WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS : GIRLS’ SOCCER : A Diablo Dynasty : Even in a Down Year, Mission Viejo Still Has Foudy and the No. 1 Ranking

For the last 3 years, the Mission Viejo High School girls’ soccer team has enjoyed tremendous success: three South Coast League titles, three Southern Section 4-A titles and a national record of 73 consecutive games without a loss.

But the 1988-89 season would seem to find Mission Viejo at a loss, with only 5 of 17 varsity players returning from last season.

Gone are all-Southern Section performers Kerri Kennedy, Stacey Hopper and Rae Hubocan, as well as six other starters.

So it’s all over for Mission Viejo, right?

Hardly.

Despite their losses, the Diablos are still the top-ranked Southern Section 4-A team. They’re considered by most area coaches to be the superior team in Orange County as well.

Mission Viejo has an uncanny knack for winning, whatever the circumstance. Call it luck, skill, or tradition, but the Diablos have made victory routine.

That routine became extraordinary on Dec. 1, when Mission Viejo broke the national record for consecutive games without a loss with a 5-2 victory over Huntington Beach. Granby Memorial (Conn.) went 69 consecutive games without a loss from 1982-86.

The last team to beat Mission Viejo was Laguna Hills, 1-0, on Jan. 15, 1986. The teams will meet again in a nonleague match Thursday at Mission Viejo at 3 p.m.

Mission Viejo’s success should continue this season, in part because of a group of talented freshmen, most of whom have several years’ experience at the club level. Three of them--Jill Florey, Kenna Bertell and Debbie Demarchi--are starters.

But the biggest reason why Mission Viejo should keep on winning?

Most point to the return of Julie Foudy, the 2-time Southern Section offensive player of the year.

Foudy, a midfielder, is a finely tuned mix of athleticism, tenacity and smarts. At times, many times, her ball-control skills are almost magical.

Most opposing coaches are just happy that Foudy, a 4-year varsity starter who is being recruited by virtually every collegiate soccer power in the country, is finally a senior.

But brace yourself, Diablo opponents--Dutton says Foudy is much improved from last year.

“She’s tremendous,” Dutton said. “She’s more confident with herself. Her shooting is much better, she reads the game a lot better, she sees things better . . . “

So much for the favorites. Now for the contenders:

Esperanza--If any team could jolt Mission Viejo from its lofty position, it might very well be Esperanza. Last season, John Coppage took over the girls’ program after coaching the boys to a 109-6-10 record through 4 seasons.

Although many criticized Coppage’s style--some thought him too aggressive and demanding to coach girls--he led Esperanza to its best season in history. The Aztecs, a tough defensive team, reached the 3-A final, where they lost to Buena, 2-0.

Of course, Esperanza--which, along with the rest of the Empire League girls’ soccer teams, moved from 3-A to 4-A this year--isn’t going to surprise anyone this season. The team’s trademark is tough, tenacious defense, coupled with a fast-moving, counter-attacking offense. Some call it run and gun.

“Run and gun? Yeah, we do that,” Coppage said. “But we don’t just knock it around. We play a transition game. There’s teams that want to put 10 passes together every time but wonder why they can’t get it up the field.”

The Aztecs (10-0), ranked fourth in 4-A, are very young, with 14 juniors, 4 sophomores and a freshman. There are no seniors on the team. Returning starters include sophomore Lynn Murray and juniors Chrissy Coppage, Karen Van Winkle, Jenise Webb, Michelle Rullo and goalie Tymerie Busser.

Capistrano Valley--The Cougars began the season with lots of praise and a No. 2 ranking in the 4-A division. But at 5-2-1, they have started slowly, losing to to seventh-ranked El Toro and Mater Dei, which is ranked ninth in the 3-A division.

“I don’t believe our record is indicative of our team,” Capistrano Valley Coach Steve Bignal said. “I think we’re a better team than that. This is a talented team, and at this point we’re playing quite well. We’ve just got to work on a few things.”

One would be finishing off offensive advances. According to Bignal, the team is impressive defensively, at midfield, and close to the goal, but getting the ball into the opponent’s net has been another story.

Still, some see Capistrano Valley as the county’s top team . . . but not right away.

“When Capo starts playing as a team, they’ll be awesome,” Mater Dei Coach Marty Breen said “It’s just a matter of time. In terms of talent, they’re better than Mission Viejo.”

Seniors Susan Staab, Cindy Attaway, Amy Doherty, Sarah Stoney and Ginger Frank--all club soccer players in the off-season--return to lead Capistrano Valley.

Others--El Toro, which defeated Capistrano Valley last week, is considered the team of the future. Some say the Chargers resemble Mission Viejo 3 years ago.

Dana Hills, which defeated El Toro last week, is led by midfielder Helen Crowe and goalie Karla Gunderson, both first-team All-South Coast League players.

Los Alamitos, which could battle Esperanza for the Empire League title again this year, has all but one starter back. Several times last season, Griffin Coach Leonard Lopez vowed that Los Alamitos would be the team to beat in 1988-89.

Mater Dei, led by seniors Tina Manfre (24 goals last season) and Carla Cichocki, is a strong defensive club. The Monarchs have excellent midfield control, and, at times, an explosive offensive attack.