Angeli wins multiple awards

By Jason Cohn

When Santa Clara women's soccer head coach Jerry Smith asked sophmore Jordan Angeli to move from defense to forward, Angeli never imagined that she would be leading the team in goals scored and points 12 games into the season.

She definitely didn't envision that she would be one of the reasons Santa Clara is ranked No. 5 in the nation and on the hunt for another NCAA Division I national title.

Yet this sophomore sensation has managed to become all of these in just a little over a month after making her debut at the forward position.

"It was overwhelming at first," said Angeli, about learning the new position. "But once I got all the information, it was like second nature."

If Angeli was overwhelmed, it does not show in her play.

"Jordan is the type of player who has a lot of confidence. She wants to step up and make big plays," said Smith.

Angeli has done just that. In the 11 games she's played, Jordan has scored six goals and made three assists, helping her team pull out big victories.

"She has all the psychological and physical attributes to be a player who can score goals," said Smith.

Smith explained that Angeli's shot technique, aggressiveness and her ability to score with either foot are all attributes that stood out to him when considering her as a forward.

Angeli's most memorable performance thus far came on Sept. 9 against top-ranked Notre Dame, where she netted both the team's goals en route to a 2-1 victory in front of a packed house.

Angeli then followed that performance with an assist on Kendall Doherty's game-winning goal against Cal State Fullerton. That same day, Angeli was named tournament MVP of the Santa Clara Adidas Classic, then WCC Player of the Week and finally Soccer America magazine's National Player of the Week.

All of these accolades culminated into Angeli being recognized in the Sept. 26 issue of Sports Illustrated in a feature called, "Faces in the Crowd."

To imagine all of this happening in Angeli's first month as a forward seems nearly impossible, and yet, it has all happened.

On her reaction to her new position, Angeli says, "I just thought it would be fun. I was like, maybe I'll score a few goals. Who knows?"

Yet Smith seemed to have faith in her ability to make the transition from the beginning.

"We identified Jordan as one of the players who could fill that void," he added. "She has very good aggressiveness and toughness. She's never afraid of the ball."

The void that Smith is referring to was created because of the graduation of forwards Bree Horvath and first-team All-American Megan Kakadelas.

Although they left big shoes to fill, Angeli has already scored more goals than Horvath did all of last season and will tie Kakadelas' mark with her next goal.

Angeli has been noted for her aggressiveness on the field, but she said that playing more aggressively was one of the biggest adjustments she had to make starting her collegiate soccer career.

Angeli grew up in Lakewood, Colo., where she played club soccer under some of the top coaches in the country. In 2004, she was named the Colorado High School female player of the year.

As a Bronco, Angeli has stepped her play up to the next level, especially her aggressiveness. In fact, she got a little too aggressive against San Jose State last week when she received a red card after retaliating to a cheap shot by her opponent.

"I just let my emotions take over me and I wasn't in control at the time. I regretted what I did and obviously learned my lesson when I couldn't play against Stanford," Angeli lamented.

There is no doubt that Angeli was sorely missed serving her one-game suspension during Santa Clara's 1-0 loss to Stanford on Saturday.

Yet, neither Angeli or Smith are hanging their heads over Saturday's setback, but instead are looking at what they can accomplish the rest of the season.

For Smith, it means finding ways to make Angeli even more productive in her role.

"The most important attribute (for a forward) is that you can put the ball in the back of the net and Jordan can do that. Now we're going to see if we can get her to clean up her dribbling a little and see if she can create some more shots for her teammates," Smith said.

Luckily for Angeli, she has been receiving a lot of help from her fellow teammates.

"All the other girls that have played forward have been helping me out, telling me when to make what run and where to be, so I learn just as much from them as I do from the coaches," Angeli said.

While Angeli's teammates are rallying around her, she is still focused on the needs of the team.

"I just wanna help the team win, whether it's controlling the ball to keep possession, making an important pass or scoring a goal."

As long as Angeli keeps doing what she's been doing, the Broncos can look forward to many more wins this season.

Contact Jason Cohn at jrcohnstead@hotmail.com or (408) 551-1918.