VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : WOMEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW : Lee Hopes to Put Kick in Matadors

Enthusiasm and victories have been in short supply during the brief history of Cal State Northridge women’s soccer.

Allison Lee’s objective is to produce the latter by generating the former.

Lee, after four seasons as a Matador assistant, was hired in April as the second coach in the program’s history. A former coach at Bonita and Corona highs, and career scoring leader at Cal Poly Pomona, Lee, 26, brings youth and vigor to the Matadors, who were 6-13 last season and have never posted a winning season since the program began in 1995.

Lee emphatically promises a change this season in the Matadors’ philosophy and performance.

“Night and day,” Lee said. “The goal this spring was, first of all, for the girls to find some love for the game again.

“We have a few players who have been on the team since it started and haven’t had a lot of success. After last season, their spirits were down. You could just tell. A lot of them were considering not playing because they just weren’t into it any more.”

Lee served as interim coach the second half of last season, picking up the pieces after Brian Weisner abruptly resigned in December.

Weisner, who helped establish the Northridge program, was curt in his departure, saying only he was unhappy with the team’s progress.

Northridge, 3-4 in the Big Sky Conference last season, was 20-53-4 under Weisner.

Lee, who played for Weisner at Cal Poly Pomona, declined to speculate on his motive for resigning. But players said a coaching change was needed.

“There wasn’t a lot of motivation from the coach,” said Debbie Smith, a senior midfielder and team captain. “This year, we’re saying, ‘Out with the old and in with the new.’ And it’s definitely all new.”

Foremost is an attacking style Lee has installed. The Matadors’ top eight scorers last season return, but the offense was punchless.

Northridge played to a scoreless tie Wednesday at UC Irvine, and is 0-1-1.

Sophomore forward Michelle French tied for the team lead with seven points despite missing six games because of knee surgery. Sophomore forward Erin Broadwell played in every game and tied for the team lead with three goals.

Added to the mix are several talented newcomers from the region, a result of Lee’s pledge to recruit local talent. Northridge had nine local players on its roster last season. The Matadors have 13 this season, including freshmen Amy Watts from Chaminade High, Melissa Cleal from El Camino Real and Gentry Green from Canyon.

Signing Watts, among the region’s top high school players last season, was a significant coup.

Watts said she would have decided against Northridge had there not been a coaching change.

“Allison tried really hard to recruit me and she really seemed like she cared about having me here,” Watts said. “It was like she had known me a really long time. She has a really good relationship with all the players, from what I’ve seen so far.”

Riya Gough, a junior and two-time all-conference midfielder, said the last two seasons were frustrating.

“It was hard to lose so much because we always had it in our heads that we wanted to win,” Gough said. “It seems now like the team has a lot more enthusiasm during practice. There’s hope again. We’re working on new patterns as a group, instead of having people just play individually.”

Lee’s relationship with returning players should ease the transition.

“I’ve been here for four years, so I have a very open relationship with these girls,” Lee said. “Communication is the key. They see me as a confidant, so I’ve kind of had a jump start there.”

A look at the region’s other programs:

Cal Lutheran

The Regals have dominated the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference since joining in 1991, winning eight consecutive conference titles while compiling a conference record of 94-1-1.

Cal Lutheran, 14-5 overall, was 12-0 in SCIAC play last season, finishing 4 1/2 games ahead of Redlands and La Verne. The Regals are heavy favorites to repeat, despite the graduation of Holly Roepke, SCIAC most valuable player.

Nine players return, including all-conference selections Alia Khan, Ashley Scott and Jennifer Agostino. Scott, a junior midfielder, had four goals and four assists. Khan, a sophomore forward, had four goals and two assists.

Sophomore forward Leilani Green had seven goals and 14 points to lead returning players.

Top freshmen include forward Bonnie Bornhauser and midfielder Alix Rucinski from Camarillo High, and defenseman Jessica Self from Simi Valley.

The Master’s

The Mustangs have plenty of room for improvement after going 4-16-1 and being shut out nine times, including 10-0 losses to Pepperdine and Azusa Pacific.

Fourteen players return, seven of them starters, including midfielders Lindsay Harrison and Elizabeth Longbotham. Top freshmen include forward Sara Rojas from Yakima, Wash., midfielder Celine Chenoweth from Birmingham, Ala., and midfielder Anni Iverson from L.A. Baptist High.

Senior midfielder Heather Halstead from Saugus and junior midfielder Becky McGuire from L.A. Baptist are the only other players from the region on the roster.

Cal State Northridge

Women’s Soccer Schedule

9-5 Long Beach State 2 p.m.

9-7 at Fresno State 7 p.m.

9-10 Pacific 7 p.m.

9-12 Air Force 2 p.m.

9-15 at CS Fullerton 7 p.m.

9-19 at UC Santa Barbara 1 p.m.

9-26 at Nevada Las Vegas 7 p.m.

9-28 The Master’s College 7 p.m.

10-1 at Portland State 7 p.m.

10-3 at Oregon 2 p.m.

10-10 Northern Arizona 2 p.m.

10-13 at Pepperdine 3 p.m.

10-17 at CS Sacramento 2 p.m.

10-22 Montana 5 p.m.

10-24 at Eastern Washington 1 p.m.

10-29 Weber State 7 p.m.

10-31 Idaho State 2 p.m.

11-4/6 Big Sky championships TBA

Big Sky games in bold

WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULES

Cal Lutheran

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Date Opponent Time 9-6 Linfield, Ore Noon 9-10 at UC Santa Cruz 2 p.m. 9-12 at Dominican 1 p.m. 9-15 Westmont 3 p.m. 9-18 Pomona-Pitzer 11 a.m. 9-20 at Chapman 5 p.m. 9-22 at Occidental 3 p.m. 9-25 Whittier 11 a.m. 9-29 at La Verne 4 p.m. 10-2 Claremont-Mudd 1 p.m. 10-6 Redlands 4 p.m. 10-8 Rowan, N.J. 2 p.m. 10-10 UC San Diego Noon 10-13 at Pomona-Pitzer 2 p.m. 10-16 Occidental 11 a.m. 10-19 Wheaton, Ill. 3:30 p.m. 10-20 at Whittier 4 p.m. 10-23 La Verne 11 a.m. 10-26 at Claremont-Mudd 4 p.m. 10-29 at Redlands 2:30 p.m.

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*SCIAC games in bold

Master’s

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Date Opponent Time 9-4 Mills 4 p.m. 9-8 at Claremont 7 p.m. 9-11 at Point Loma 3 p.m. 9-14 Cal Baptist 4 p.m. 9-18 Biola 3 p.m. 9-22 at Westmont 3 p.m. 9-25 at Vanguard 7 p.m. 9-28 at Northridge 7 p.m. 9-30 at Azusa Pacific 7 p.m. 10-4 Occidental 4 p.m. 10-7 at Menlo 3:30 p.m. 10-9 at Mills 1 p.m. 10-11 at Concordia 3 p.m. 10-14 Briar Cliff, Ohio Noon 10-16 Pomona-Pitzer 1 p.m. 10-18 at Whittier 7 p.m. 10-23 at U.S. International 3 p.m. 10-26 at UC San Diego 7 p.m. 10-29 at Chapman 5 p.m.

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