All-County Girls’ Soccer : Work Pays Dividends for Biefeld : Her Blue-Collar Ethic Sets Edison Senior Apart From the Rest

Joy Biefeld, an Edison High School forward, believes the path to stardom takes time and effort.

“I think that’s the only way you can do it, and if you don’t work hard, there’s just no way you can be the best,” Biefeld said.

Biefeld’s blue-collar philosophy has served her well. She has scored 133 goals in four years at Edison, and had a Southern Section-leading 46 goals and 26 assists this past season.

Biefeld, The Times’ girls’ Soccer Player of the Year, led the Chargers to a Southern Section 4-A co-championhip with Mission Viejo this season, and is considered one of the country’s finest high school girl soccer players.

“She looks like she’s been playing for ages,” said Bill Wilson, La Quinta coach. “She’s a natural and probably the best player I’ve seen in five or six years.”

Said Renee Nadon, Edison co-coach: “Joy is blessed with a lot of talent, but she works harder than anyone else, and I think that’s the key. A lot of players have the talent, but don’t work hard. They figure they can get by on natural ability. Others work hard to make up for their lack of natural ability. But Joy has both. She eats, sleeps and breathes soccer.”

Joy isn’t the only Biefeld playing soccer. Her brother, Eric, is a sweeper for NCAA soccer champion, UCLA, and her sister, Kathy, is starting right halfback for the University of Connecticut.

“Going to watch my brother play in his games is what got me started,” said Biefeld, who will attend the University of California next year on a soccer scholarship. She plans to major in physical therapy.

“And then my sister Kathy probably had the biggest influence on me because we were closer in age.”

Biefeld has been voted the Sunset League Most Valuable Player three times and has been selected All-CIF Southern Section four times, but she says this season’s championship is the most satisfying accomplishment.

“Doing so well this year as a team really topped it off,” Biefeld said. “ All the players on our team had been together a long time and I think our closeness helped us a lot.”

In the championship game, Edison (25-0-3) fell behind Mission Viejo, 1-0, 13:40 into the match. But five minutes later, Biefeld teamed with Janell Rogers on a goal to tie the score, 1-1.

“Joy’s only drawback is she sometimes lacks confidence,” Nadon said. “She’s too humble, and that can be a problem. She just doesn’t realize how good she is, but I think she should and will have to make that adjustment.”

Biefeld agrees.

“In some games, if I’m not confident for some reason, I get down and don’t play as well as I can,” she said. “I know it’s important to see the good things about yourself and not always the bad.

“I’m working on that.” First Team

Name School Class Pos. Ali Gilbson El Toro Sr. G Joy Biefeld Edison Sr. F Kristin Harkins La Quinta Jr. F Kim Dutton Mission Viejo Sr. F Kim Carlander El Toro Sr. F Julie Foudy Mission Viejo Fr. MF Janell Rogers Edison Sr. MF Karen Nance Capistrano Valley Sr. MF Heather McIntyre Laguna Hills So. D Shana de Fries Mission Viejo Sr. D Donna Robertson Edison Jr. D

Second Team

Goalie: Lynn Lambert (Laguna Hills) So. Forwards: Wendy Kojima (Fountain Valley) Sr.; Erin McGinnis (Laguna Hills) Jr.; Heidi Brown (University) Sr.; Amy Baren (Foothill) Jr. Midfielders: Connie Jeffers (Dana Hills) Sr.; Kim Schiel (Laguna Hills) Sr.; Shiela Takahashi (San Clemente) Sr. Defenders: Daphne Schaffer (El Toro) Sr.; Heather Hutchinson (Mission Viejo) So.; Cece Braun (Mater Dei) Sr.

The teams were selected with the help of coaches’ interviews as well as all-county ballots, which were sent to every Orange County boys’ and girls’ soccer coach.