Injuries plaguing women's soccer

By Cecile Nguyen

As five players watch from the sidelines, and another three are forced to play limited minutes, it seems as if injuries are beginning to get the better of the women's soccer team.

With eight players out with various injuries, the Broncos have fallen from the top-ranked team in the country to No. 9 after winning just one of their last six games.

"It (the injuries) affects all aspects of the team, It's difficult to deal with," said Head Coach Jerry Smith.

After suffering their first loss of the season 2-0 against then- No. 22 Cal, the Broncos began their descent in the polls.

The team managed a draw against Stanford 0-0 before losing 4-1 against No. 2 UCLA.

Following that loss, the team beat Cal State Fullerton in overtime 3-2. In their most recent loss, the then-No. 5 ranked Broncos dropped their first West Coast Conference game of the season to No. 16 San Diego, losing 1-0.

The Broncos tied UC Santa Barbara Wednesday night 0-0.

The Broncos, typically a national powerhouse, are unaccustomed to their role as underdogs with so many players recovering from injuries. Redshirt freshman defender Lindsey Johnson said that injuries haven't been the only factor in the Broncos' slide, but they haven't made things any easier.

"I have never been faced with this situation before," said Smith, who has coached women's soccer at Santa Clara for 20-plus seasons.

In an interview earlier in the season, sophomore forward Kiki Bosio said that opponents consider the Broncos underdogs because of the small roster and the injuries.

Smith added that this year's roster is the smallest roster he has ever had in his career at Santa Clara.

"We had more players standing on the sidelines than we had practicing last week," said Associate Head Coach Gregg Murphy.

Even before the season started, the Broncos had four girls out for the entire 2007 season due to injuries stemming from last spring.

Senior captain Jordan Angeli and junior midfielder Amanda Poach are both out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a very common knee injury among athletes usually caused by a sudden, pivoting movement.

Defender Dani Potts and forward Chelsea Bednarz are also out for the year due to foot injuries.

Junior midfielder Hayley Siegel played one game for the Broncos this season before tearing her ACL, while both Courtney Lewis and Johnson are in and out of the lineup as they nurse less serious injuries they sustained in a game versus Cal Poly.

Redshirt freshman Alyssa Chun has also missed six games this season due to various injuries.

The small roster is leading to fatigue and limiting the team's ability to play two games in a week, on limited rest. All three of the Broncos' losses this season came in the second game of the week.

According to coaches, the Broncos expend so much energy in their first game of the week they are unable to sub freely like the other teams in the second game.

"Against Stanford, we used two subs," Smith said. "We faced UCLA later that weekend, and they had used 13 subs in their previous game, and their starting players were much more fresh for Sunday's game (against us)."

Smith also said that with the smaller roster he is handcuffed in managing players' minutes and as a result, players are logging a lot more minutes than their opponent.

Smith has also been forced to juggle his lineup and have players play in unfamiliar positions.

"Tina Estrada led the team in scoring her freshman and sophomore year, has played forward her whole life, but we've had her play midfielder and defender this year," Smith said.

The smaller roster has also affected the team in practice. The Broncos are having a difficult time adequately preparing for games, forcing the coaching staff to come up with creative ways to run an effective practice.

"Coaches are playing on the field, or we ask the players to imagine that someone's playing here," Smith said. "We have to be creative in training sessions."

Despite the loss to San Diego in the opener of conference play, the team is confident that they will bounce back against UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, as conference play gets underway.

Smith said he remains upbeat about the team's progress this season and fully expects his team to defend last season's WCC championship and make an appearance in the NCAA Final Four.

"I'm incredibly impressed with the dedication and spirit of team," said Murphy. "True character reveals itself at adverse times."

Correction: The story incorrectly stated the year of forward Kiki Bosio. She is a sophomore.