UCI women seeking improvement

On one of his office walls, first-year UC Irvine women’s soccer coach Scott Juniper has framed pictures of a handful of his soccer heroes. But smack dab in the middle is a picture of Michael Johnson, an American sprinter who won Olympic gold medals and set world records in a lengthy and distinguished career.

Juniper, 30, who came to the United States from England for the first time 10 years ago, said Johnson provides a unique form of inspiration, one the Anteaters could surely benefit from this season.

UCI, coming off a 3-13-1 campaign in which they were shut out 12 times and were outscored, 22-0, in seven Big West Conference games, plays host to Loyola Marymount in an exhibition match Thursday at 7 p.m. The season opener is Aug. 31 at Fresno State.

“I read [Johnson’s] book and he spent 10 years chasing his dream of breaking the 200-meter world record,” said Juniper, a UCI assistant last year to April Heinrichs, the former U.S. women’s national team coach who left after just one season to take a job with the United States Olympic Committee. “In the 200 meters, the difference between finishing last and setting a world record are fractions of a second. In one part of his book [Johnson] mentions the mindset that was needed to go out and give his best effort everyday to build on the small things. When you start putting those things together over a period of time, that’s how he achieved his greatness. It kind of relates back to the expectations we have for our players, that all they can do is bring their best effort every day. We want to get incrementally better over time.”

There is plenty of room for improvement for a program that has gone 12-39-5 the last three seasons after a 10-5-5 mark in 2003. The Anteaters, picked to finish last in the nine-team Big West, scored six goals last season, while allowing 41. They scored more than one goal only once, a 2-1 triumph over the University of San Diego.

Juniper, with the aid of first-year assistants Justin Neerhof and Kendall Fletcher, said an emphasis on conditioning, a solid crop of freshmen, as well as a nucleus of mentally tough veterans, have helped change the culture of the program.

Fletcher, who competed for the under-23 women’s national team at the recent Nordic Cup, won a national championship in 2003 during her four seasons playing at North Carolina.

“The players are working harder than they ever have before and they’re in better shape than they’ve every been before,” said Juniper, who played for the University of Bath when it won an English national collegiate championship and spent time as a midfielder and forward in semi-professional leagues. “I think the players are really excited. They’ve had a couple of tough years, but I think they have a lot of belief that they can go out and compete with anybody.”

Senior captains Frankee Kelly, a 5-foot-1 forward, and Makenzie Beahm, a defender, have helped shape that belief, Juniper said.

Kelly and Beahm were among the six players who scored a goal last season, a group that includes senior Kim Horn, sophomore Kate Berrini, and junior Christina Gorospe.

Beahm and junior Kathleen Lemieux each had one of the Anteaters’ five assists last season.

Junior Erin Henry returns at goalkeeper and Juniper believes the presence of Neerhof, a goalie in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 2003-05, should help her improve.

Juniper said Horn, who struggled to adjust to the Division I level last year after transferring from Santiago Canyon Community College, will join Kelly to provide improved scoring punch up front.

Juniper also singled out Berrini, a midfielder, as someone to watch this season, as well as a group of 11 freshmen

“Everyone is excited about this freshman class,” Juniper said. “The players have some really good character. There are no superstars, but, as a group, I think these players will really play a big role for us this year.”

Juniper said last season’s scoring woes are not something he and his staff talk about with the players.

Also, they have not discussed specific goals, in terms of the Big West standings.

“We just want to give our best every single day, which is all we can ask,” Juniper said. “What that results in, we’ll know at the end of November.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].