Teams to Watch

BUENA

1996-97 record: 23-3-4, Channel League champions

Last season the Bulldogs won their fourth consecutive league title and their fifth in the past seven years. They also extended their string of Division II semifinal appearances to four. To keep those streaks going, however, Buena will need a young team to learn quickly.

Five starters return but gone are midfielders Barbara Almaraz and Megan Munday and defender Angelina Sanderson, all regional standouts. In their absence, sophomore midfielder J.J. Toohey becomes a featured player and senior Shannon Prentice moves from stopper to sweeper to shore up the defense with returning junior fullback Meghan Roarty.

Freshmen starters Natalie Sanderson, a forward and Angelina’s sister, and Ashleigh Garmon, a midfielder, must make an immediate impact.

“This team has huge potential and the one thing that’s really going to help is they’re so fast,” Coach Trisha Kimble-Butterbaugh said. “But we’re very young and we don’t have a leader yet.”

HARVARD-WESTLAKE

1996-97: 20-6-1, Mission League co-champions

The Wolverines have developed into one of the region’s elite programs in the past three seasons, going 58-17-4 overall and 22-5-3 in Mission League play in that time. Included are two league titles and successful playoff runs the past two seasons.

This year’s team was weakened by the loss of 1996-97 league goalkeeper of the year Sara Deckers and promising midfielder Molly Cahan, a pair of sophomores. Deckers left school after disciplinary problems and Cahan recently underwent knee surgery.

Five starters do return, however, among them forward Susan Baise and midfielder Twila Kaufman, both seniors. Baise, the division’s offensive player of the year last season, has scored a combined 27 goals the past two campaigns, and Kaufman is a two-time all-division pick.

Senior midfielder Cristy DeLorenzo, a second team all-division honoree last year, is another standout, and track hurdler Becky Rauth, a junior who has not played soccer in two years, brings speed and agility to the outside midfield.

WESTLAKE

1996-97: 10-5-1, third in Marmonte League

The Warriors, although young, are the trendy pick to win the Marmonte League, a race that has traditionally confounded would-be handicappers.

Megan Daly, one of two starting seniors, is one of the region’s best forwards and scored 21 goals last season. She teams with classmate Patti Hostin.

The central midfield features juniors Tasha Spangler and Naomi Chu. Freshman Jenna Ainsworth and sophomore Jenna Wirtz are the likely starters on the outside. Goalkeepers Claire Conner, a freshman, and Katie Peck, a sophomore, will rotate.

“There’s a lot of talent on this team but it’s young, so I’m not counting my bullets yet,” Coach Tahn Hyun said. “They’re going to have to play over their heads [to win the league].”

CHATSWORTH

1996-97: 19-1, Coast/Valley League champions

It’s more of the same at Chatsworth, which steamrolls its overmatched City Section brethren year after year. The Chancellors have won nine league titles and seven section titles in each of the program’s nine years and show no signs of faltering.

Doing much of the damage this season, as they did in winning last season’s 4-A Division title, will be senior midfielder Beezy Preis and junior forward Jackie Fodor. Preis had 15 goals and 16 assists in the central midfield and Fodor had 28 goals.

Others to watch are diminutive sophomore forward Shannon De Vos, who scored seven goals last season, and the junior defensive trio of Erica Frechman, Megan Landress and Darcy Wooten. Sophomore midfielder Katie Klain, a transfer from Ohio, opened eyes at recent Olympic Development Program tryouts.

Two freshmen, midfielder Leila Pate and defender Tonya Schmidt, have earned starting positions, Coach Jack Sidwell said.

HART

1996-97: 24-2-2, Foothill League champions

Coach Oliver Germond is building a dynasty in the Santa Clarita Valley with a program that has won the past four league titles and made a run to last season’s Division I title game.

Gone is Laura Qualls, The Times’ 1997 region player of the year who scored 31 goals, but back is junior midfielder Erin Misaki, a member of the U.S. under-16 national team who scored 18 goals last season.

The graduation of Sophy Grigoriou means the Indians may be weakest in goal, but senior defenders Anna and Kellie Nordhagen are strong, as is sophomore center midfielder Rebecca Gould. Senior forward Mandy Stupar will be counted on heavily in Qualls’ absence.

“The talent is there and we’re going to be a very good team but it’s a question of whether we can score goals,” Germond said.