USD Women's Soccer 2002

2002 Torero Soccer

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Tareras /limingtar4thStraightNC/Ill Tournament The University of San Diego women's soccer team enters the 2002 season looking to qualify for their fourth consecutive NCAATourna– ment. The Toreros return 13 letter winners and welcome six new– comers to a team that will open the 2002 campaign against #11 UCLA in Los Angeles on Friday, August 30th at 2:00 PM . Two days later San Diego will play in Torero Stadium (home of the WUSA:s San Diego Spirit), opening their home schedule against UC Santa Barbara on September 1st at 1:00 PM.

USO is just one year removed from setting a school record , win– ning 10-of-11 games in Torero Stadium; the 2002 Toreros are faced with a schedule that has USO playing the bulk of their key games on the road . Four preseason Soccer Buzz Top-25 programs , as many PAC-10 opponents and a date with the defending national champion Santa Clara Broncos highlight USD's road schedule this fall. "We are really taking on the Pac-10 and the WCC , the two stron– gest conferences out west, " says fifth-year head coach John Cossaboon. "A good number of our games are on the road against teams like Arizona State , Santa Clara, USC, and UCLA. Those are hard games to begin with . Add the road contests , and yes it becomes more difficult, but those are challenges we need to step up to and overcome."

San Diego junior Brenna Mullen

Cossaboon must find a way to replace seven graduated seniors, including record- setting keeper Leila Duren, team captains Gina Poltl and Claire Currie, and offensive threats Stephanie Barnier and Casey Loveland . The loss of key personnel may be a reason the Toreros are picked to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference. However, the Toreros have never experienced a losing season in conference play, and have never placed lower than fourth since 1994.

The Toreros will counter with a very talented group of young players. Junior all conference defensive members Alexis Obeji and Cristina Romero should help keeper Libby Bassett get accustomed to tending net for an entire 20- game season . Bassett, a 5-11 junior from Seattle, is ex– pected to be the Toreros' starting goalkeeper in 2002 af– ter solid play through six games as a sophomore. Bassett and senior midfielder Rebecca Smith are the 2002 team captains on a squad that is adjusting well to all the ros– ter changes early on . "It is a lot of fun being down at training right now, and that says a lot in terms of our hopes for this season ," added Cossaboon. "This is a new group with lots of dif– ferent people coming in that will make major impacts . We are seeing very positive things day to day and our early expectations have risen from what we have seen

Senior Val Strocco

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