Great Feat

What has 46 legs, 23 ponytails, a rejuvenated outlook and an athletic and a social calendar?

Answer: The Cal State Northridge women’s soccer team.

Never mind their dismal four-year history without a winning season. The Matadors are off to their best start.

Northridge (3-2-1), which plays a nonconference game Sunday at UC Santa Barbara, recently capped a three-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory over Air Force.

The Matadors also are in demand. During a post-practice meeting Friday, players chugged water and pulled elastic bands from their hair while cooling off. They peppered each other with last-minute instructions.

“Everyone meet back here at 5:30 and be dressed,” a player says.

Another voice pipes up, “And look pretty.”

The players were poised to put their best foot forward for a team appearance at an AYSO season-opener at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks park. The purpose is for players to sign autographs, pose for photographs and spread soccer cheer among young players.

“This team definitely is on the rise,” said Brynne Blumstein, a freshman defenseman from Cleveland High. “It’s great coming to practice. Everything is up and all the girls are together.”

The Matadors are playing like never before and women’s soccer is enjoying unprecedented popularity in the wake of the success this summer of the U.S. Women’s World Cup championship team.

Consequently, the Matadors relish the opportunity to be role models.

“I think its cool when the kids come to our games and cheer us on from the sidelines,” said freshman Gentry Green. “I like talking to them. I have two little cousins who play, so I go to their games. They ask me questions.”

Green, a four-year starter at Canyon High who began playing when she was 4, leads Northridge with two goals and four points this season.

Green is among several freshmen making a significant impact for Northridge, which appears to have a bright future.

“The guy from the local AYSO region told me their participation numbers are up tremendously,” Northridge first-year Coach Allison Lee said. “We want to encourage these young players with AYSO to come watch some good soccer [at Northridge]. Let them see our faces and then they can say, ‘Look, I want to be like her when I grow up.’ ”

Northridge has never had this talented a team. The outlook has never been as rosy, either.

Lee, an assistant to former coach Brian Weisner, took over at midseason in December, after Weisner abruptly resigned. The Matadors lost their first four games and finished 6-13.

Many players were disenchanted with the sport and were considering quitting, Lee said.

“The goal this spring was to find some love for the game again,” Lee said.

“It was so hard to lose so much,” said Riya Gough, a junior and two-time All-Big Sky Conference midfielder. “We did try very hard, but we practiced so slow. We just couldn’t perform.”

Lee has concentrated on recruiting local players and weaving them into the lineup as quickly as possible.

Green, a former Foothill League most valuable player, scored Northridge’s only goal in a 1-0 victory over Fresno State and scored the game winner against Air Force.

Northridge held opponents scoreless for more than 418 minutes over four games.

“The freshmen are doing very well for us,” Lee said. “The past two classes we’ve had come in have just been phenomenal. We have a young team that is getting a lot of minutes. I thought they would have the potential to play right off the bat, but they’ve all earned it just as well.”

Freshmen Melissa Cleal from El Camino Real, Amy Watts from Chaminade, Megan Landress from Chatsworth and Blumstein all have played considerably.

Blumstein began playing at an early age, long before “all the World Cup madness.” She’s glad that others are finding out about the sport.

“I don’t care if people caught on two weeks ago or five years ago,” Blumstein said. “The more people see it, the more it’s going to catch on. And this program is definitely on the rise.”