1995-1996: GIRLS’ SOCCER / Soccer Preview : Roda’s Return Means Bad News for Irvine’s Opponents

IRVINE â€”  Decisions, decisions.

The Irvine High girls’ soccer team--and the rest of the Orange County girls’ soccer community--waited for one important decision last week.

Katie Roda, a senior midfielder, was considering playing for the Southern California Blues women’s team rather than with the Vaqueros this season. Roda could not do both because it is against Southern Section rules.

With Roda, the Vaqueros are expected to be among the best five teams in the county. Without her, their stock would have dropped dramatically. But with the Blues, Roda would have had the opportunity to play against the U.S. national team in December--a chance she might never get again.

Michael Elfman, Irvine coach, had a few tense days waiting for Roda to make her decision. “Tense is definitely the word. I did lose sleep,� he said.

Roda reported to Elfman last week that she would stay.

“High school is a lot of fun. It’s less pressure and the girls are not so edgy,� she said. “I know everybody here and I didn’t have the heart to let them down.�

Heather Swanson, a senior defender, also had the opportunity to play with the Blues women’s team and decided to play for Irvine.

“They are very good players and they are my leaders,� Elfman said. “Heather is our defensive catalyst and Katie is our offensive catalyst.�

Roda, a first-team All-Southern Section Division I selection last season, is the Vaqueros’ big-ticket player.

Said Santa Margarita Coach Chuck Morales: “Her highest quality is that she can run all day long. She can run and run and run and run. You can put two or three people on her and it doesn’t matter, she’ll run them all down.�

Said former Irvine Coach Hamid Sedehi about not having to coach his new team, Capistrano Valley, against Roda in the regular season: “Thank God.�

Roda led Irvine to the Sea View League title as a freshman when her sister, Kelly, was a senior on the team. Irvine has placed second in league behind Santa Margarita the past two seasons and the Eagles are stronger than ever this season. But if anybody can give the Eagles a run for their money, it’s Roda.

“The girl’s a winner,� Elfman said.

Five of Roda’s teammates from the Blues also play for the Eagles, including Meagan Lingo.

“Neither of us likes to play that game. That’s the toughest game, because I have to mark Meagan and she’s really good. If you know players, you don’t want to bang them up,� Roda said.

But Blues players who also play for Santa Margarita are willing to divulge the dirt on Roda’s soccer tendencies.

“Since we have people who play with her, we have her book, so we try to do things that we know are going to work against her. She doesn’t have many weaknesses,� Morales said.

Roda began playing soccer when she was 6 and has played with the San Juan Capistrano-based Blues the past four years.

Roda helped the Blues to three semifinal appearances in the U.S. Soccer Federation state cup from 1992-94. Last season, Roda injured her leg in the state cup quarterfinals before watching her teammates on the 18-and-under team win the tournament. She recovered only to injure her knee in a pool-play game against a team from Colorado in the Western Regional tournament at Boise, Idaho. With Roda on the sidelines, the Blues lost in the final.

“I’m not really much of a help to our club team always being injured,� she said.

Roda injured her knee again in a game this fall with the Blues. She wears a brace, but expects to play without it in about three weeks. No one expects the injury to slow her.

“Katie has the killer instinct,� said Sedehi, who coached Roda her first three years at Irvine. “[She has the] desire to win and [will] sacrifice her body to do whatever it takes.�

Despite the accolades, Roda has drawn scant attention from major college coaches, who fret that her thin frame might not hold up against the physical players at the NCAA Division I level.

But Roda, who has a grade-point average above 4.0, doesn’t seem too concerned that recruiters aren’t calling. She has set her sights on Dartmouth to be with Kelly, a two-time Southern Section Division I-A cross-country champion for Irvine in 1990 and 1992.

“Academics is a priority above soccer and I think the people at the Ivy Leagues understand that,� she said. “I know that I’m not going to be able to play soccer forever.�

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Girls’ Soccer at a Glance

Top players: Amanda Brown, Cypress, midfielder, Sr.; Aja Cordova, El Modena, midfielder, Sr.; Jenni Cunningham, Sunny Hills, midfielder, Sr.; Elizabeth Delgado, Capistrano Valley, midfielder, Jr.; Marianne Emigh, Fullerton, forward, Sr.; Amanda Fox, Mater Dei, goalkeeper, Sr.; Kim Gallo, Esperanza, forward, Jr.; Christine Geske, Brea Olinda, goalkeeper, Sr.; Carrie Geyer, Laguna Hills, midfielder, Sr.; Melissa Gibson, Sonora, midfielder, Jr.; Shannon Gillis, Fountain Valley, defender, Sr.; Devon Grissom, Mission Viejo, defender, Sr.; Sommer Hammoud, Los Alamitos, midfielder, Jr.; Teri Himes, Canyon, midfielder, Sr.; Karine Inoue, Laguna Hills, midfielder, Jr.; Jill Krupoff, University, goalkeeper, Sr.; Jenny Krupoff, University, defender, Sr.; A.J. Kula, Canyon, midfielder, Sr.; Laura Lamb, Edison, forward, Sr.; Meagan Lingo, Santa Margarita, midfielder, Sr.; Annie Luke, Santa Margarita, forward, Sr.; Liz Main, Sunny Hills, defender, Jr.; Harmoni McDaniel, Sonora, midfielder, So.; Mindy Miller, Fountain Valley, forward, Sr.; Danyelle Montgomery, Orange Lutheran, goalkeeper, Jr.; Jill Nelson, Newport Harbor, forward, Sr.; Megan Orach, Marina, forward, Jr.; Jill Pearson, El Modena, forward, Jr.; Julie Peck, Mater Dei, defender, Sr.; Ali Ponce, Los Alamitos, midfielder, Sr.; Stacy Roberts, Laguna Hills, midfielder, Jr.; Katie Roda, Irvine, midfielder, Sr.; Catherine Rodriguez, El Dorado, goalkeeper, Jr.; Kristen Rowe, Santa Margarita, forward, Jr.; Demerese Salter, Sunny Hills, midfielder, Sr.; Heather Swanson, Irvine, defender, Sr.; Trisha Steiner, Mater Dei, midfielder, Sr.; Andrea Sievers, Los Alamitos, defender, Sr.; Nicole Terry, El Modena, forward, Sr.; Kaylee Whitfield, El Modena, forward, Sr.; Michelle Woiemberghe, Cypress, forward, Jr.; Laurie Zemke, El Modena, defender, Sr.

League favorites: Century: El Modena; Empire: Cypress; Freeway: Sunny Hills; Garden Grove: Pacifica; Golden West: Ocean View; Olympic: Ontario Christian; Orange: Brea Olinda; Pacific Coast: Laguna Hills; Sea View: Santa Margarita; South Coast: Mater Dei; Sunset: Marina.

1994-95 final poll: 1. Marina; 2. Santa Margarita; 3. Mater Dei; 4. Ocean View; 5. Los Alamitos; 6. Irvine; 7. El Modena; 8. Trabuco Hills; 9. Fountain Valley; 10. Canyon.

1995-96 preseason poll: 1. Santa Margarita; 2. Marina; 3. Los Alamitos; 4. Irvine; 5. El Modena; 6. Canyon; 7. Fountain Valley; 8. Mater Dei; 9. Laguna Hills; 10. Mission Viejo.

Key dates: Foothill Excalibur tournament, Dec. 27-29; Southern Section playoffs, Feb. 17, 20, 22, 27; section finals, March 1-2.

Notes: Two-time defending South Coast League champion Mater Dei returns seven starters, including four, first-team all-league selections, but has a new coach, Austin Sharp.