Ortega, Zwissler trio lead team

Campus Times
September 17, 1999

by Enrique Gutiérrez
Staff Writer

Being second is not satisfying to any team. And the women's soccer team has had enough of it, so this season it is putting everything on the line to finish on top of the conference.

Last season, the team finished in second place with a 7-4-1 record in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition (9-8-1 overall), tied with Redlands, just behind Cal Lutheran, whose record was 14-5 overall and 12-0 in SCIAC.

"Our main goal is to win SCIAC," said Wendy Zwissler, who is entering her seventh season as head coach (80-45-3 career record). "[We have] a young team that is pretty skilled and working hard to come together as a group."

Team co-captain Katie Zwissler, a junior, agreed that winning conference this year is the principal objective of the squad.

"It is a realistic goal. We are coming back and we just need to beat one team, which I think we can this year -- Cal Lu," she said.

Cal Lu defeated the Leopards twice last season, 1-0 and 2-0, on its way to the conference title.

The Leopards began paving their road toward the crown Wednesday night in front of a home crowd defeating Whittier, 4-1, starting conference play in the right direction.

"This win gets our momentum going forward," said Wendy Zwissler. "So it's always better to be ahead rather than digging yourself out of the hole."

Both freshman defender Julie Carlile and junior midfielder Kelly Black had a goal and an assist for ULV.

Katie Zwissler said this year's team has "more skill, discipline and heart" than last year's team.

The returners will provide needed experience. Zwissler will play an important role for the team, not only as a captain, but also as a creative player in the midfield.

Giselle Ortega, a sophomore midfielder, returns after a First Team All-Conference season last year. She also made the Second Team Far West and represents a constant threat to opponents.

In addition, junior forward Rachel Lieberman, midfielder Erica Borbon and defender Nancy Santana, both sophomores, were named Second Team All-SCIAC. Santana was also named Second Team Far West.

"She [Santana] is tough," said Danielle Watson, an assistant coach. And it is no secret she plays an important role on the team. Santana plays sweeper, and if she has a good season, the Leopards' chances of winning conference may increase considerably.

So there is plenty of talent to work with for coach Zwissler and her four assistants: Mary Hageman, Lynsee Bock, Watson, and Jenny Zwissler.

"We have a good coaching staff. We have five coaches and that means more individual training for each player," said Watson.

Through individual training the coaches are trying to exploit all the talent their players have.

"Katie Zwissler has a really powerful shot; she helps our defense a lot," said Watson. "Hopefully she will step up into the midfield.

"We are also expecting big things from Borbon and Amy [Wolf, a freshman], and Adriana [Ramirez, a freshman] up front."

Another player the Leopards will depend on in order to reach their goals is sophomore goalkeeper Kim Schrepfer.

The team had four tough home matches before beginning conference play. Those matches helped the team evaluate its performance and make any necessary adjustments.

"We have been watching tapes of the last games, so they see what their mistakes are and what they can improve on," said Watson.

The team began its preseason by hosting Biola at Ben Hines Field on Sept. 1.

Although the result was not favorable (a 5-0 loss) the team kept a positive attitude and focused on its next opponent.

Three days later, Whitman came to town. The visiting team scored a goal as the first half was winding down.

But with less than 10 minutes left, Zwissler scored the tying goal for ULV. Ramirez put the ball in the net with just two minutes to go, completing the come-back and giving the Leopards the victory.

The Leopards were then visited by Point Loma. With goals by freshman Suzie Sateri and Borbon, they won the match, 2-0, the first shutout of the season for Schrepfer.

"I think they're going to do great. They're getting physical, they're getting in shape, they're scoring some really good goals. We have some really good freshmen that just came in," Watson said of the team.

However, in its fourth match, La Verne suffered a mental lapse, allowing George Fox University to score three goals just 10 minutes into the match.

The Leopards reacted and began to keep posession of the ball. The pressure they applied paid off in the second half when Wolf and Ramirez scored. Nevertheless, when it seemed as if the Leopards were going to score the tying goal, Karli Holub scored to put the game away in favor of George Fox, 4-2.

"The first game they struggled a little bit, but ever since then they've been progressing. That's what we want," Watson said.

Currently the Leopards are competing in Tacoma, Wash., against teams including Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran.

The team will return to host UC Santa Cruz in a non-conference match Tuesday at Ben Hines Field at 4 p.m.

"If you want to see a team that doesn't give up and that plays hard with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of drive, this is the team to watch," said Wendy Zwissler.

Ortega, Zwissler trio lead team

by Enrique Gutiérrez Staff Writer

Being second is not satisfying to any team. And the women's soccer team has had enough of it, so this season it is putting everything on the line to finish on top of the conference.

Last season, the team finished in second place with a 7-4-1 record in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition (9-8-1 overall), tied with Redlands, just behind Cal Lutheran, whose record was 14-5 overall and 12-0 in SCIAC.

"Our main goal is to win SCIAC," said Wendy Zwissler, who is entering her seventh season as head coach (80-45-3 career record). "[We have] a young team that is pretty skilled and working hard to come together as a group."

Team co-captain Katie Zwissler, a junior, agreed that winning conference this year is the principal objective of the squad.

"It is a realistic goal. We are coming back and we just need to beat one team, which I think we can this year -- Cal Lu," she said.

Cal Lu defeated the Leopards twice last season, 1-0 and 2-0, on its way to the conference title.

The Leopards began paving their road toward the crown Wednesday night in front of a home crowd defeating Whittier, 4-1, starting conference play in the right direction.

"This win gets our momentum going forward," said Wendy Zwissler. "So it's always better to be ahead rather than digging yourself out of the hole."

Both freshman defender Julie Carlile and junior midfielder Kelly Black had a goal and an assist for ULV.

Katie Zwissler said this year's team has "more skill, discipline and heart" than last year's team.

The returners will provide needed experience. Zwissler will play an important role for the team, not only as a captain, but also as a creative player in the midfield.

Giselle Ortega, a sophomore midfielder, returns after a First Team All-Conference season last year. She also made the Second Team Far West and represents a constant threat to opponents.

In addition, junior forward Rachel Lieberman, midfielder Erica Borbon and defender Nancy Santana, both sophomores, were named Second Team All-SCIAC. Santana was also named Second Team Far West.

"She [Santana] is tough," said Danielle Watson, an assistant coach. And it is no secret she plays an important role on the team. Santana plays sweeper, and if she has a good season, the Leopards' chances of winning conference may increase considerably.

So there is plenty of talent to work with for coach Zwissler and her four assistants: Mary Hageman, Lynsee Bock, Watson, and Jenny Zwissler.

"We have a good coaching staff. We have five coaches and that means more individual training for each player," said Watson.

Through individual training the coaches are trying to exploit all the talent their players have.

"Katie Zwissler has a really powerful shot; she helps our defense a lot," said Watson. "Hopefully she will step up into the midfield.

"We are also expecting big things from Borbon and Amy [Wolf, a freshman], and Adriana [Ramirez, a freshman] up front."

Another player the Leopards will depend on in order to reach their goals is sophomore goalkeeper Kim Schrepfer.

The team had four tough home matches before beginning conference play. Those matches helped the team evaluate its performance and make any necessary adjustments.

"We have been watching tapes of the last games, so they see what their mistakes are and what they can improve on," said Watson.

The team began its preseason by hosting Biola at Ben Hines Field on Sept. 1.

Although the result was not favorable (a 5-0 loss) the team kept a positive attitude and focused on its next opponent.

Three days later, Whitman came to town. The visiting team scored a goal as the first half was winding down.

But with less than 10 minutes left, Zwissler scored the tying goal for ULV. Ramirez put the ball in the net with just two minutes to go, completing the come-back and giving the Leopards the victory.

The Leopards were then visited by Point Loma. With goals by freshman Suzie Sateri and Borbon, they won the match, 2-0, the first shutout of the season for Schrepfer.

"I think they're going to do great. They're getting physical, they're getting in shape, they're scoring some really good goals. We have some really good freshmen that just came in," Watson said of the team.

However, in its fourth match, La Verne suffered a mental lapse, allowing George Fox University to score three goals just 10 minutes into the match.

The Leopards reacted and began to keep posession of the ball. The pressure they applied paid off in the second half when Wolf and Ramirez scored. Nevertheless, when it seemed as if the Leopards were going to score the tying goal, Karli Holub scored to put the game away in favor of George Fox, 4-2.

"The first game they struggled a little bit, but ever since then they've been progressing. That's what we want," Watson said.

Currently the Leopards are competing in Tacoma, Wash., against teams including Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran.

The team will return to host UC Santa Cruz in a non-conference match Tuesday at Ben Hines Field at 4 p.m.

"If you want to see a team that doesn't give up and that plays hard with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of drive, this is the team to watch," said Wendy Zwissler.

by Enrique Gutiérrez
Staff Writer