Malibu AYSO’s U19 girls’ and boys’ teams dominate at the Section 10 League Championships in Bakersfield
“The girls U19 AYSO Section 10 soccer team went undefeated this season, and only allowed four goals for the entire season, while scoring more than 45 points!” Coach Mark Ovsiowitz exclaimed. “I am so proud of this group of girls and am in awe of the way they stick together and encourage each other no matter how challenging the circumstances. Their unwavering support of each other is undoubtedly the key to the team’s success.”
Osviowitz, who has coached the team ever since the girls were playing U5 soccer 14 years ago, along with Assistant Coach Tim Ryan, guided the team to three wins on Saturday, Nov. 9, and two wins on Sunday, Nov. 10, helping them prevail in a shutout at the Bakersfield Championship.
Nothing goes in her goal
“Chloe Loquet never let a goal in all season! And our team was undefeated! Oh, and she never allowed a goal in at Bakersfield last week either!” declared Chloe’s delighted mom, Darlene Loquet.
To a person, all who discussed the subject attributed the team’s solid performance and success to teamwork and perseverance.
“I’ve been playing soccer with the Malibu AYSO girls team since elementary school when I was about 9 years old,” Malia Mosshart said. “Being a part of this team is like being a part of one big family. The relationship we all share is not something made overnight — it’s years worth of winning and losing together, and most importantly, of having fun.The reason we were undefeated and won the Bakersfield championship is because of our commitment, determination and our resilience as a team. But none of this would have been possible without our amazing coaches, Mark and Tim — they have dedicated so much time and energy to us all.”
Agreeing, Team Captain and center midfielder Sasha Mendez shared, “None of this would have happened if the team wasn’t so close! All of the girls constantly showed each other trust and determination to make the wins possible.”
So, has playing soccer helped team members know how to succeed in life, The Malibu Times wondered. Mosshart responded in the affirmative: “What I learned this season is that hard work leads to victory, but the journey to get there is the most meaningful.”
Sailor Graham, who plays left wing, has been playing soccer for 12 years and shared, “I could not imagine a better way to finish out my AYSO career! The girls, coaches and parents have made this team one of the most memorable I’ve ever played on.”
Sailor’s mother, Tabby Graham, delightedly added, “It’s amazing to see coaches inspiring learning and inspiring joy in these young ladies.”
As many of the girls move on to college, they will take the skills they developed, bolstered by their confidence and strong work ethics, on to their next academic journey.
“I plan to attend a University of California college or SDSU and major in marketing.” Mosshart declared confidently.
Former AYSO player and Malibu High graduate Nick Reinhold leads the boys U19 team to success
Similar to the girls’ U19 team, after years of drills, practices, team building and perseverance, Malibu’s AYSO U19 boy’s team also prevailed at the playoffs in Bakersfield.
Led by Coach Nick Reinhold, himself a former Malibu AYSO player and a 2020 graduate of Malibu High, the boysteam dominated.
“I played AYSO soccer from the age of 3 all the way through playing on the U19 team,” Reinhold shared. “This is my first year coaching the U19 team, but I’ve been around the boys with the high school team as I am the assistant coach for boy’s soccer at MHS and I coach the boys junior varsity team.”
Parents of the boys were very proud of their players.
“I am beyond proud of the Malibu U19 Boys AYSO soccer team winning this year’s Bakersfield tournament,” Krishna Jaret, mother of Hudson Jaret, who played right back on defense, said. “I have watched many of these boys playing together in the last 12 years and seen so much growth in them as a team.”
Reinhold explained that Joaquin Garcia, central midfielder, and Alex Westerberg, goalie, served as co-captains.
“Soccer is my greatest passion and source of joy,” Garcia said. “AYSO is special to me since I’ve been playing with the same group of guys since I was little, and finally leading a team to victory in Bakersfield after years of trying was an amazing experience! We hope to build on that success going into the high school season and my goal is to lead Malibu to a leading record for my senior year.”
Reinhold shared that Jaret contributed greatly, playing right back on defense, and Fergus Flannigan, a right middle player and central midfielder, also helped the team execute plays that led them to dominate.
“It was a privilege to watch our Malibu U19 boys compete over all these years, from when they were very little kids to young men, who finished up with the crowning achievement — taking home the championship at Bakersfield,” Andrew Heckler, father of defensive midfielder Yann Heckler, said. “They showed great effort, talent, grit, and most of all, sportsmanship during this phenomenal season — I couldn’t be prouder of all the guys!”
Reinhold recounted how the team had to “soldier through lots of cancellations due to heat warnings and fires,” but in the end, “we got the job done!”
“In AYSO, everybody has to play 50 percent of the game which is a pretty cool rule and we had 20 boys on the roster this season so they all got a lot of playing time,” he said.
In Bakersfield, Malibu’s U19 boys team played Victorville and Newbury Park, and then beat Sherman Oaks in the final.
“In the semifinal game, we won 5-0 against Newbury Park and 2-0 against Sherman Oaks for the championship,” Reinhold said. “So, we had a shutout for the last day of competition.”
The AYSO season ended on Nov. 9, Reinhold said, and “The high school season starts today, Nov. 18, and my junior varsity team will play Bishop Garcia Diego!”
“Go win!” The Malibu Times responded, “Go team!”