Cactus Shadows soccer goes defensive
MARC BUCKHOUT ~MANAGING EDITOR ~ 12/7/2011

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Just hours before his team’s season opening 1-0 overtime win over Chaparral on Nov. 30, Cactus Shadows girls soccer coach Jeff Vittorio predicted that the 2011-2012 edition of the Falcons will lean heavily on its defense.
Despite going 17-3-1 behind an offense that put up 125 goals in advancing to the 4A Div-I state semifinals last year, Vittorio said his team’s offensively dominant roster left him on edge at times.
“I’d rather be in the 2-1, 1-0 games rather than needing to score four goals to win,” said the eighth year coach. “I’m more comfortable with that type of team.”
Whether it was comfortable or not is debatable, but the Falcons knocked off the Firebirds when senior midfielder Brenna Leech found the back of the net with a header off a corner kick feed from junior Kelli Reid halfway through the second overtime of a hard fought game in which offensive opportunities were hard to come by
“We’re not really run and gun this year,” Leech said. “We were rough on offense early, but we got better. I love this year’s team. We really play together well.”
Having graduated three Div-I scholarship athletes in Lauren Lazo, Taryn McClendon and Bethany Park, the Falcons lost 40 goals and 38 assists from a season ago.
While that core is gone, Vittorio, who has led the Falcons to at least the state quarterfinals every season since 2004-2005 and has advanced to the state semifinals four times during that stretch, is confident Cactus Shadows will be one of the top teams in the state once again.
“We’re going to be very solid,” he said. “Offensively we’re not as talented, but overall we’re a little bit deeper and defensively we’re much stronger.”
The defensive upgrade starts in net where Vittorio is thrilled at the opportunity to coach junior Cassie Miller, who chose club ball her first two seasons, before joining the Falcons.
“Is all you need to know is she plays on the national under 17 team and has already verbally committed to play at Florida State,” he said. “That makes her one of the top two 16-year-old goalies in the country.
The coach said the measurables, 6-foot, and intangibles jump off the page when it comes to Miller.
“She doesn’t have a weakness,” he said. “I’ve been studying her for the last month and I haven’t found one. She has a great feel for the game, makes great reactions to plays and she’s good with her feet. Her skill set is uncanny. ”
While Miller will anchor the defense the Falcons coach said she’ll have plenty of help with senior Maddy Bradshaw and junior Kendall Regan as defensemen.
Miller said she’s already quite comfortable with the group she has to work with, even though this is her first season playing for her school team.
“I’ve played with a lot of the girls through club,” she said. “It’s actually been really easy to organize this group. Our defense is great.”
Offensively the coach said the Falcons roster is full of capable scorers and that he’s eagerly looking to see which players step forward.
Reid, who set up the only goal of the season opener is the top returning scorer, having tallied 14 goals and nine assists last season.
“The thing you’ve got to understand about that goal is that Kelli puts that ball there every time,” Vittorio said. “She’s very consistent. It’s up to her teammates to get to the ball. Brenna made a great play. It seemed like she was up there really high. I asked her if she’d climbed the back of somebody, but she said she was the quickest in the air.”
The 5-foot-4 senior said in her mind height is overrated in being able to get to the ball on plays near the goal.
“I swear you could be 3 feet tall and still get it done,” she said. “The key is timing and reading the flight of the ball. You have to know the spin and then react.”
When Leech’s effort found the near corner of the goal she and her teammates reacted emotionally.
“As soon as I headed it I knew it was going into the goal,” said the senior, who was swarmed by the rest of the squad. “This was a fantastic team win and I think it sends a message to some of the other top teams out there.”
The coach said junior midfielder Katelyn Mardeusz and freshman Alexa Yardley also should be strong contributors offensively. Likewise the coach said that Leech and her fellow senior midfielders and team captains, Madi Pascale and Saige Williams will be vital to the team’s success.
“I really think this team is closer knit, harder working,” he said. “They seem to have the recipe to go the whole way.”