Four years ago when Head Women’s Soccer Coach Tim Tracey took over the reigns of the women’s soccer program at Citrus College the program was in disorder. With that in mind he and his assistant Brian Dorman began to formulate what would become a five year plan to put Citrus College women’s soccer on the map.
In year three, the Lady Owls made great strides posting more wins (8) last season then they had in 10 years. With that in mind, the Lady Owls return all but two girls from that team, and have pulled in their best recruiting haul since Tracey has been with the team.
“This is the fourth season of our five year plan,” Tracey said. “We want to battle for a conference championship. It has been our focus since March.”
With a great off-season training regimen, and girls that are more focused then ever Coach Tracey has high hopes for his 2007 squad. “We’ve asked and received dedication with regards to our weight training and fitness programs,” Tracey said. “All the returnees and all of the new athletes have been working extremely hard, and everyone has completely bought into this program.”
The Front Line
Leading the way on the scoring front is a dynamic duo featuring one returnee and one newcomer. Kelli Johnston, a 1st team All-WSC selection last season and a player who could vie for WSC Player of the Year honors, will be the Lady Owls main offensive weapon. Johnston scored a team high 15 goals and 33 points during their 2006 campaign. “KJ is a very dangerous player,” Tracey said. “She has great speed, and an uncanny ability to finish.”
Helping Johnston up front this season will be Mari Montalvo a freshman out of Don Lugo Chaparral High School. According to Tracey they have the ability to become a very dynamic duo. “With KJ and Mari up front we should be able to produce a lot of scoring opportunities,” Tracey said. “Mari has the ability to make opposing defenses look like they are in a state of disarray.”
The Middle
Manning the middle this season for the Lady Owls will be a sophomore transfer and a freshman, Bahar Khoshkbaryeh and Priscilla Munoz. Khoshkbaryeh comes to the Lady Owls after spending the 2005 season with Pasadena City College. Prior to her stint with the Lancers Khoshkbaryeh prepped four varsity seasons for South Hills High School, where she was a 1st team All-San Antonio League selection as a sophomore, junior, and senior.
Munoz’s high school career is just as storied as Khoshkbaryeh’s. Munoz also prepped four varsity seasons for Pomona High School. Munoz was also a 1st team All- Valle Vista league selection as a junior and senior.
“Bahar and Priscilla will be an important part of our team helping to control our tempo,” Tracey said. “Their level of knowledge and experience is something that we have been sorely lacking in years passed.”
The Defense
They say defense wins championships, and if that adage is really true, then the 2007 Lady Owls should be sitting pretty. Headlining an impressive group will be returning sophomore Jessica Caruso. “Jessica is a strong and tenacious defender that is very athletic,” Tracey said.
Helping shore things up along the backline is another familiar face with a few new ones. Marci Quezada will be a force in her second season with the Lady Owls after showing a knack for scoring in 2006. Quezada was the team’s second leading scorer with six goals on her way to 1st team All-WSC honors.
The new faces in the middle and on the back line will belong to Nicole Torri, Sydney Turrubiartes, and Trisha Eyer. Rounding out the defense will be the girl sitting in goal, Kimberly Breazeal who was slated to start last season for the Lady Owls, but ended up red-shirting after breaking her arm.
The Rest
With a tough conference slate, the Lady Owls will have to be ready for the long grind of the 2007 season. One of the keys to playing through the tough part of their schedule will be their depth. “One of our big attributes this season that should continue over the next couple of years is our depth,” Tracey said. “This is definitely the deepest team we’ve had here.”
Along with their depth comes the experience of how to play the game. “I’m really excited about this team because not only do we have the ability to be competitive, but we have the ability to go out and control a game,” Tracey said. “We can go out their and work our system; play our game. This year our opponents will have to play against us.”
With all of that in mind, the 2007 Citrus College women’s soccer team is ready to shoot for the moon. “We have a lot of work ahead of us still, but we are ready for the challenge as a program,” Tracey said.