THE TIMES 1995 WINTER ALL-COUNTY TEAMS : Marina’s Palmer Always Makes Winning Look Easy : Player of the year: Northwestern-bound co-captain, one of eight returning seniors, helped Vikings to undefeated season and section title.

The Marina girls’ soccer team appeared invincible heading into this season. With a 39-game unbeaten streak and eight returning senior starters, the Vikings seemed a sure bet to win their third consecutive Southern Section Division I championship.

But the Marina players weren’t so sure. “We didn’t think anything would come easy to us,” senior co-captain Kristen Palmer said. “Except pressure.”

The expectations of classmates were hard to handle. Mere victories weren’t enough. You only won, 3-0? “We tried to explain to them that it wasn’t a given that we would win,” Palmer said.

So it was no surprise that when Marina (21-0-1) beat Claremont, 2-0, in the Division I title game to complete another unbeaten season, the Vikings didn’t get as many congratulatory pats on the back as they might have liked.

“It was hard,” Palmer said. “We were all excited because we knew what we had gone through and how hard we worked, but everybody else kind of took it for granted.”

But that shouldn’t diminish the satisfaction of being part of another champion, and Palmer, the Times Orange County player of the year, played an integral part.

Palmer, who had 27 goals and 13 assists, and Cassandra Campbell (23 goals, 14 assists) were the Vikings’ main offensive weapons.

Palmer’s scoring achievements are especially impressive considering this was her first season on offense. A defender for her club team, she played defensive midfielder until this high school season.

“I had to get used to being an offensive midfielder, which was hard at first,” she said. “But once you get into it, it’s a lot of fun.”

Palmer, 5 feet 7, is especially good in the air and was Marcy Crouch’s main target on set plays. About 20 of Palmer’s goals came on headers. “It’s just another nice dimension to your game if you can use your head,” she said.

Palmer’s 4.5 grade-point average and scholarship to Northwestern proves she uses it for more than redirecting soccer balls. Before the season, Marina Coach Bobby Bruch asked her to help lead the team.

“She took that leadership responsibility to the highest potential,” Bruch said. “She has the best leadership abilities of any player I’ve ever coached.”