The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Slide Ruler: Willow Glen's Erin Wozney goes for the soccer ball in a preseason clash with Lynbrook. The Rams lost 1-0 to the Vikings, but they're looking for better results when they open league play this week.

Rams going for the title

Willow Glen girls are contenders

By Dick Sparrer

One win in six games.

At first glance, it would appear to be another long season for the girls' soccer team at Willow Glen.

But head coach Michael Herauf isn't about to let a tough preseason keep him from maintaining a positive outlook for the upcoming league season. Because he knows well that it was just that--a very tough preseason.

The Rams are just 1-5 in the early stages of the 1997-98 soccer season, but four of those five losses were by just a single goal. And all five came against solid girls' soccer teams.

"We are playing teams are above our division level and we are more than holding our own," Herauf said.

It's for that reason that the second-year Willow Glen coach considers his Rams contenders for the title in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League this season.

That's quite a prediction, considering that the Rams were 0-14 in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL a year ago and won just two of 21 games all year.

"Going winless in league last year looks much worse than it was," Herauf added. "We were competitive in all the games we played. However, we came up short against some very good teams in the Santa Teresa Division."

The Rams lost 1-0 and 2-1 to division champion Piedmont Hills.

Willow Glen took on Piedmont again this year, but in a nonleague game last week. And the Rams lost another 2-1 decision.

Willow Glen lost 3-0 to Oak Grove later in the week to slip to 1-5 in the preseason.

Herauf hopes that his Rams will turn things around this week when they open the West Valley Division season. Willow Glen will host Mt. Pleasant on Dec. 16, 3:15 p.m., before visiting Gunderson on Thursday, 3:15 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant figures to be a title contender in the division, according to Herauf. But he thinks his Rams should, too, with returning all-leaguers Meghan Compton and Melissa Ybarra leading the charge.

Compton is a senior sweeper who won all-league second team honors last winter. She is the team captain.

Ybarra, a junior forward, was named to the all-league honorable mention list as a sophomore.

Senior midfielder Alyssa Powell and sophomore midfielder Kristina Gerard each return for their second varsity season for the Rams, and juniors Tina Catania, a midfielder, and Carley Lawrence, a fullback, are back after playing the last five games on the varsity a year ago.

Goalie Amber Molina and forward Kristen Rovai are talented juniors coming up from last year's junior varsity squad that finished second in the division.

Seniors Erin Wozny (stopper), Megan New (fullback) and Kendra Morella and sophomores Janie Demkowski (fullback), Kellie Arnone (forward), Tara Kroll (fullback) and Lara Covey (midfielder) are other top players coming up from the JVs.

Freshman Colleen Wozny (forward) and Lindsey Rovai (midfielder) and junior transfer Amy Johnson (midfielder) also figure to be key players for the Rams this season.

C. Wozney started the year off right, knocking in a pair of goals in Willow Glen's 2-1 win over Valley Christian. L. Rovai assisted Wozney on one of the two goals.

In another early season game, the Rams lost 3-2 to Santa Clara despite a goal and an assist from C. Wozny, a goal by Arnone and an assist by Johnson.

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