Practice Pays Off for Force

The Force is definitely with this team.

The L.A. Force, a girls’ 18-and-under club soccer team based in Reseda, has been winning with style and substance, a combination that has propelled it to the U.S. Youth Soccer Assn. Far West Regional Championships, which begin Monday in Pleasanton, Calif.

Coach Adolfo Perez, who lost three key players from last season, would be slightly surprised by this year’s success if not for his players’ penchant to turn practice into a game-type environment.

“We may not be the most technically sound team, but nobody is going to outwork us,” Perez said. “No one tries harder than us at practice. We don’t give up and that makes up for a lot.”

The formula worked in the state quarterfinals. The Force trailed Team Fram, 2-0, with about 30 minutes left but scored three goals to advance.

In the semifinals, the Force defeated the El Cajon Hot Spurs, 3-1, despite five players being absent--three were taking the SAT and two were preparing for their high school prom. Becky Miller scored twice to keep the depleted Force alive.

In the state final, the Force defeated the San Diego Surf, 1-0. Jenna Wirtz scored with about 13 minutes left and goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz led the defense.

“In reality, some of our own parents gave us only a small chance to win this,” Perez said. “It makes it more special.”

Perez is used to overcoming odds. He was the men’s soccer coach at Mission College in 1995 and ‘96, taking over a team that went 0-15 in 1994 and turning it into a state playoff contender that went a combined 19-10.

His biggest obstacle at Mission was his age. He was 25 when he was hired. At least four players were older.

“They showed up for the first practice, saw me, and were like, ‘Where’s the coach?’ ” Perez said.

His tenure ended when all sports at Mission were eliminated for financial reasons.

Perez revels in the success he attained in a short time at Mission.

“It was special,” he said. “I’m very proud of what we did.”

But the decision to cut sports at Mission had far-reaching effect.

“Literally, 100% of my team dropped out once the program was canceled,” Perez said. “Soccer gets a lot of kids in school. For them, playing on a JC team was a big deal.”

His players on the Force hope to make this summer a big deal.

“I’ve been working toward this since I was 13,” said fullback Nicole Farenbaugh, who joined the Force when it began in 1994 as a 13-and-under team. “There’s going to be a lot of emotions. We just have to play as a unit, which we do well.”

Four of the 16 teams from the Far West Regionals advance to the National Championships from July 24-30 in Orlando, Fla.

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Sometimes you need to be a little defensive.

That was the mind-set of the Valley United Stars, a 14-and-under girls’ club soccer team based in Northridge.

Thanks to a stingy defense, the Stars earlier this month won the Nike Premier Cup, an upper-echelon international youth tournament in Beaverton, Ore.

How bright were the Stars? In seven games, they did not allow a goal and outscored opponents, 21-0.

In the championship game, the Stars defeated the Langhorne (Pa.) Strikers, 1-0.

Kandice McLaughlin scored five minutes into the game and goalkeeper Christina deVries helped keep Langhorne off the scoreboard.

“It didn’t happen by accident,” said Coach Terry Davila, also the men’s soccer coach at Cal State Northridge. “If you want to do well in an algebra class, you better study. These kids studied. They bought into it.”

The Stars defeated the Atlanta Quest, 1-0, in the semifinals. Shari Summers headed in a cross from Jamie Artsis with five minutes left.