USD Women's Soccer 2008

The Unive rsity of Sa n Diego women's soccer team en– ters the 2008 season on the heels of the most successful season in program history. Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Ada Greenwood,the Toreros completed a histor– ic 2007 campaign in which the team posted a program-best 15-3-3 overall record, a program-best No. 9 national ranking and tied a program-best second place finish in the presti– gious West Coast Conference. Under the guidance of Greenwood and his coaching staff, San Diego set single-season program records for lon– gest unbeaten streak with 11 , best overall winning percent– age (.786), as well as senior forward Amy Epsten tying the single-season record for goals scored (14) and breaking the career goals scored record with 30. This season the Toreros will use a mixture of experienced veterans and newcomers in their quest to win the program's first WCC championship, return to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year and win a national champion– ship. "The goal is always to be the team that wins that last game at the of the season for a national championship. It's a very tough goal, but I feel we have the personnel to achieve this goal," stated Greenwood. "We also want to win our first conference championship." Returning to the front line for the Toreros is first-team AII-WCC honoree Amy Epsten. Last season, Epsten was a huge offensive force for the Toreros as she tallied 14 goals and added in one assist for 29 points. With the 14 goals, Ep– sten moved her name into the top spot on the career-goals list with 30. Also returning to the front line is senior Jen Mello. In her first season with the Toreros, after transferring over from San Diego State, Mello tallied three goals and added in one assist for seven points, while rotating between the forward and midfield positions. Two new faces to the team who could see time on the field up front w ill be Stephanie Ochs and Maggie Maguire. Both of these ladies are highly touted freshman who have a lot to bring to the table. Ochs is a 5-9 freshman from San Diego's Patrick Henry High School, where she helped lead her team to four con– secutive league championships, was a first-team AII-CIF se– lection as a senior and was a member of the Surf Club Soccer team and helped lead her team to the Surf Cup Champion– ship. Maguire is a 5-6 freshman from Anchorage, Alaska where she was a four-time first-team All-Cook Inlet Confer– ence honoree as a forward and a four-time offensive MVP of the CIC, while averaging 20 goals per year in her four-year career. She was also a member of the eight-time state cham– pion Alaska Rush club team and was a Region IV ODP team member and was a top Soccerbuzz recruit. "We have Amy returning, the program's leading goal scorer, she will get marked tightly, but I believe she will con– tinue to get herself into good situations," said Greenwood. "However, I feel like other players will need to step up. Jen Mello, Stephanie Ochs and Maggie Maguire are all capable of scoring a lot of goals for the team this season." Other returners who could find their way up front as well are junior's Christine Mock, Hallie Huston and senior Allison Wolters. Mock has primarily spent her time in aTorero uniform as a mainstay in the center midfield, but during this pa st spring, Greenwood has used Mock up front and wide in the mid– field as well, and with that she brings strong versatility to the team. As a junior, Mock scored one goal and had one assist

Huston,like Mock,has also been a mainstay in the Torero midfield, she can play wide in the midfield and up front. This past season, Huston tallied three assists for three points. Wolters suffered a season ending injury early in the sea– son in 2007, and has made a full recovery. USD is hoping she will return to top form for the season and be able to add her offensive and defensive versitility for the Toreros. The final person who could see time up front is fresh– man Allison Thompson, who comes to USD after a stand– out career at El Toro High school. She was a first-team All -Sea View League selection and a four-year letter winner in soc– cer. Moving to the midfield, the deepest position on the 2008 roster, the coaches can see Mock, Huston, Mello, Magu– ire, Ochs,and Wolters as players who could play up front or in the midfield. Other players in the midfield include senior's Jackie Garcia, Ashley Kirk, junior's Natalie Vinti and Karen Rob– erts, sophomore's Katie Gordon, Akayla Fisher and Jackie Zinke, redshirt freshmen Katie Bavasi, Megan Detrick and Melissa Maruca along with newcomers Elissa Magracia, Natalie Garcia, Mimi Roukoz and Lexi Deol. Jackie Garcia is the second senior in the midfield for the Toreros and she will be a huge help to the Toreros midfield. She brings strong creative ability to the team and who is a member of the Mexican National Team . This past season, Garcia scored her first collegiate goal, the game-winner over Gonzaga in overtime, and she helped the defense bolster a 0.69GAA. Kirk returns for her fourth year in aTorero uniform after a break-out type season in 2007. Kirk played in 20 matches w ith 19 starts as a mainstay in the midfield for the Toreros and she recorded one assist for one point. Vinti is an AII-WCC honorable mention honoree from a year ago and is poised to continue her outstanding play in the back. Vinti was also a member of the Mexican National

y...,~IM·for three points.