2007 Women’s Soccer Season Review:  A Triumphant Turnaround
11/27/07

As the Cal State San Marcos women’s soccer team closed out a stirring playoff victory – the first in program history – against Concordia University on October 31^st, one could not help but reflect on how far they’ve come in such a short time.

Just a year ago, the women’s team was finishing up its inaugural season.  Though not unsuccessful (the team finished 7-8-1), the 2006 season was taxing on the players and the coaching staff alike, as infighting persisted throughout the year and hampered the team from reaching its full potential.

Set on avoiding a repeat, Head Coach Ron Pulvers and his staff refocused themselves and their team on the basics:  a commitment to hard work, winning, and each other.

It started with an excellent, and exceptionally large, recruiting class.  For a team that fields roughly a 25-player roster, Pulvers brought in 15 new recruits last off-season.  That group would play the largest role in turning the team around.

“That group of 15 girls was what changed the personality and culture of the team,” commented Pulvers.  “It was night and day from the previous year, both on and off the field.”

Of course, integrating the recruiting class with the remaining players from 2006 would take some effort.  But Pulvers was ready:  prior to the season, he took the team on a three-day camping trip, to stress team-building and chemistry.  While the effect of that one trip on the Cougar’s ultimate on-field success can be debated, there’s no doubt that it helped the group of players truly become a “team” – something that never occurred in 2006.

With the proper environment in place, the freshman-heavy roster entered the season with the right attitude, but still had to contend with the daunting schedule that comes with playing in the most difficult region in the NAIA.  Luckily, they had the talent to handle it.

Anchoring the team was goalkeeper Jane Drury.  A redshirt last season, Drury lived up to the hype she had upon arrival at CSUSM, posting a 1.27 Goals-Against-Average in starting every game for the Cougars. 

“Jane is fantastic, super athletic, brave and courageous,” commented Pulvers.

Drury was protected by a back line that proved to be exceptionally deep and talented.  It was led by senior captain Annica Perez, who capped off her Cougar career with an outstanding season.

“Annica is a natural leader,” said Pulvers.  “She was one of our most consistent performers on the field, and she was the ‘team mom’ off-the-field.”

Joining Perez on the back line were freshmen Michele Ramirez and Breanna Brenton, who were “absolute brick walls.”  The group got a major boost from Lauren Hernandez.  Starting the season buried on the bench, Hernandez worked her way into prominent playing time, becoming one of the defense’s most important players by season’s end.

“The biggest surprise of the season was Lauren Hernandez,” said Pulvers.  “It took her time, but with every roll of the ball she gets better.”

Ultra-athletic Lucia Asbury also started the season on defense, but was eventually moved to the front line to provide scoring punch; which she did, tallying 2 goals and 4 assists.  Boyce and Brenton were also threats in the offensive zone, combining for 3 goals.

For the second straight year the midfield was anchored by Kelly Wherry.  Skilled at controlling the ball and managing the flow of the game, Wherry’s worth extended far beyond her 2 assists on the season.  She was joined in the starting lineup by Brittany Boyce, who provided some of the seasons most memorable plays on both offense and defense, and last year’s co-scoring leader Courtney Drummond.  Freshmen Lauren Maes, Angela Medina, and Nikki Petracca were off to good starts as well, but their seasons were cut short due to injury.

The Cougar’s attack was led by Taylor Ziencina.  Joining the team five games into the season, Ziencina’s relentless energy sparked a turnaround for the Cougar offense.  The team scored three goals in its four games before Ziencina joined; it scored 21 in its final 14 games with her.

“Taylor is such a lively player,” commented Pulvers.  “She epitomizes this team.  She’s a tiger on the field. 

Ziencina scored a team-leading 6 goals and tallied a team-leading 4 assists in her 11 games.  She was joined up front by Katelyn Krauss, who had quite a nice season in her own right, scoring 4 goals and posting 3 assists.  Ziencina, a true freshman, and Krauss, a redshirt freshman, are expected to key the Cougar attack for years to come.

While the starting lineup was superb all year long, the team would have never gotten where it was without a superb bench.  With injuries to key players threatening to cripple the team, the Cougar bench played key minutes in virtually every game in keeping the season on track. 

As they did last year, Randi Leyva and Clarissa Hidalgo provided a scoring spark from the bench, tallying three goals each.  Fellow returners Alex Quindt, Angela Matera, Ashley Martin, and Veronica Sanchez helped solidify the team’s defense and midfield.  And last year’s starting keeper, Jordanne Moore, provided great leadership from the sideline.

The newcomers also made great contributions.  Ashley Fugelsang, Candace Queen, Taylor Schurman, Sierra Young, Noelle Torres, Caitlin Luna, and Jill Hixson all played roles in the team’s success, both on and off the field.

Their commitment and chemistry would be tested early.  After an impressive season-opening home victory over Fresno Pacific, the Cougar women would go winless in their next five matches, falling to 1-4-1 on the season.  Despite the record, however, Coach Pulvers knew his team was playing good soccer, and kept believing that the wins would come.

And they did.  The team rattled off wins in 3 of their next 4 contests, capped off by a 4-0 blowout over typically good Biola University.  “It was our most complete game of the season,” noted Pulvers about the Biola win.

After losing to Cal State Dominguez-Hills, the team once again showed its resilience, going unbeaten in its final five regular season games.  That led to a playoff birth – the first ever in the history of CSUSM soccer – and a tough first round match-up against #8 Concordia.  The sixth-seeded Cougars could only be considered heavy underdogs to third-seeded Concordia, who a couple months earlier handed CSUSM a brutal 4-1 loss.

But this Cougar team was different than the one Concordia faced back in August.  Galvanized and battle-tested by their difficult schedule, CSUSM went into Concordia without the least bit of intimidation, and came out with a 2-1 win.  “It was the highlight of our season,” commented Pulvers.

The win advanced the Cougars to the second round, where they met an even more formidable foe:  Azusa Pacific.  With its #1 national ranking and 15-1-1 record, Azusa had outscored opponents at home by a mind-boggling total of 33-1 on the season.  They weren’t just winning games; they were decimating opponents.

None of that mattered to the spirited CSUSM side.  The Cougars fought valiantly, and despite being way behind in every statistical category, managed the keep the game scoreless through halftime.  When Azusa scored early in the second half, less than a minute later the Cougars responded, with Katelyn Krauss heading in a beautiful goal.

The teams remained locked at one through regulation, and into the first overtime.  CSUSM certainly had its chances, but in the end Azusa prevailed, knocking in the golden goal four minutes in to the extra frame.  Still, by giving such a scare to a seemingly invincible team, the Cougars effectively announced that they had arrived.

Looking towards next season, Coach Pulvers’ team is in great shape.  Though seniors Annica Perez, Veronica Sanchez, and Randi Leyva are moving on, the vast majority of this young team will be back for 2008 and beyond.  With a starting lineup that consisted of a freshman keeper, three freshmen defenders, two freshmen midfielders, and a sophomore and junior up front, the future is clearly bright.  Additionally, injured midfielders Nikki Petracca, Lauren Maes, and Angela Medina will all be back and competing for starting spots.

So it will be up to Coach Pulvers and his staff to get the most out of this talent, and to continue to build on the wonderful foundation laid this season.  With recruits already lining up to join the up-and-coming squad, the biggest challenge of the off-season will likely be figuring out ways to manage the team’s talent and maintain the winning culture that emerged in 2007.

“We’re going to continue to focus on team building and cultivating a competitive mentality,” noted Pulvers.  “We’re also going to add new talent, and work on getting stronger.  Where we’re at right now is far from where we can be.”