Chatting with Westlake soccer star Kirsten DiPippo
Kirsten DiPippo has established herself as one of the area’s elite girls’ soccer players during her four-year career at Westlake, sharing Marmonte League Defensive Player of the Year honors last season with Moorpark’s Kaitlin Paletta.
During her first three seasons, DiPippo’s individual achievements translated into team success for the Warriors, as she led them to the Southern Section Div. II quarterfinals the past two years.
However, the graduation of Kylie McDonald (Pepperdine) and Kate Edwards (Rice) left DiPippo and fellow senior Krystin Shanklin surrounded by a young supporting cast this year, causing Westlake to lose six of its first seven league matches.
But with its postseason fate hanging in the balance Saturday, Westlake knocked off league-leading Thousand Oaks 1-0, bringing an end to the Lancers’ 19-match Marmonte unbeaten streak and keeping DiPippo’s quest for a fourth consecutive playoff berth alive.
The Daily News talked with DiPippo — who has been accepted by Colorado, Arizona State, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton — about the victory over Thousand Oaks and whether or not Westlake can rebound from its disappointing start to qualify for the postseason.
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Daily News: Did Saturday’s win help exorcise the demons of last year’s quarterfinal loss to Thousand Oaks, when you received a red card, causing you to miss the second half?
Kirsten DiPippo: Kind of. But Saturday wasn’t about me getting back at them. It was the last time as a senior playing against our rival school, so to beat T.O., especially since I play with a lot of those girls in club, they can’t say they beat us the last time they played against us, whether it’s this year or 20 years from now.
DN: What did that win do for the team’s confidence since you’ve had so many frustrating one-goal losses in league?
KD: It just proved that no matter what our record is, T.O. is always going to be second to us as a program. We’ll always have the record (of going undefeated in the Marmonte League) and being on the team that ended T.O.’s undefeated (league) season is amazing ... I was still in shock afterward. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. But it was really a booster for us.
It showed that if we work hard and don’t give up, good things will happen.
DN: How much responsibility have you and Krystin Shanklin put on your shoulders as captains to lead this team to the playoffs for your fourth year in a row?
KD: Two people can’t take over a game by themselves. All we can do is inspire our teammates to play hard. But as a captain, I feel more responsibility to get the job done.
DN: Even after starting 1-6 in league, can this young team still make playoffs?
KD: It’s been a struggle, but I think it’s possible. We’ve been wanting to win, but we’ve been relying so much on skills, and with so many younger players, it’s hard. I don’t think the younger players always understand what it takes (to win in this league) and I don’t think they’ve had their character tested before. But they’re learning.
DN: What’s it going to take to make that happen?
KD: We want to live up to that name and have pride in Westlake soccer, and as long as we keep going forward, I think we can win the rest of our games.