GIRLS' SOCCER: LITTLEROCK SOCCER FINDS INSPIRATION IN TENNIS.

Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News

If the Littlerock girls' soccer team needs any inspiration that playoff dreams can come true, it needs to look no further than the accomplishments of the Lobos girls' tennis team the past two seasons.

After never qualifying for the postseason in the program's history, the Littlerock girls' tennis team made back-to-back Southern Section Div. IV playoff appearances, highlighted by an 11-7 wild-card win - the team's first - Nov. 9 against Carpinteria.

Now, after 15 years of missing the postseason in girls' soccer, first-year coach Gary Morris will try to duplicate the success of tennis coach John Konrad by leading the Lobos to their first Div. II playoff berth out of a tough Golden League.

``I'm hoping I can push them to (that level),'' said Morris, who previously coached Littlerock's junior varsity team. ``Having coached many of them before, I hope the cohesiveness and continuity will carry over.''

Morris has brought up seven players from last year's JV team and added three talented freshmen, who should provide good support for Ana Artega, Damaris Sanchez, Amber Solis and Nikiy Williams, four of the 10 returning players on the varsity roster.

Artega, a junior forward, is a two-time all-league selection, and Solis, a senior forward, earned all-league honors last season. Sanchez is a three-year starter, and junior midfielder Williams is a two-year starter.

``We've got a lot of experience, and I'm looking to push them to second or third in league,'' said Morris, whose daughter Roxanne leads a group of three players on last year's JV team - along with senior midfielder Denisse Rosas and junior midfielder Michelle Avoleran - who figure to make a big impact on varsity.

``We also seem to have better speed, a lack of which has hurt us in the past.''

Goalkeeper Breanna Dundes made an immediate contribution in her first high school game by recording a 1-0 shutout against Vasquez. She is one of the freshmen Morris expects will see significant playing time, along with midfielder Maria Acevedo and fullback Leslie Chinchilla.

The only thing slowing down Littlerock's progress early in the season is a lack of games. Littlerock had not played in a week when it played host to Rosamond on Wednesday and according to its schedule, it has just one more nonleague game, against Barstow, before opening league play against Quartz Hill on Jan. 5.

--Now, the real test comes: The Highland girls' soccer team began the Juan Paolo era in dominant fashion Dec. 2 with a 9-2 win against Channel Islands.

The Bulldogs know goals won't be as easy to come by when they play a 3:15 p.m. nonleague game today at Valencia.

Valencia already owns a 2-1 win against seven-time defending league champion Quartz Hill, in addition to a 1-0 victory in its season opener against Div. V co-champion Oaks Christian of Westlake Village.

Sahar Haghdan, Janet Mendez, Salma Perez and Anika Perkins should face a tough test against Valencia's Mackenzie Bear, Alice Kong, Kyle Schnurr and Kierra Scalercio.

``This team is loaded with talent. When they play together, everything goes for them,'' Paolo said. ``Valencia's a good team, and we're looking forward to playing them.''

--Lost in the Santa Clarita Valley: Quartz Hill has never be accused of ducking good competition, but the Rebels have probably seen enough of the Foothill League for many years to come.

With Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Hart of Newhall, Quartz Hill dropped to 0-3 against teams from the Santa Clarita Valley, including a 1-0 setback to Canyon of Canyon Country and a 2-1 loss to Valencia.

Quartz Hill tries to salvage a win in its last game against a Foothill League team at 6 tonight when it hosts Saugus (1-1).