UCI women’s soccer, a.k.a. Road Warriors

When UC Irvine Coach Marine Cano looked at the women’s soccer

schedule before the season began he knew the Anteaters would most

certainly be confronted with a big challenge to open Big West

Conference play. The Anteaters would have to play their first three

Big West games on the road. And, so he went to work and put his squad

to work. Cano intensified practices and the Anteaters responded with

relentless effort.

The UCI women’s soccer team also played a tough nonconference

schedule, facing five teams that were in the top 25 in the nation.

However, the Anteaters gathered strength and experience, becoming

battle-tested for the Big West.

The results: the Anteaters won their first two road games to open

Big West action last week.

“We’re starting to peak at the right time,” Cano said. “What

really has made me happy is I have a great group that has a big-time

passion for our school and our program. They work extremely hard

during practice. They want to win.”

The Anteaters have a greater passion for the game after their two

Big West victories. They opened the Big West season with a 2-1 win at

Idaho. UCI overcame a 1-0 deficit after junior Caroline Kabe evened

the score with a penalty kick, with less than three minutes left in

the first half. The penalty was created by junior Hayley McNallan,

who ended up scoring the game-winner at the 58:51 mark of the second

half. UCI outshot the Vandals, 23-11.

Kabe, the team’s captain and sweeper, has been the catalyst for

the Anteaters.

“Caroline Kabe, our captain, has been organizing us in the back,”

Cano said. “She’s a leader, and she sets the tempo. I thought our

defense was stellar (in the two Big West victories), and that was

because of her.”

In addition to Kabe, the Anteaters have been receiving defensive

support from sophomore fullbacks Julie Scheppele and Tara “Taz”

Weldon.

“In my opinion, they are two of the best fullbacks in the

country,” Cano said of Scheppele and Weldon. “I’m making a bold

statement like that because of the five (ranked) teams we played and

nobody from their side beat them. They don’t get beat.”

The Anteaters also defeated Utah State in Logan, 1-0, last week.

Kabe scored on her second penalty kick of the weekend. Sophomore

goalkeeper Chelsea McCarthy earned her first solo shutout of her

career.

The two victories have brought confidence to Cano’s Anteaters, and

have inspired them to continue their hard work. After all it’s

Irvine’s fitness that has been the biggest reason for the ‘Eaters

success in the Big West, thus far.

“It’s done a lot for their confidence,” Cano said of Irvine’s

2-0-0 Big West record. “You can tell in the practices. We’ve had the

two best practices (Tuesday and Wednesday) we’ve had all year. You

can tell they have the taste in their mouths that they want to win.”

The Anteaters will look to strengthen their road-game prowess

today at Loyola Marymount (6-3-2), in a nonconference game. Irvine

will then travel to Long Beach State for a Big West match Sunday at 1

p.m. The 49ers are 3-6-3, 1-0-1 in the Big West.

After their challenging road schedule, the Anteaters will attempt

to take advantage of a two-game homestand. UCI hosts UC Riverside,

Oct. 18, then the Anteaters will take on Big West favorite Cal State

Fullerton, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. at Anteater Stadium.

* If you need any more proof that the race for the national

championship in men’s water polo is wide open, further evidence came

last weekend. Aside from No. 1 Stanford taking another loss to USC,

No. 2 Irvine lost twice in the NorCal Tournament last week.

Stanford, coached by former Corona del Mar High head man John

Vargas, remains as the favorite to win the national title, but the

rest of the top 10 includes teams that could surprise.

UCLA, which includes Newport Harbor High product Peter Belden and

Corona del Mar alumn Michael March, won the NorCal Tournament,

scoring key victories over Irvine in the semifinal and gaining

revenge on rival USC in the final.

To reach the semifinals, UCI had to perform in the clutch to pull

out a 10-9 victory over Pepperdine. Jeff Powers, the Anteaters’

senior two-meter man, stole the ball late in the game and threw a

pass to sophomore Dan Noon, who converted the game-winning goal with

three seconds left. Dreason Barry led UCI with four goals.

UCI Coach Ted Newland’s squad (8-4) will open Mountain Pacific

Sports Federation play by hosting UC Santa Barbara Saturday at the

Anteater Aquatics Complex at noon.

* The UCI men’s and women’s basketball teams will be on public

display Friday night in “Midnight Magic” at the Bren Events Center.

Doors to the Bren Events Center open at 10:30 p.m. The night will

feature player introductions, speeches from Pat Douglass and Mark

Adams and shooting contests among the players.

The CIA (Completely Insane Anteaters) will perform a movie skit,

which should definitely be a treat.

* Coach Charlie Brande’s women’s volleyball team (9-6, 3-3 in

the Big West) is on a two-match win streak and have the opportunity

to reach the 10-win plateau this week. Since joining the Big West in

1984, UCI’s fastest trek to 10 wins came in 1989, when the Anteaters

won 10 of their first 13 matches en route to an 18-14 overall record.

This could be a pivotal week for the Anteaters, as they prepare

for their three-match homestand. Irvine will face Big West foes Cal

State Northridge today at 7 p.m., and Pacific Saturday. The Anteaters

will also take on Saint Mary’s Friday at 7 p.m. in a nonconference

match at Crawford Hall.

* Bob Chichester, UCI’s new Athletic Director, will officially

start working for the Anteaters on Monday.