SPORTSCOPE : Manhattan Beach Soccer Club Ajax Earns Right to Defend National Title

The Manhattan Beach-based Ajax women’s soccer club, featuring U.S. national players Caren Jennings Gabarra, Joy Biefeld Fawcett and Amy Allmann, won the Region IV amateur championship last month and will defend its U.S. national amateur title in Indianapolis on July 16-18.

Goals by Carrie Schmidt, Stephanie Poncher and Gabarra gave Ajax a 3-1 victory over Sacramento’s Storm club in the regional final May 23 in Seattle. Since winning the national championship in July, Ajax has a 45-1-4 record despite returning only three starters from last season.

Those interested in Ajax’s youth or adult programs can contact Lou Kaufman, Ajax president, at (310) 379-6321.

The second annual Coaches Clinic of Champions, designed for girls’ and women’s basketball coaches, will be staged from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Chadwick School, 26800 S. Academy Drive, Palos Verdes.

Speakers will include Ace Hoffstein, one of the nation’s leading corrective shooting specialists; and coaches Wendell Yoshida of Peninsula High, Melissa Herlihy of Alemany High, Chuck Brown of Thousand Oaks High, Colleen Matsuhara of UC Irvine and Mark French of UC Santa Barbara.

Coaching demonstrations will be performed on the court using high school and junior high school players.

The fee is $50 a person (pre-registered) or $60 (at the door). An entire staff--one coach and up to two assistants--can sign up for $80 (pre-registered) or $95 (at the door).