Prep Preview / Girls’ Soccer : Thompson Is Canyon’s Leader From the Back

Because of the sheer numbers of those who play girls’ soccer at Canyon High School, Coach John Williams had to ask for help at a recent practice.

Tina Thompson, a senior goalkeeper and team captain, agreed to take the varsity players and promptly gave them a choice: 45 minutes of sprinting drills or a long run.

They picked the sprints, but after Thompson put them through the workout, they had second thoughts.

“It was enough for them to say, ‘Well, maybe we want to go on that long run,’ ” Thompson said.

Anyone who thinks the absence of a coach could be an excuse for slothfulness, doesn’t know Tina Thompson.

“My main goal is to get better every day,” she said. “Every time I go to practice, I try to learn something new.”

This dedication has helped Thompson become one of the best goalkeepers in the nation. She is one of three goalies in the national pool of the under-19 Olympic Development Program, which means she is drawing closer to her ultimate athletic goal: to play soccer in the Olympic Games.

There is a movement building to include women’s soccer in the 1996 Games in Atlanta. If it happens, Thompson would like to be there, playing for the U.S. team.

Currently, Thompson is preparing for the high school season at Canyon, which will be in the running for a Southern Section Division II title.

The Comanches are a senior-dominated team and no one is quite as dominant as Thompson, who often directs plays from the goalie’s box.

“As a captain, I’m always trying to lead the team from the back,” she said. “I think for them. At times they don’t have time to think, so they hear my voice in the back of their heads.”

Thompson doesn’t hesitate to tell teammates when she believes they aren’t trying as hard as she believes they should.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s to a point of when the time comes to work hard, they do it or they know I’ll be down their throats,” Thompson said.

Couldn’t that sort of leadership be annoying?

“I think they’re used to it by now,” she said. “Four years of my yelling at them.”

Williams said Thompson’s exhortations are more than welcome.

“Because Tina has known these girls for so long, she’s comfortable back there and the girls are comfortable with her,” Williams said. “It’s not like she’s someone out there trying to be a leader. She’s someone they know is one.”

Kim Campbell, a senior and the Comanches’ leading scorer, echoed Williams’ comments: “She likes to take control out there at practice. She’s just a very experienced player and I feel very comfortable with her back there. I love playing with her.”

Because Canyon is such a strong team, Thompson isn’t usually challenged during a match, which isn’t a situation she likes.

So she works as hard as she can in practice and as often as possible she puts in extra time practicing with her brother, Bobby Thompson, who played fullback for the Canyon boys’ team before graduating in 1990.

As is the case with most top high school players, Thompson also plays club soccer. For the last two years, she has played goalkeeper for the Mission Viejo Herricanes, one of the most talented teams in Southern California.

Playing club soccer exposes her to many styles of play, and Thompson says that helps her goalkeeping. She watches other players to see how they react in certain situations.

All this extra effort is driven by her ambition.

“She’s had direction ever since she was a freshman,” Williams said. “There are not a lot of girls like that. There are some who come close, but there are not too many like Tina Thompson.”

Many college coaches know that and are actively pursuing Thompson. She has taken recruiting trips to California and San Diego State and plans to visit Stanford and Santa Clara, all West Coast soccer powers.

Thompson knows exactly what she wants in a soccer program.

“I’m looking for a goalie coach to be at the school,” she said. “If there isn’t one, then I want to see how the coach handles the goalies, because I’m looking to develop, not just stay the same.”

One place she isn’t considering is North Carolina, even though the Tar Heels have won the last seven NCAA titles and U.S. national team Coach Anson Dorrance is their coach.

“I don’t think North Carolina is a good school for a goalie,” Thompson said. “The goalie there might get one shot a game. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking to lose some games.”

Girls’ Soccer at a Glance

Top players: Andrea Barclay, Jr., Rosary; Stephanie Boes, Sr., Dana Hills; Lori Bowers, Sr., Dana Hills; Tiffany Brown, Jr., Santa Margarita; Kim Campbell, Sr., Canyon; Tammi Daman, Sr., Trabuco Hills; Diane Divino, Sr., Dana Hills; Brenda Gravell, Sr., Western; Brenda Hinrichs, Sr., El Modena; Stefanie Hughes, Jr., Corona del Mar; Traci Jensen, Sr., El Toro; Sherri Kaminski, Sr., El Toro; Denise Kenyon, Sr., El Toro; Kirsten Keyler, Sr., Mater Dei; Michele Lytle, Sr., Valencia; Megan Murray, Sr., Esperanza; Amy Peterson, Sr., Marina; Rhonda Partida, Jr., Sunny Hills; Shannon Pickett, Sr., Trabuco Hills; Claudia Ruggiero, Sr., Estancia; Maggie Terry, So., Mission Viejo; Lynne Thiel, Sr., Edison; Tina Thompson, Sr., Canyon; Christine Tyler, Jr., Edison; Lori Van Herk, Sr., Kennedy; Katie Ward, Sr., Mater Dei; Lauren Weaver, Sr., Estancia.

League favorites: Century: Canyon; Empire: Los Alamitos; Freeway: Sunny Hills; Garden Grove: Kennedy; Olympic League: Ayala; Orange: Valencia; Pacific Coast: Estancia; Sea View: Corona del Mar; South Coast: El Toro; Sunset: Edison.

Key dates: Irvine tournament, Dec. 5-12; Cerritos tournament, Dec. 12, 19, 21; Foothill tournament, Dec. 28-30; Ocean View tournament, Dec. 28-30; Southern Section playoffs begin Feb. 18; Southern Section finals, March 5-6.

Notes: Dana Hills, which finished third in the South Coast League and advanced to the semifinals of the Division 4-A playoffs before losing to El Toro, returns eight starters and Coach Ken Ezratty believes the Dolphins should challenge for the league and Southern Section titles. “We went to the semifinals last year and we only lost three starters,” Ezratty said. “Our only star is our goalkeeper Stephanie Boes, and I think she’s the best in CIF (Southern Section). She’s going to keep us in many games.” . . . Mater Dei defender Ellie Acalin is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery after an injury she suffered in the championship match last season. Monarch Coach Michelle Myers hopes Acalin, a second-team all-division selection, will be able to play by the league season. . . . Quotebook: “Some people are saying we could be a dark horse,” Capistrano Valley Coach Harry Hutcheson said of his Cougars. “They were a dark horse last season, except they stayed in the barn.”