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Daily Pilot High School Female Athlete of the Week: Bartz a leader in the back for CdM

Corona del Mar High senior defender Julie Bartz is the Daily Pilot High School Female Athlete of the Week. She scored the Sea Kings' goal in a 1-0 win at University High in a Pacific Coast League opener on Jan. 9.
(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)
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Julie Bartz is used to preventing goals for the Corona del Mar High girls’ soccer team, not scoring them.

Bartz, a senior left back and team captain, has scored exactly one goal for the Sea Kings this season. But it was a big one.

It came in the pouring rain Jan. 9, as Corona del Mar opened its Pacific Coast League campaign at University.

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“The tensions were high, because we knew Uni would be gunning for us,” Bartz said. “They’re supposed to be the No. 1 or No. 2 team in league, with us.”

She stepped up in the first half, scoring her first goal of the season. A free kick by fellow senior captain Ava McKenzie bounced back out to Bartz, who nailed the shot from about 30 yards out.

Bartz also had the responsibility of marking University’s top forward, senior Leyna Wood, throughout the game. But it was Bartz’s strike that stood up as the only goal as the Sea Kings won 1-0.

“Games like that, you might only get one or two chances,” CdM coach Bryan Middleton said. “She made the most of her opportunity.”

The opportunity for Bartz to stand out has been there for a while now. The Daily Pilot High School Female Athlete of the Week has been on varsity since she was a freshman, along with McKenzie and CdM’s third captain, senior forward Elizabeth Lamie. She is a three-year starter on defense. But being a senior captain also carries responsibility for Bartz, who is typically soft-spoken.

Middleton said Bartz has “come out of her shell” a bit as a senior.

“As a team captain, I feel like I have that responsibility to be the liaison between [Middleton] and the rest of the team, and with the refs as well I guess,” said Bartz, whose younger brother Ryan is a freshman midfielder for the CdM boys’ soccer frosh-soph team. “Now that I’m a senior, my expectations are pretty high for the team and for myself. This year, I’m hoping that we’ll win league and go far in CIF. For myself, I just push myself every game to do better and contribute to the team more.”

The Sea Kings (10-2-3, 4-0-0 in league), ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division 2, are off to a good start in their attempt to defend their Pacific Coast League title. They have outscored their league opponents by a 13-2 mark so far.

The statistic is even more impressive considering that junior center back Alyssa McKenzie, last year’s league defensive MVP, has not played since aggravating a quadriceps injury during the Battle of the Bay game last month. Middleton said he’s hoping to get McKenzie back in early February.

The Sea Kings have moved versatile junior Katharine “Coco” Caston to the back line, where she has joined Bartz, sophomore Alex Ianni and freshman Avery Doherty. Sophomore Sophia Harvey filled in this past week, with Ianni in Hawaii.

CdM also has a relatively inexperienced goalie in sophomore Giovanna Broderick, who Middleton said sprained her ankle in a 4-0 win over Northwood on Tuesday. Senior Shannon Duss stepped in to finish that game, and also played in Thursday’s 5-1 win over Irvine.

Middleton said he was also without Lamie (sick) and junior forward Celeste Wayne (concussion) this past week. He added that sophomore Kennedy Campbell, who had three goals already in league, tore her medial collateral ligament in the Northwood game and is out for the season.

The loss of the offensive firepower has made defense, always a focus of the program, even more important, particularly with Alyssa McKenzie out.

“We worked quite a bit on getting our defensive shape correct,” Middleton said. “I mean, we had probably two practices where we just worked on defense … We want to limit teams to outside shots. ‘Gio’ and Shannon have some size.”

Bartz has been a constant, and she is the only senior on the back line. She has the experience, playing soccer since she was 4 years old and club soccer for Slammers Futbol Club since she was 8.

She wants to end her senior season with a bang, make no mistake about it. Then it will be on to competing on the CdM track team, where she runs the hurdles.

“I’m really happy with how we’re performing,” Bartz said. “We want to be 10-0 in league.”

*

Julie Bartz

Born: Aug. 10, 2000

Hometown: Newport Beach

Height: 5 foot 9

Sport: Soccer

Year: Senior

Coach: Bryan Middleton

Favorite food: Sushi

Favorite movie: “Forrest Gump”

Favorite athletic moment: “Competing in CIF five times in the last three years, for soccer and track.”

Week in review: Bartz scored the only goal in the Sea Kings’ 1-0 victory at University on Jan. 9 to open Pacific Coast League play, and played standout defense in that game and a 3-1 win over Beckman on Jan. 11.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo

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