-record run of six consecutive titles.

``There's talk of a state tournament next year or in the coming years, so it's important for us to strive to be a state power and a national power,'' said first-year coach Eric Choi, the successor to Sarris, who stepped down as ECR coach after seven years with the program to take an administrative position with Los Angeles Unified School District. ``Every year, our aim is to be a national power. We want to be just as good as the rest of them.''

This week, the Conquistadores' goal is to be better than the other 14 teams entered in the Hart of Newhall tournament. ECR (3-2-2), ranked No.24 in the nation -- 12th on the West Coast -- by StudentSports.com, has won the Hart tournament three times in the past four years, including back-to-back titles.

``When you start thinking about national rankings, it blows you away. It inspires you to keep playing better,'' said junior Katie Etcher, who helped the Conquistadores finish in a third-place tie at the Mater Dei of Santa Ana tournament, ECR's best finish in three appearances at the invitation-only event. ``When you talk about being one of the top 25 teams in the nation, you don't realize how big that really is. Now our goal is to keep that position or move up.''

With nine starters returning from last year's team that became only the fourth in state history and 14th nationally to win six consecutive titles, ECR has the potential to move into a second-place tie on the state's all- time list -- along with Bakersfield (1989-95) and Pleasant Valley of Chico (1996-2002) -- with a seventh straight championship.

``If we were to lose, it would just kill us,'' said junior Megan Quinn, who has contributed to 45 victories in her two-plus years at ECR. ``We're known for (City titles), that's what we work for. We have our name up there and we don't want to lose it.''

The Conquistadores, who are 123-13-10 since losing in the 2000 City semifinals, have already lost more matches in the first month of the season than they did all last year. But ECR's losses are against Buena and No. 8 Mater Dei -- both entered the week 11-1-2 -- and the schedule has consisted of six games against Southern Section Div. I opponents and Westlake, the top-ranked team in Div.II.

``You can't get (to a national level) if you don't go out and test yourself against the best,'' Etcher said. ``We all want to win a City title, but if we're not playing those games, we're not getting better ourselves.''

In addition to replacing Connolly (UNLV) and Oakes (Cal), the most impressive aspect of ECR's early success is the Conquistadores have done so without once fielding their best lineup.

Sasha Scott missed time early on to attend a college showcase event in North Carolina and goalkeeper Ashley Menin was sidelined the first three games rehabilitating a back injury. Two-time All-City selection Lindsey Forte -- a team captain along with Erin Kelly and Michelle Oakes -- won't take the field for ECR until the start of West Valley League play, as the junior is scheduled to compete in a college showcase tournament this week in Florida.

``I want them to have a professional attitude, a college attitude when they step on the field,'' said Choi, the school's boys' and girls' golf coach who previously worked with the boys' soccer program. ``I want this program to send as many girls to college as possible. If they want to play at the next level and they want to be seen, then it's important for them to play in these tournaments. And when they return, it will only make the team stronger.''

With Chelsea Forte, Erin O'Leary, Jessica Stadheim and Ashleigh Thomas anchoring ECR's defense, the Conquistadores have already recorded four shutouts.

The quartet, along with Menin, expects to be tested this week against a tournament field that features Canyon of Canyon Country, Granada Hills, Hart and Louisville of Woodland Hills.

``I know there's a lot of pressure and expectations coming into this program,'' said Choi, an ECR graduate. ``But I feel like I have the girls to be able to win again and they have the right attitude to make us successful.''

Quinn said she believes a three-peat at the Hart tournament could be the beginning of another impressive streak of success to conclude the year. ECR has finished the past two seasons with unbeaten runs of 19 and 22 games.

``Our coach is making our standards a lot higher this year, so we know what's coming,'' Quinn said. ``We're mature enough and we're all good enough athletes to realize what we're capable of.''

Although Etcher can already envision a third career trip to East L.A. College for the March 3 City final, the Conquistadores understand there's plenty of work to be done in the next 10 weeks to continue their pursuit of Chatsworth's section-record 10 overall titles.

``Sure, we expect to be there in March at East L.A. College and we expect to win, but we still have to take it one game at a time,'' Etcher said. ``We have to beat Granada Hills and beat Chatsworth if we want to accomplish that. We try not to look at the big picture before each game. We know we'll get there as long as we take care of this game first.''

Choi said he can't wait for the next challenge.

``Every year, my expectation is for us to be a great high school program,'' he said. ``That will always be my mentality. I don't care if we have to play teams on the freeway in rush-hour traffic, that's my goal.''

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Photo:

The El Camino Real girls' soccer team celebrates its sixth consecutive City title March 4 at East L.A. College.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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GIRLS' SOCCER TOURNAMENTS