Thursday, Sep. 10, 2009

Winston makes Pasco girls soccer team go

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

PASCO -- The play was as innocuous as the thousands that had come before it, a simple little boot from the back line that was headed out of bounds in a meaningless Pasco scrimmage this summer.

But what Kaylie Winston did with it deserves mention.

The 5-foot-6 senior took off after the ball from her center midfield spot, half expecting to watch the ball roll past the end line. Instead she ran the 30-or-so yards to track it down and keep it in play, surprising even herself with an explosive burst of speed.

"I've never been able to do that," she said.

So Columbia Basin Big Nine opponents used to seeing Winston use her muscle and poise to hold possession can expect yet another weapon from the three-time all-leaguer -- speed.

"Since she was a freshman, she's taken five-tenths off her 40 (yard dash) time, and she took three-tenths off in the offseason," said Pasco coach Justin Carey. "That adds a dimension to her game she's never had before."

That's a hard reality for Pasco opponents, who will also have to deal with eight other returning starters from last season's 4A state quarterfinalists. But it's Winston's solid presence at midfield that makes the machine go.

A four-year starter, she has put up strong numbers since her freshman year, when she tallied nine goals and three assists. But when defenders tried to mark up on the Bulldogs' talented forwards, Winston emerged as the Bulldogs' top scorer as a sophomore with 19 goals and 10 assists.

Then, when defenders keyed on Winston as a junior, she went with that, too, becoming the league's top playmaker with 18 assists and five goals.

"I was on fire shooting as a sophomore, but the next year people were blocking me," Winston said. "That just opened up other opportunities for my teammates."

The numbers reflect Winston's ability to adjust but they also show what Carey already knew about his star center-mid -- she'll do whatever it takes to help the team concept.

"For the rest of my coaching life, I will compare all my center midfielders to Kaylie Winston," said Carey, who led Pasco to the state playoffs the last two years. "She's always seeking out good coaching. She's a student of the game."

She doubles as an all-CBBN catcher/shortstop in softball in the spring, a sport she grew to love after watching her cousins -- Sean and Bryan Winston -- grow up on the baseball diamond. Another cousin, Cara Lucas, played soccer at Columbia Basin College.

"My parents said that my favorite toys were bats and balls," Kaylie said. "I got a tooth knocked out at the baseball field when I was 6. It didn't scare me a whole lot. It was only a baby tooth."

She'll end up playing both soccer and softball at Walla Walla Community College next season, but she's looking forward to finishing her prep career with the same core group -- Shawna Anderson and Mariann Johnson -- she grew up playing club ball with for the last eight years.

The trio also play with the Three-Rivers Fusion, whose roster reads like a virtual laundry list of CBBN all-stars including Bulldogs teammates Missy Everson and Mahaley Sapp, Brianna Brannan (Kamiakin), Emily Meyer (Kamiakin), Hannah Melberg (Richland) and Rachel Dittmer (Richland).

In fact, both Anderson and Winston have a chance to break Pasco's career record of 43 goals, set by Darcy (Fitzpatrick) Bond from 1988-91. Anderson had 38 heading into this season, and Winston had 33.

Winston admits she gets a kick out of feeding her teammates, especially Anderson.

"I feel like I always know where she's at," Winston said.

Anderson is likely to get there first but will no doubt have help from her longtime friend and teammate.

"When she's got the ball at her feet, she can pinpoint any player and pass it to them," Anderson said. "She definitely sees the field well."

Girls soccer at a glance

CBBN

2008 champions: Pasco and Southridge (regular season); Pasco (4A district).

Returning all-league players: Courtney Hancock, sr., Southridge (1T goalie); La'Quilla Upton, sr., Southridge (1T defender); Kari Merrell, sr., Southridge (1T defender); Kaylie Winston, sr., Pasco (1T midfielder); Bria Caldwell, jr., Richland (1T midfielder); Katy Allen, sr., Eisenhower (1T forward); Jori Skorpik, sr., Kamiakin (1T forward); Shawna Anderson, sr., Pasco (1T forward); Haley Curtis, sr., West Valley (1T forward); Lee Hanses, sr., West Valley (2T goalie); Baylee Jones, sr., Eisenhower (2T defender); Shelby Bigness, sr., Kamiakin (2T defender); Becca McCullough, sr., Moses Lake (2T defender); Missy Everson, sr., Pasco (2T defender); Sam Lee, jr., Richland (2T defender); Jennifer McKenna, jr., Eisenhower (2T midfielder); Ashlyn Keller, sr., Eisenhower (2T midfielder); Emily Meyer, sr., Kamiakin (2T midfielder); Marianne Johnson, sr., Pasco (2T midfielder); Jenna Wallace, sr., Southridge (2T midfielder); Ashley Richardson, jr., West Valley (2T midfielder); Taylor Reynolds, jr., Eastmont (2T forward); Erin Huisingh, jr., Chiawana (2T forward); Heather Johnson, soph., Southridge (2T forward).

Coaching changes: Rich Zoller, Chiawana (moves from Prosser); Sara Elfering, Richland (replaces Chris Smith).

Free kicks: Pasco returns eight starters and should repeat as league champs behind top scorers Anderson and Winston. Southridge has been devastated by injuries -- Hancock and MF Megan Sorenson are both out for the year -- but has still looked good early. Kamiakin will challenge for the league title behind Skorpik. Ike may be a darkhorse contender.

Richland should have a seamless transition with Elfering, who assisted former coach Chris Smith for several seasons. She'll have help from returning first-team Caldwell. At Chiawana, Zoller will have a young team but also one of the CBBN's top forwards in Huisingh. Moses Lake, West Valley and Hanford should all battle for playoff spots

CWAC

2008 champions: Selah (North regular season), East Valley (South regular season and district).

Returning all-league players: Audre Hyatt, sr., Selah (1T defender); Monik Martinez, sr., Selah (1T midfielder); Jessica Baken, sr., East Valley (1T midfielder); Kaylah Gonzales, sr., East Valley (1T forward); Hadli Farrand, jr., Ellensburg (1T forward); Adrianna Jones, sr., East Valley (1T forward); Lianne Day, sr., Ellensburg (2T goalie); Torri Orendorff, jr., Ellensburg (2T defender); Bertha Valencia, sr., Wapato (2T midfielder); Yasamin Mohsenian, soph., East Valley (2T midfielder); Sarah McMartin, sr., Ephrata (2T midfielder); Helen Peterson, soph., Prosser (2T forward); Lindsay Garza, jr., Othello (2T forward); Kelli Wilson, sr., Prosser (2T forward).

Coaching changes: Marcelino Rodriguez, Prosser (replaces Rich Zoller).

Free kicks: East Valley and Selah look to remain atop the league, but expect Ellensburg to make a strong push with Farrand. Rodriguez takes over as Prosser coach and inherits the league's top returning scorer in Peterson as well as the leading playmaker in Wilson. Losing second-team defender Christine Kirkwood to cross country will hurt Othello but the Huskies bring back Garza, last year's top scorer.

SCAC

2008 champions: La Salle (regular season), Connell (district).

Returning all-league players: Chelsea Adkins, sr., La Salle (1T goalie); Rachel Taylor, sr., Connell (1T defender); Andrea Wickenhagen, jr., Highland (1T defender); Jessica Brown, sr., Kiona-Benton (1T defender); Katie Vickers, sr., La Salle (1T defender); Sari Munoz, sr., Wahluke (1T midfielder); Alma Garcia, jr., Highland (1T forward); Ally Hernandez, sr., La Salle (1T forward); Brianna Casper, sr., Connell (2T defender); Sydney Charlet, jr., Naches Valley (2T defender); Alma Barajas, jr., Wahluke (2T defender); Randi Wright, sr., Warden (2T defender); Emily Blizard, sr., Kiona-Benton (2T midfielder); Linda Hernandez, jr., Wahluke (2T forward).

Coaching changes: Alejandro Ortiz, Granger (replaces Tony Cardenas); Felix Hernandez, Highland (replaces Tammy Vela); Brittany Ryan, Cle Elum (replaces Ian Connell).

Free kicks: The high-scoring SCAC returns three of the league's top four scorers in Garcia, Linda Hernandez and Ally Hernandez. La Salle, with three first-team returnees, should have no trouble repeating as West champ. Connell might get a challenge from Wahluke, which returns Barajas, Hernandez and Munoz, but the Eagles are loaded again and led by a pair of strong defenders Casper and Taylor.