BURLINGAME — Burlingame High girls soccer coach Phillip De Rosa refers to her as "a true finisher" and "solid dynamite." Teammate Katie Webb calls her "really hilarious" and "a leader." And Woodside coach Jose Navarrete says she's "tenacious" and "the ultimate competitor."

Burlingame's Adrianna Ortiz is just happy she can be called a champion. The unassuming senior would just as soon consider herself one player on a team full of players who fulfilled their roles.

"We all were equal. We all were one," Ortiz explained. "Everyone has their talent, and everyone knows what each others' talents are."

But Ortiz's talent had a huge impact on the Panthers' 23-0-2 season — complete with the program's first Central Coast Section Division II title.

It wasn't just the forward's team-high 23 goals and 13 assists, second in the County in both categories. It was the way Ortiz, the County Girls Soccer Player of the Year, had a finger on the Panthers' pulse.

Need a laugh to break up the monotony of practice? The happy-go-lucky Ortiz would quickly oblige.

Looking for a clutch goal? Witness the rocket Ortiz unleashed from outside the 18-yard box that tied Woodside with 12 minutes left in an eventual 2-1 Panthers road win.

"Without that goal, we're not undefeated," De Rosa said.

Or how about a statement confrontation? With her team being pushed around by physical Valley Christian in the Panthers' CCS opener, the 5-foot-3 Ortiz went

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toe-to-toe with a much taller Warrior midway through the second half, drawing a yellow card on the opponent.

Sparked by the fiery outburst by the normally mild-mannered Ortiz, Burlingame pushed back and walked away with a 3-1 victory to advance to its first semifinal.

The Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division's Forward of the Year always seemed to deliver just what her team needed.

"She could dazzle you with her skills or make you laugh with her humor," De Rosa said.

And armed with playmakers galore as her teammates, Ortiz perfected her niche as a scoring menace.

"She makes hard shots seem easy, routine to her," said Woodside's Navarrete, whose second-place team also lost 1-0 at Burlingame when Ortiz put away a cross from Jenny Haggarty with three minutes left. "She'll turn a game around in one possession."

"She could finish everyone's crosses, everyone's balls," said midfielder Webb, who set up many of Ortiz's goals. "I always thought she'd be able to take on any player, any defense. But she wasn't selfish either."

Ortiz, who will play for

St. Mary's College next year, said Burlingame's magical season resulted from the "trust" and camaraderie she shared with her teammates.

"We look for everybody, not just one person," Ortiz said, speaking of the team's offensive philosophy. "We know somebody's going to be there."

Asked what non-game memory of his star senior would stick out, De Rosa pointed to the times Ortiz would challenge her defensive-minded coach to a one-on-one showdown in practice.

"OK, Mr. D, let's go," Ortiz would say.

And then the fleet forward would dribble and feint and spin her way to another goal, smiling all the way.