Warriors overcome major obstacles
Despite injuries, WHS girls' soccer team ranked second in Division II
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SATURDAY SHOWDOWN- Westlake's Kirsten Di Pippo, right, dribbles the ball down the field while Thousand Oaks' Alyson Birgel is in hot pursuit last weekend at WHS. The Marmonte League rivals played to a 1-1 draw on a rain-soaked field. The Warriors are currently in first place in league.

Considering his team lost two of its best players for the season because of knee injuries a few weeks back, Westlake High girls' soccer coach Frank Marino is extremely satisfied with where the Warriors stand in the ultracompetitive Marmonte League.

Entering Wednesday night's match at Simi Valley, Westlake (8-1-6, 5-0-5) was atop the league standings, but only by the slimmest of margins. Thousand Oaks, Royal and Moorpark are all within striking distance of the Warriors.

Megan Connor and Hillary MacDonald both tore their ACLs against Simi Valley on Jan. 8. MacDonald is a team captain and Connor was the Warriors' leading scorer.

"It was a big blow for us," said Marino, who's seeking his fifth Marmonte League title in seven seasons at Westlake. "But we still haven't lost since. We had a few ties in games that we probably should have won, but overall we're holding strong."

With Connor and MacDonald shelved, many players have had to step up. Marino said WHS has received outstanding contributions from Kirsten Di Pippo, Krystin Shanklin, Kate Edwards and Kylie McDonald.

"We've had to plug kids into different spots and try and do the best we can," the coach said.

The Warriors have also had to overcome the loss of their starting goalkeeper, Caitlin Hart, who graduated after the first semester of school. In Hart's absence, sophomore Jaclyn Jacobson has taken over the starting job between the pipes.

"Jaclyn's not real tall, but she's very athletic," Marino said. "She's done a fine job for us."

Hart had been battling multiple injuries since last season. Those ailments allowed Jacobson to see significant playing time before she officially became the team's starter.

According to McDonald, with so many players adjusting to new roles during the season, the team hasn't had a lot of time to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses. While the transition has been difficult at times, the players can take solace in the fact that their best soccer is probably still to come.

"We're just starting to feel out what each person is capable of and how we all play," said McDonald, who recovered from a torn ACL a season ago. "It's hard, but we're doing well."

McDonald gave credit to the freshmen on the team- Nicole Gilbert, Sara Riazi and Andrea Todak- for their ability to help pick up the slack.

"We've put a lot of pressure on them, and they've really stepped up," she said.

Since winning the schools only CIF-Southern Section girls' soccer championship in 2003, the Warriors have posted one firstplace finish and a pair of secondplace finishes in league.

McDonald hasn't won a Marmonte League title since she was a freshman. She said her teammates are focused on returning to the top this year.

"It's very important, especially for the seniors," McDonald said. "It's not about us getting a higher playoff seed; it's about having a lot of pride. Getting first place is very important to us."

Marino, of course, wouldn't mind a little bit of both- the league championship and the high playoff seed. In the most recent CIF-SS Division II coaches' poll, the Warriors were ranked No. 2, behind Brea Olinda.

"We always do better in the playoffs when we have a good seeding," Marino said. "It definitely seems to help."

Another postseason positive for Westlake is that some of the better teams from past years, most notably Buena and Tesoro, have been elevated to Division I status this season.

"That helps us," Marino said. "We also play in one of the top leagues in Division II, so that helps us, too. We should be pretty fit because we've only got 14 healthy players at the moment. The girls are playing a lot of minutes, so they're in pretty good shape, and that helps us.

"We've fought through injuries, adversity and a girl graduating at the semester. Those things will all help us because they will only make us stronger."