Farenbaugh Makes Her Mark on Defense
In 1996, defender Nicole Farenbaugh and her club team, L.A. Force, played an exhibition game in Guadalajara, Mexico, against Chivas, a top professional team in Mexico.
In front of more than 3,000, Farenbaugh, 13 at the time, shut down forward Loupe Perez, who also played for the Mexican national team. Farenbaugh thought nothing of it.
Her accomplishment earned the Force a 1-1 tie, but Farenbaugh, now a senior at Louisville High, refrains from taking credit.
“She is the most underrated defender there is,” said Adolfo Perez, who has coached Farenbaugh on the L.A. Force for six years. “She’s one of the best defenders to ever come out of the area. She doesn’t ever get the headlines, but she’s incredible. I’m so grateful to have her.”
Farenbaugh’s defense has been instrumental in turning Louisville into one of the top teams in the Mission League. She was a Times’ all-region selection and the Mission League defensive player of the year last season.
She has missed only one game in four years at Louisville, a streak that reached 65 before she missed a Dec. 13th game against Westlake because of a 103-degree fever.
“She’s the most deceiving player I’ve ever seen,” Perez said. “She looks so simple, but she always gets the job done. She has guarded girls that have full scholarships to North Carolina and UCLA, and they can’t do anything against her. Somehow she always manages to take the ball away.”
Farenbaugh’s play has allowed Louisville to again compete in the Mission League. After winning league championships in 1991 and 1993, the Royals had losing seasons through 1999.
“Nobody has meant more to Louisville than her,” Coach Jose Perez of Louisville said. “It’s going to hurt when we lose her. I don’t think there is anybody that can replace her.
“Every time someone goes on a one-on-one with her, I just turn around because I know she is going to stop them.”
Farenbaugh also excels in the classroom, maintaining a 3.9 grade-point average.
Saint Mary’s and Cal State Northridge are among the schools recruiting her.
The only thing missing is a championship ring on her finger. The Royals have played in the shadow of league rivals Harvard-Westlake and Chaminade the last three years, but 1-1 ties with Buena, Crescenta Valley, Chaminade and North Torrance have earned Louisville respect.
The fourth-place Royals (10-3-6, 2-2-1) play at league-leading Harvard-Westlake (13-2-3, 4-0-1) at 3:15 p.m. today.
“The Harvard-Westlake game is important because I’ve never beat them before,” Farenbaugh said. “It would be a big accomplishment. They are such a big school and we are so small. I think we can do it.”