January 2009 Archives
University of Redlands women's soccer senior midfielder Becky Willis (Escondido, CA) earned the right to try out for the Boston Breakers, a Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) franchise, according to announcement by Head Coach Suzette Soboti.
Tryouts are set to occur on Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, MA. Players attending the tryout may be selected for the team's preseason camp, which will start on Feb. 28.
Willis enjoyed a remarkable career as a student-athlete at Redlands. Throughout her storied Bulldog tenure, she garnered two National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/ adidas® All-American honors, three NSCAA/adidas® All-Region laurels and three First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) nods, including the 2008 SCIAC Player of the Year award. This past season, Willis tied the program mark for assists in a season with eight and led the team to its first-ever at-large bid into the NCAA Championships.
"This opportunity is great for the exposure of the University of Redlands as a premier Division III institution," Soboti said. "It's every girl's dream to have this opportunity, and being that this is the first year of the league, many are having the chance to move on to the next level that didn't have it before. The goal is to help bring the girls to the next level, whether it be as a player, coach or otherwise, and hopefully Becky's experience in Boston motivates those on the team that want to play professionally."
While the competition is fierce in trying out for the Breakers, Soboti said that the experience there could open up other opportunities should she not make the training camp roster.
"If she goes to the Boston Breakers tryout and doesn't make the cut, she could possibly get on other WPS teams," Soboti said. "The soccer community is very small, and if the coach there thinks she has potential, she may get a similar opportunity with another franchise."
A handful of undergraduate Redlands student-athletes will try out for the Ventura County Fusion, a semi-pro team, this summer. The Fusion recently produced a player that got drafted by the Breakers in the inaugural WPS draft.
The WPS is in its first year following a five-year period without a women's professional soccer league in the United States. In 2003, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) folded after three seasons.
After suffering a tough road loss to Chapman University earlier this season, the Bulldog women's basketball team returned the favor by defeating the Panthers in Currier Gym tonight. With solid shooting and stingy defense, Redlands came out on top by a score of 76-51.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, Redlands gained a seven-point halftime advantage off of a 5-0 run to end the first period. Although the Panthers clawed their way back to within one with 12:17 to go in the game, the Bulldogs quickly pulled away with two offensive explosions, including an 11-point showing that began at the nine-minute mark.
Forced to foul in the waning minutes, Chapman never recovered as Redlands cruised to an intense 76-51 victory.
The Bulldogs looked two four players in double digits, with junior forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) leading the charge with 18.
Freshman forward Shada Sadeghi (Walnut Creek, CA) made the most of her 20 minutes of action by scoring 16 points off of 4-for-5 shooting and a perfect 7-for-7 from the line. Freshman forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verde, CA) posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) added 12 points and three assists.
CLU came out aggressive early with a full-court press defense and held the Bulldogs to 23 first half points and 25 percent shooting from the field (7-for-28). By halftime the Regals had built a nine point advantage thanks to a last second shot by Briggs to end the first half. They shot 51.9 percent in the first half connecting on 14-of-27 attempts.
In the second half, a three by freshman Kendra Carter put CLU up by 10 with 15 minutes remaining and Redlands quickly erased its deficit with a 10-0 run and tied the game at the 12:32 mark.
Redlands retained the lead for most of the final 12 minutes and held a five point advantage with a minute to play when CLU freshman Shana Moore nailed her first three-point attempt of the season from straight away and cut the Regal's deficit to two. On its next possession CLU went to junior Nita Sims and her shot came off the rim and into the hands of Briggs who laid it in to tie the game at 56-56 with six seconds to play.
After a timeout by the Bulldogs, sophomore Mariah Barbetti-Cort took the ball the length of the court and had her layup ricochet too hard off the backboard as time expired.
Redlands freshman Courtney Carroll scored six points on three layups in overtime and on her third with 1:14 to play she put the Bulldogs up four. The Regals missed three-pointers on consecutive possessions and time would run out and the Bulldogs came away with the 68-61 win.
Bulldog junior Ali Bueno tallied a game-high 18 points and hit on 3-of-4 three point attempts in the second half and played 44 minutes.
Sims was CLU's high scorer with 16 points on 6-for-19 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. Sophomore Kourtney Jones added 14 points and Carter finished with eight.
After shooting 51.9 percent in the first half, the Regals connected on 29.2 percent of their attempts in the second half.
Cal Lutheran (4-13, 2-4 SCIAC) will host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Jan. 29 in another conference matchup. The game will be available live online at www.KADYTV.com.
University of Redlands soccer standout Ross Schunk was the only Division III athlete out of 70 invited to the MLS Combine last week at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
That was an honor in itself. But the news get better later in the week as he was selected by the Colorado Rapids with the 47th pick of the MLS SuperDraft last Thursday in St. Louis, Mo.
"I was very excited," Schunk said. "I thought I did pretty well at the combine so I thought I had a chance. But you never know what they're thinking or what they're looking for."
Schunk, 22, is the first Redlands men's soccer player to enter the MLS via the SuperDraft. Adam Acosta (2005) was signed in 2006 by Real Salt Lake but did not enter the league through the draft process. He was signed as a free agent.
Schunk monitored the draft on the internet. Shortly after seeing his name come up he received a phone call from Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith.
He will report to training camp next week but isn't sure how many athletes he will be competing against for a spot on the roster.
"I'll just find out when I get there," he said. "It's just a great opportunity. Coming from a Division III school, you never know if you're going to get that."
Schunk's list of accolades in his Redlands career is lengthy. He set the career records for goals (63) and points (139) while garnering three first-team All-SCIAC honors, including Player of the Year awards his sophomore and senior seasons. He was part of four SCIAC championships and led the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in 2007 as a junior.
Colorado finished the 2008 season 11-14-5.
Last year Occidental and Cal Lutheran were the premier men's basketball teams in the SCIAC during the regular season but neither even made it to the conference tournament final. It was Pomona-Pitzer taking the tournament and automatic playoff bid.
It was that kind of topsy-turvy season.
The 2009 race begins with all eight teams taking the court for their conference openers Saturday. CMS will be at Redlands while La Verne treks to Whittier. Pomona-Pitzer will host Caltech.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8-3) has emerged as the frontrunner. The Stags served notice by winning the Lee Fulmer Tournament at Redlands in December. Their most noteworthy win in that event came over No. 15 Whitworth (Wash.) which is 11-1 and hasn't lost to anyone else.
"We have played some teams out of that Northwest Conference which is a pretty decent barometer of where you stand," said CMS coach Ken Scalmanini, in his 11th season. "I like my team. The guys play hard and we're pretty deep. I think we have a little more offense than we have had in the past and we can score both inside and outside."
CMS currently has four players averaing double figures led by sophomore forward Chris Blees (12.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the MVP at the Fullmer Tournament.
Joining him are junior guard Conner Faught (11 ppg), senior guard senior guard Austin Soldner (10.5 ppg) and junior guard Jason Toney (10.3 ppg). Senior center Tejas Gala (5.5 ppg) rounds out the starting lineup.
Cal Lutheran (8-3) also looks like a formidable foe led by returning first-team All-SCIAC selection Andy Meier (18.4 ppg, 11.4 rpg). The Kingsmen recently dropped a close game to No. 8 Buena Vista (Iowa) 68-65.
Much-improved Whittier (6-5) and Pomona-Pitzer (3-8) should also contend.
"I think those are the four top teams right now," second-year La Verne coach Richard Reed said. "That doesn't discount the others because anything can happen in this conference. There is a lot of balance."
The Sagehens upended CMS in the SCIAC tournament finale a year ago, then lost a first-round playoff game Occidental. Pitzer's record is a bit deceiving. The Sagehens had four players, three of whom are starters, go abroad for the fall semester and they just rejoined the team in December.
"Anyone overlooking them is making a big mistake," Scalmanini said of his cross-street rival. "They just got their whole team together and they're going to be as tough as ever."
Most coaches like having a conference tournament, pointing out the atmospehere it creates. The Sagehens downed the Stags in last year's final.
"It's always crazy when we play," Scalmanini said. "Now throw in that a playoff spot is on the line. It was one of the greatest atmospheres I've seen for a game at this level."
The Leopards were a good example of a team that benefited from it, although they didn't make the four-team field.
"We were 2-5 in the first round of conference so we would have been mathematically eliminated," Reed said. "Because we had a tournament, we had something to play for right up until the last game. It gave a lot of kids a chance to compete in a playoff environment."
"I also think it's good because then the conference is being represented by the team playing the best at the end of the season."
Defending regular season champion: Occidental
Tournament champion: Pomona-Pitzer
Current records: Cal Lutheran 8-3; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8-3; Whittier 6-5; Occidental 4-7; La Verne 4-7; Redlands 4-7; Pomona-Pitzer 3-8; Caltech 1-10.
New coach: Oliver Eslinger (Caltech).
10 players to watch: Cal Lutheran - Andy Meier (18.4 ppg, 11.4; rpg); Caltech - Matthew Dellatorre (15.2 ppg); CMS - Chris Blees; (12.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Austin Soldner (10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg); La Verne - Kyle Luhnow (14.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg); ; Occidental - Henry Meier (12.1); ppg, 8.6 rpg); Pomona-Pitzer - Adam Chaimowitz (Sr., G, 6-1, 21 ppg, 6.2 rpg), David Liss (Sr., G, 6-0, 14.7 ppg, 3 rpg); Redlands - Matt Dietrich (17.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg); Whittier - Michael Archuletta (15.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
Comment: Last year CMS and Pitzer met in the SCIAC tournament final, upsetting the No. 1 and 2 seeds respectively. The Sagehens picked up the win and advanced to the playoffs, only to lose a first-rounder to Occidental which had gotten an at-large playoff bid.
Saturday's games: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Redlands; Caltech at Pomona-Pitzer; La Verne at Whittier; Cal Lutheran at Occidental (All games 7:30 p.m.)
La Verne (9-2, 1-0 SCIAC) shot 70% from the field in the first half to take a 46-29 lead into intermission. The Leopards continued their attack and opened the second half with a 19-0 run to lead 65-29 with 14:52 remaining. The Leos enjoyed their largest lead of 36 points on the Sagehens at 75-39 with 10:48 to play.
Emily Carrillo fell one rebound short of a double-double with game-highs of 19 points and 9 rebounds. Tedra Clark finished 5-of-9 from three-point range en route to a season high of 17 points. Ashley Paul was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line to finish with 13 points while Kayleen Kaaiai and Clarissa Holz tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Leopards enjoyed a 58.9% field goal clip (33-56) for the game and finished 10-of-24 from three-point range. La Verne also recorded 20 assists on the evening.
Pomona-Pitzer (4-7, 0-1) shot 46.8% from the field and edged the Leopards in rebounding 30-28, but were hampered by 22 turnovers.
Anja Hughes-Stinson totaled a team-high 13 points for the Sagehens with Deidre Chew, the SCIAC's leading scorer, adding 12 points.
La Verne heads to Whittier on Saturday for a 5 pm tip with the Poets in the first of a men's-women's doubleheader.
The University of Redlands women's basketball team opened the 2009 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season against last year's champion in Occidental College and came away with a resounding 73-46 win over the Tigers.
After jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes, the Bulldogs never looked back en route to the solid victory. Although the Tigers rallied to pull within two points with 16:53 to go in the first half, Redlands responded by creating a 13-point advantage at the seven-minute mark.
Occidental then closed the gap to five with 17:40 left in the second half but the Bulldogs blew it open with a 10-run that began off a made jumper by freshman forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) at 12:32.
Redlands held the Tigers to a 28.6 shooting percentage and converted 20 points off of Oxy's 19 turnovers.
The Bulldogs gained double figures from four players, including leading scorer sophomore guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) with 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Junior guard Ali Bueno (San Jose, CA) and freshman forward Shada Sadeghi (Walnut Creek, CA) both chipped in 13 points, while junior forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) added 10.
Occidental gained 13 points from Dior Williams, with Stephanie Babij coming up with nine.
Redlands (8-3, 1-0 SCIAC) hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday at 5 p.m. as part of the first men's-women's doubleheader of the 2009 season. The Bulldog men tip off at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym.
Staff Writer
Before last season University of La Verne women's basketball coach
Julie Kline wasn't sure she liked the idea of a conference tournament
to decide the postseason representative.
But because the SCIAC had one last season, her team advanced to the
playoffs and Occidental stayed home.
The race for the 2009 regular season title gets under way again
Thursday as all eight schools will play their SCIAC openers.
Occidental, La Verne and University of Redlands, the three teams that
battled to the finish line last year, are again the top contenders.
``It's one of those things. If it helps you, you like it. If not
you don't like it,'' Kline said. ``It worked to our advantage last year.
But it does keep things interesting for more teams longer. Almost
everyone still has something to play for late in the season.''
Occidental, which won the regular season title for the first time
since 1980, returns most of its key players, the most notable being
reigning SCIAC and West Region Player of the Year Brianna Brown. The
senior averaged 15.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and also led
the team with 76 steals, 26 blocks and 70 assists.
The Tigers are one of three schools who changed coaches during the
offseason. Heidi VanDerVeer has taken over for Jaime Hoffman who
assumed the athletic director role. VanDerVeer is a former head coach
of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx and assistant with the Seattle Storm.
La Verne got off to a 6-0 start before dropping a pair of games in
Arizona in December. The Leopards are led by senior Trenecca Jones, a
Chaffey High product. Jones is a three-time All-SCIAC selection and
was Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Kline's other offensive weapons are junior Emily Carrillo and
sophomore Ashley Paul. La Verne does boast a a talented starting
lineup but lacks some firepower coming off the bench and will rely on
a rotation of six players.
Redlands finished second a year ago at 17-9, just missing out on a
possible first-place finish after a double-overtime loss to
Occidental late in the season. That strong showing came even though new coach
Rich Murphy got hired too late to recruit. He comes in with a full year
under his belt and a roster full of promising newcomers, seven of
them freshman.
``You'd have to look at Oxy and La Verne as the frontrunners. We're
young but I think we'll be in the mix,'' Murphy said. ``A lot of
teams have improved so it should make for some better games.''
Most agree the SCIAC competition should be improved this season,
siting the improvement of teams that struggled last season.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps went just 4-20 last season thanks in part to
injuries. It has already won more games than it did last year,
picking up its seventh win in a nonconference game at Southwestern (Ariz.)
Monday.
Pomona-Pitzer has also already equaled its win total of a year ago.
``CMS and Pomona-Pitzer have both really improved,'' Kline said.
``I
am most concerned about Pomona because I have them first. They're
athletic and big and they will be tough.''
SCIAC WOMEN'S PREVIEW
Defending regular season champion: Occidental
Tournament champion: University of La Verne
Current records: La Verne 8-2; Occidental 7-3; Redlands 7-3; Whittier 7-3; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 7-4; Pomona-Pitzer 4-6; Caltech 3-8; Cal Lutheran 1-9.
Coaches poll with 20070-8 record: 1. Occidental (21-6, 12-2); 2. University of Redlands (17-9, 10-4); 3. University of La Verne (20-8, 11-3); 4. Whittier (12-13, 7-7); 5. Cal Lutheran (13-12, 8-6); 6. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (4-20, 3-11); 7. Pomona-Pitzer (4-21, 3-11); 8. Caltech (4-21, 2-12)
New coaches: Heidi VanDerVeer (Occidental), Brad Durchslag (Whittier), Roy Dow (Cal Lutheran).
10 players to watch: Cal Lutheran - Kourtney Jones (So., G, 5-5, 13.6 ppg); Caltech - Lisa Yee (Jr., F, 5-7, 11.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg); CMS - Aria Krumwiede (Fr., G, 5-3, 9.2 ppg); La Verne - Trenecca Jones (Sr., F, 5-9, 15.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Ashley Paul (So., G, 5-8, 13.3 ppg); Occidental- Brianne Brown (Sr., G, 5-8, 10.4 ppg, 2.5 spg); Pomona-Pitzer - Diedre Chew (Jr., G, 5-6, 20.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Redlands - Courtney Carroll (Fr., F, 6-0, 12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Meghan Yetman (Jr., F, 5-10, 9.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg); Whittier - Kourtney Zilbert (So., F, 5-9, 12.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.4 spg)
Comment: Occidental lost the SCIAC tournament final to La Verne, giving the Leopards the playoff berth . . . Oxy's Brown is the reigning conference and West Region Player of the Year but has started just three of 10 games . . . Dow has taken over the reigns at Cal Lutheran
after having previously served as head coach of the Caltech men's team the last six years
Thursday's games: Occidental at Redlands; Pomona-Pitzer at La Verne; Caltech at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; Whittier at Cal Lutheran (All games 7:30 p.m.)
