NEWS NEWS

No Charity for SeaLions
Wednesday May 28, 2008
By Amberly Richardson
xksandiego.com

West Coast's FC's Charity Weston came close to a hat trick in her team's 4-2 victory over the San Diego SeaLions on Saturday at Cathedral Catholic HS in San Diego. Weston's almost-doesn't-count moment came when she nearly found the back of the net off a throw-in the 83rd minute. Instead, the defensive fight from the SeaLions went south and led to an own goal by the home team.

Returning SeaLions Danica Carey and Sherice Anders each earned her first goal of the season on Saturday. Teammates know if they get the ball on Anders' feet she is a threat to score, an assumption that came to fruition in the 15th minute. West Coast's Weston tied it up 14 minutes later. Weston's team then took the lead when she struck again with three minutes left in the first half, sending her squad into intermission with a 2-1 advantage. Keeper Jamie Klages came up with clutch saves to limit the SeaLions to one first-half goal. In the other net, Lu Snyer (SDSU) was tested but brought her "A" game as well.

The second half opened up with a goal by West Coast's Whitney Jones-Pridham in the 54th minute. The SeaLions cut the lead to one when Fay DeLion (SDSU) put the ball in scoring position from a corner and Carey found the net from 20 yards out. The SeaLions couldn't catch up, however, when their own goal raised West Coast's advantage to 4-2. The visiting team's backline of Lindsey McFarland, Kailyn Kugler and Kandall Billingsley made it a difficult task.

The Women's Premier Soccer League squads battled intensely in what was their first league game of the season. The SeaLions are celebrating their 20th anniversary this season, while West Coast is in its inaugural year. The WPSL is made up of players from colleges, national teams, local competitive clubs and elsewhere. Bringing all the talent together and finding a game plan that works in a short time is daunting, but for West Coast coach Platini Soaf has it figured out.

"It comes down to two things," Soaf said. "One, you have to recognize that they are all good players and they will figure things out within the first 10 to 15 minutes. Second, you have to remind them that individuals lose games and teams win them; we played as a team tonight."

The SeaLions closed out the first half with Jen Nielsen, Michelle Spacciapolli and Annie Kadota all checking in. It marked the SeaLions debut for Spaciapolli (Cathedral) and Kadota (The Bishop's), two players coming off CIF Southern California Regional Championships. Spaciapolli, who earned her first shot on goal as a SeaLion in the 77th minute, will attend Boston College in the fall. Kadota has signed with Rice.

Nielsen also found success at the high school level; as the varsity coach of the Poway HS girls squad, she brought them to the Div. I CIF San Diego Section finals. Nielsen's play on Saturday made it apparent she practices what she preaches. She is the quintessential mid, as she can curve her passes and give them the right amount of pop to land them directly in front of her teammates. Nielsen's tactful distribution gave her teammates a lot to work with.

The teams were joined on the field by members of the Surf GU-10 White and Black teams and a FC San Diego player, all of whom served as ball girls. With tactical flank work by both teams, the younger girls spent more time watching a skill-filled game and less time chasing loose balls. On their downtime, the ball girls successfully rallied for support from the stands.