For the girls’ soccer team at Oakville Senior High School, the regular season is nothing more than a warm-up to the playoffs.

The Tigers (11-2-2, 4-0-1 Suburban South) played some of the area’s top teams last week in the Catholic Youth Council/Joe Carenza Memorial Tournament at the St. Louis Soccer Park.

“All in all, it was a good tournament,” Oakville head coach Dave Robben told the Call.

“We got to face some good teams and those teams are what we use as a barometer as to where we are.”

Oakville opened up the tournament April 26 with a 2-1 victory in penalty kicks over Althoff.

“It was very good game,” Robben said. “They (Althoff) are a very competitive team.”

The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the first half with a goal by Lisa Pucci.

The senior forward has been hampered much of the season with knee problems, but appears to be back on the road of recovery.

“With an injury, you try to limit her play so that you can have her ready for the end of the season,” Robben said.

“This was the first game since the season started that we’ve had everybody back.”

Althoff responded in the second half with a goal to tie the game 1-1.

But it was Oakville’s Jackie Roepke who scored the clutch goal in penalty kicks to give the Tigers the victory.

The senior forward’s goal was her third penalty-kick goal of the 2004 season.

In their second game of pool play April 28, the Tigers blanked Rosati Kain 2-0 as sophomore midfielder Lisa Krause and freshman forward Brooke Inman scored goals for the black and gold.

“Lisa scored a good, smart goal,” Robben said.

“She took her time and placed it (the ball) in the corner. Brooke scored one of those spectacular goals that was a real crowd pleaser.”

The Tigers were ousted from the tournament April 30 with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Nerinx Hall.

Despite the loss, Robben and his staff believes that it was a good measuring stick as to where they need to be come time for the district playoffs.

“They (Nerinx) came at us pretty good in the first half and pinned us down in our end, but we didn’t flinch,” Robben said.

“For the most part, we limited most of their shots from the 18-22 yard range, but we had a breakdown in the second half at the 12-minute mark.

“They buried a shot that went off a couple of players,” he said.

Oakville is back in action today — May 6 — as it plays host to Parkway South in a key Suburban South Conference match up.

“When conference teams play us, we have a bull’s-eye on us,” the head coach said.

“Right now we’re at the top of the conference and that’s tough for them to put on the bulletin board for motivation. They’ll be motivated and have a good coach in Al Trost.”

The Tigers’ meeting with the Patriots is slated for a 4 p.m. start.