Rock-solid Rookie

First he lost his star defender and center midfielder to knee injuries.

His stopper has missed half the season because of broken ribs.

And an offensive slump kept the high-powered Westlake girls’ soccer team from scoring multiple goals.

But Coach Aerick Brown has stood tall and kept his cool through it all.

Brown emphasizes offense, but it has been Westlake’s rock-solid defense that has kept the Warriors from sinking. They’ve become one of the elite teams in Southern California.

The program has flourished on every level, with the freshman-sophomore, junior varsity and varsity teams boasting a combined record of 35-4-2.

Brown’s success has come in his first season as head coach. He joined the Westlake staff midway through last season as an assistant.

Brown, a former All-American forward at Westmont College and San Diego State, has the Warriors playing a stifling brand of defense unmatched by most high school teams.

Westlake (11-2-2, 5-1 in league play) has allowed only five goals, an average of 0.33 per game.

“We pride ourselves on playing tough defense,” Brown said. “It’s like I tell the girls. This isn’t a pillow fight. This is preparing for a championship. We can’t come out soft and unfocused. We have to stay mentally locked in.”

The philosophy has paid off. The Warriors build attacks out of the back, making precise and crisp passes and playing off a target player.

“As far as I’m concerned, Westlake doesn’t have any weaknesses,” said Valencia Coach Tony Scalercio. “They can attack from anywhere on the field.”

Brown’s objective is to build the Westlake program from the bottom up. He scheduled his freshman-sophomore team against other schools’ junior varsity teams, and he matched his junior varsity team against varsity squads in nonleague play.

“I’m not about to pad my schedule,” Brown said. “I want to play the toughest competition available. Playing soft opponents doesn’t develop players. It’s challenges we look for.

“It’s all about giving 100% all the time. Having barely lost in the quarterfinals of [the Southern Section playoffs] last year, these girls now have a better idea of what it takes to be a champion.”

The defense appeared vulnerable when All-Marmonte League defender Danielle Della Corna was lost for the season because of a knee injury. But freshman Kathy Salmon has been impressive as a replacement.

Salmon joins seniors Kristina Von Krog and Allyson Trowbridge, junior Katie McCurdy and senior Lauryn Loftus, who’s playing about half the time because of broken ribs.

“This year, more than ever, we have been close as a team on and off the field and it has helped a lot,” Trowbridge said. “Our camaraderie and attitude on defense has made us unstoppable. We make it a point to not let goals by.”

The Warriors had not allowed a goal in 410 minutes of league play until Simi Valley scored twice within 10 minutes Wednesday for a 2-1 upset.

Westlake won the Marmonte title last year and is 16-2 in league play over the last two seasons, a show of power matched only by Agoura in the late 1980s and Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley in the early 1990s.

Westlake’s toughest league challenge comes tonight when the Warriors play at Agoura (10-2, 6-0) at 6.

The Warriors have dominated, but it’s difficult to tell by the scores. They averaged only one goal in their first 10 games, generating offense but failing to finish.

The situation appeared to worsen when center midfielder Jenna Wirtz was lost for four to six weeks because of a knee injury. But the Warriors have responded well, scoring 17 goals in the last five games.

The key was moving Kelly Cochran to center midfielder, Jenna Ainsworth to forward and Lauren Baer to outside midfielder.

“I think we are working more together,” Ainsworth said. “We understand each other better now. We know how each other plays. It feels great to be able to score goals.”