Women’s Soccer Team Making Noise at Chapman

The charge the Chapman women’s soccer team has put together is something second-year Coach Eddie Carrillo had hoped for but didn’t expect would happen so soon.

Though the Panthers (9-1-1) are young, with nine freshmen and five sophomores on their 17-player roster, they have pushed their way up the regional rankings and earned the school’s first national ranking, 25th, last week.

And all of a sudden, they’re making a big push at the school’s first NCAA Division III playoff berth.

The two top-ranked teams in the West Region automatically qualify for postseason play, and Chapman is ranked fourth in the West Region of the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America poll. But Monday, Chapman toppled third-ranked La Verne, 2-0.

And the Panthers will have to be at their best next week to have any hopes of upsetting two more of the nation’s best teams.

Chapman will host Cal Lutheran, ranked second in the West Region and 12th in the nation, on Friday, then travel to play at UC San Diego, the West Region and nation’s top-ranked team, on Wednesday.

“Those teams have a little more speed than we’re used to seeing,” Carrillo said. “We’ll see how good our athletes are when we play them.”

A big reason for the team’s success is a tight defense. Freshmen Kristie Hoback (Mater Dei High) and Courtney Hall (El Dorado) and sophomore Allison Mitchell have helped the Panthers post seven shutouts.

And a balanced offensive attack has helped offset injuries that have slowed the Panthers.