California State University Northridge Athletics
Photo by: Shae Hammond
A Glance at the Matador Newcomers
8/12/2019 11:02:00 AM | Women's Soccer
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---With a week left in training camp, the CSUN Women's Soccer team is rapidly approaching the end of its offseason preparation for the 2019 season. Entering his 14th season at the helm, head coach Keith West has reloaded the Matador roster with 11 newcomers including 10 true freshmen. Adding to the returning group, CSUN will bring back 18 letterwinners as it looks to make another run at the Big West crown.
The talented crop of newcomers has won a combined 14 league championships and five postseason tournament titles in high school while they have honed their craft on some of the top club soccer teams. Several of the new faces will get their first taste of Division I competition on Saturday night when CSUN hosts Cal State Fullerton in an exhibition match at Matador Soccer Field.
Cindy Arteaga, MF/F, Santa Rosa, Calif., Montgomery High School
Coming to CSUN from Northern California, Cindy Arteaga played four seasons with Montgomery High School. Arteaga would be a part of three league championships and two North Coast Section tournament titles in 2016 and 2019. She helped the Vikings advance to the CIF Northern California Division II Regional semifinals in her senior season. Arteaga also netted an impressive 25 goals and added 11 assists for 61 total points, which would earn her North Coast Section Senior of the Year accolades. She also picked up first-team all-league honors over her last two seasons. On the club front, she played for Marin FC Sirens.
"We saw her high school team play for about a game, and the minute we saw Cindy run and make plays on the field, we knew we wanted to recruit her to CSUN," said West. "She has an unbelievable upside and we're expecting big things from her this year. With freshmen, you have to temper your expectations sometimes but right now in practice she's doing really good things and we're excited about what she can bring offensively."
Elizabeth Bornhauser, GK, Camarillo, Calif., Camarillo High School
One of two incoming goalkeepers on the roster, Elizabeth Bornhauser prepped at Camarillo High School for two seasons. She would earn first-team all-league honors in 2017 as she helped the Scorpions pick up a first-round victory in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs. Bornhauser played club with the Eagles SC in Camarillo over her last two years of high school.
"I think Elizabeth's strengths are her consistency and the details that she does things," said West. "She brings quality to the game so we can play the ball back to her. Elizabeth comes from the Eagles soccer club, which has had amazing success on the field."
Felicia Neatherlin, GK, Simi Valley, Calif., Moorpark High School
Felicia Neatherlin played in front of the net for Moorpark High School for four seasons. She racked up first-team all-league honors in 2019 and second-team accolades in 2018. Neatherlin would help lead the Musketeers to the Southern California Regional and CIF-Southern Section titles in 2016-17. She also spent two seasons on the school's softball team as a catcher and outfielder. Although she didn't play on the same team as Bornhauser, Neatherlin also played for Eagles SC.
"Felicia's ability to communicate with the back row and to stay connected to her line is unbelievable," said West. "She can also punt the ball extremely well. The growth of Felicia and Elizabeth at goalkeeper will be awesome to watch - it's great to have two people compete with one another for a spot."
Izabel Reyes, F, Valencia, Calif., Hart High School
Izabel Reyes was a part of three-straight league championships with Hart High School from 2016-18. She helped her team collect five playoff victories over her prep career, highlighted by a semifinal run in the 2017 CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs and a berth into the CIF Southern California Regionals. Reyes was named first-team all-league in 2018 and a team MVP over her career. She gained club experience with Real So Cal and LA Premier.
"Izzy's having a good camp too," said West. "She's a great athlete and brings good attributes to our team. This year will test her ability to overcome adversity but I think the spirit in her is so strong that she'll get on the field someway."
Jacqueline Villanueva, MF, West Hills, Calif., Southern Utah/Cleveland High School
The Matadors' lone transfer, Jacqueline Villanueva spent the past two seasons with Southern Utah. She redshirted in 2017 before seeing her first collegiate action on the field last fall as a redshirt freshman. She competed in all 18 matches, making 14 starts on defense, while she picked up an assist and eight shots. Originally from West Hills, she played prep soccer at Cleveland High School where she earned all-city honors in 2017. She also played club soccer with the Santa Clarita Blue Heat and Real So Cal.
"Jackie was an immediate transfer that did really well for us in the spring," said West. "Her speed, toughness and mentality to compete are unbelievable. I think she's going to be a big addition to our program both offensively and defensively. Her spirit and competitive attitude sets the tone for who we are. She can defend and attack as well as cross the ball and get behind the defenders. Jackie will be a fun one to coach the next couple of years."
Kacie Garrity, MF, Yorba Linda, Calif., Yorba Linda High School
Kacie Garrity competed on the soccer and track & field team at Yorba Linda High School. Serving as team captain for three seasons, Garrity collected all-league first team and team MVP accolades in 2019. On the track side, she also picked up first-team all-league honors in 2018 after participating in the 300m hurdles. Garrity played club soccer for eight years with seven years spent as team captain. Her club team was the Fullerton Rangers.
"Kacie is having an unbelievable camp right now," said West. "She's been here pretty much all summer with the rest of the team. They raved about Kacie before I got a chance to see her in camp. I think she's going to be somewhere on the field for us this year. She's competing, grinding and doing everything she can to help this team succeed."
Kiley Voss, MF, Moorpark, Calif., Oak Park High School
Kiley Voss joins the Matadors from Oak Park High School where she played out her freshman and sophomore seasons on the soccer team. She would earn second-team all-league honors following her sophomore campaign. On the club soccer front, she played for Real So Cal and participated in the Olympic Development Program.
"Kiley gets things done," said West. "You can play her center mid, up top or on the back. Our former assistant coach Derek Hanks had a lot of belief in her. I have to give him a lot of credit for his role in getting her into our program. She has unbelievable tools - a long body that can get to loose balls, beat people off the dribble and defend. She loves to compete and play and I expect her to earn some minutes in the midfield this year."
Sami Alarcon, D, Irvine, Calif., Northwood High School
Sami Alarcon played four seasons for Northwood High School. She helped the Timberwolves win three league championships, highlighted by a trip to CIF-Southern Section Division II championship in 2016. Alarcon would rack up first-team all-league honors and all-league defensive team recognition in her prep career. In addition, she has significant club experience playing with the highly competitive Slammers FC in Orange County. This season, however, Alarcon will be forced to the sidelines due to injuries sustained earlier this year.
"Sami tore her ACL in the spring so we're not going to have her this fall but we were expecting her to come in and contribute right away," said West. "I felt she could fit in somewhere in the back row for us and implant herself on the back row from the start. We're excited though to get her back on the field healthy next year. Sami played for the Slammers organization, which is one of the best clubs in America. We couldn't be more proud of the organization she came from and her soccer IQ."
Shelby Cooper, D, Santa Clarita, Calif., Canyon High School
Shelby Cooper played on defense primarily at Canyon High School where she earned all-league honors twice and served as team captain in her senior season. She helped the Cowboys advance to the 2018 CIF-Southern Section Division III quarterfinals after posting a pair of tournament wins. Cooper also played club soccer for Real So Cal.
"Shelby had a terrific high school career at Canyon," said West. "She's got great speed, defends the ball really well and possesses a big throw. It goes back to ups and downs as a freshman, when she figures out what it takes to compete and make a difference here, Shelby's going to be on the field for a long time to come."
Stephanie Gallardo, MF, North Hollywood, Calif., St. Genevieve High School
Stephanie Gallardo spent four seasons on the St. Genevieve soccer team as well as her senior season as a kicker on the school's football team. In soccer, she earned First-Team All-CIF Southern Section Division V honors last season in addition to team most valuable player accolades. The Valiants won back-to-back league titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18 while advancing to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs in each season. She earned club experience with the Sherman Oaks Extreme.
"Stephanie played for Marlon Archey in high school who really played a big part in her development," said West. "She is a special one, she's one of those kids that was a sleeper and not a lot of people knew about her. She originally came from one of our ID camps. You're going to hear her name a lot in the future. When she learns how to navigate her way through the early stages of her career here, she'll be a big part of our team."
Zoi Lerma, MF, Woodland Hills, Calif., El Camino Real High School
Another talented midfielder, Zoi Lerma enjoyed an outstanding high school career with El Camino Real. The Conquistadors won the 2018 CIF LA City Section playoffs while Lerma helped guide the team to the finals in 2016, 2017 and 2019. El Camino Real also clinched a berth into the CIF-Southern Section Southern California Regionals four-straight years. Lerma would be on two West Valley League championship teams in 2016-17 and 2017-18. In her senior season, she was named to the first-team all-city and all-area team.
"Zoi plays with a good spirit on the soccer field," said West. "She played on a good high school team and gained experience playing club soccer with Real So Cal. She will be missed this season because of a torn ACL. She's another one that I thought could come in right away and contribute with good minutes. It will be a waiting game, but when we get her back on the field she'll be a freshman, which means four full seasons with her contributing to the team."
The Matadors officially open up the 2019 season on Thursday, Aug. 22 at UNLV. CSUN will play its first four on the road before kicking off the home schedule against Kansas State on Sept. 6.
#UniteTheValley
The talented crop of newcomers has won a combined 14 league championships and five postseason tournament titles in high school while they have honed their craft on some of the top club soccer teams. Several of the new faces will get their first taste of Division I competition on Saturday night when CSUN hosts Cal State Fullerton in an exhibition match at Matador Soccer Field.
Cindy Arteaga, MF/F, Santa Rosa, Calif., Montgomery High School
Coming to CSUN from Northern California, Cindy Arteaga played four seasons with Montgomery High School. Arteaga would be a part of three league championships and two North Coast Section tournament titles in 2016 and 2019. She helped the Vikings advance to the CIF Northern California Division II Regional semifinals in her senior season. Arteaga also netted an impressive 25 goals and added 11 assists for 61 total points, which would earn her North Coast Section Senior of the Year accolades. She also picked up first-team all-league honors over her last two seasons. On the club front, she played for Marin FC Sirens.
"We saw her high school team play for about a game, and the minute we saw Cindy run and make plays on the field, we knew we wanted to recruit her to CSUN," said West. "She has an unbelievable upside and we're expecting big things from her this year. With freshmen, you have to temper your expectations sometimes but right now in practice she's doing really good things and we're excited about what she can bring offensively."
Elizabeth Bornhauser, GK, Camarillo, Calif., Camarillo High School
One of two incoming goalkeepers on the roster, Elizabeth Bornhauser prepped at Camarillo High School for two seasons. She would earn first-team all-league honors in 2017 as she helped the Scorpions pick up a first-round victory in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs. Bornhauser played club with the Eagles SC in Camarillo over her last two years of high school.
"I think Elizabeth's strengths are her consistency and the details that she does things," said West. "She brings quality to the game so we can play the ball back to her. Elizabeth comes from the Eagles soccer club, which has had amazing success on the field."
Felicia Neatherlin, GK, Simi Valley, Calif., Moorpark High School
Felicia Neatherlin played in front of the net for Moorpark High School for four seasons. She racked up first-team all-league honors in 2019 and second-team accolades in 2018. Neatherlin would help lead the Musketeers to the Southern California Regional and CIF-Southern Section titles in 2016-17. She also spent two seasons on the school's softball team as a catcher and outfielder. Although she didn't play on the same team as Bornhauser, Neatherlin also played for Eagles SC.
"Felicia's ability to communicate with the back row and to stay connected to her line is unbelievable," said West. "She can also punt the ball extremely well. The growth of Felicia and Elizabeth at goalkeeper will be awesome to watch - it's great to have two people compete with one another for a spot."
Izabel Reyes, F, Valencia, Calif., Hart High School
Izabel Reyes was a part of three-straight league championships with Hart High School from 2016-18. She helped her team collect five playoff victories over her prep career, highlighted by a semifinal run in the 2017 CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs and a berth into the CIF Southern California Regionals. Reyes was named first-team all-league in 2018 and a team MVP over her career. She gained club experience with Real So Cal and LA Premier.
"Izzy's having a good camp too," said West. "She's a great athlete and brings good attributes to our team. This year will test her ability to overcome adversity but I think the spirit in her is so strong that she'll get on the field someway."
Jacqueline Villanueva, MF, West Hills, Calif., Southern Utah/Cleveland High School
The Matadors' lone transfer, Jacqueline Villanueva spent the past two seasons with Southern Utah. She redshirted in 2017 before seeing her first collegiate action on the field last fall as a redshirt freshman. She competed in all 18 matches, making 14 starts on defense, while she picked up an assist and eight shots. Originally from West Hills, she played prep soccer at Cleveland High School where she earned all-city honors in 2017. She also played club soccer with the Santa Clarita Blue Heat and Real So Cal.
"Jackie was an immediate transfer that did really well for us in the spring," said West. "Her speed, toughness and mentality to compete are unbelievable. I think she's going to be a big addition to our program both offensively and defensively. Her spirit and competitive attitude sets the tone for who we are. She can defend and attack as well as cross the ball and get behind the defenders. Jackie will be a fun one to coach the next couple of years."
Kacie Garrity, MF, Yorba Linda, Calif., Yorba Linda High School
Kacie Garrity competed on the soccer and track & field team at Yorba Linda High School. Serving as team captain for three seasons, Garrity collected all-league first team and team MVP accolades in 2019. On the track side, she also picked up first-team all-league honors in 2018 after participating in the 300m hurdles. Garrity played club soccer for eight years with seven years spent as team captain. Her club team was the Fullerton Rangers.
"Kacie is having an unbelievable camp right now," said West. "She's been here pretty much all summer with the rest of the team. They raved about Kacie before I got a chance to see her in camp. I think she's going to be somewhere on the field for us this year. She's competing, grinding and doing everything she can to help this team succeed."
Kiley Voss, MF, Moorpark, Calif., Oak Park High School
Kiley Voss joins the Matadors from Oak Park High School where she played out her freshman and sophomore seasons on the soccer team. She would earn second-team all-league honors following her sophomore campaign. On the club soccer front, she played for Real So Cal and participated in the Olympic Development Program.
"Kiley gets things done," said West. "You can play her center mid, up top or on the back. Our former assistant coach Derek Hanks had a lot of belief in her. I have to give him a lot of credit for his role in getting her into our program. She has unbelievable tools - a long body that can get to loose balls, beat people off the dribble and defend. She loves to compete and play and I expect her to earn some minutes in the midfield this year."
Sami Alarcon, D, Irvine, Calif., Northwood High School
Sami Alarcon played four seasons for Northwood High School. She helped the Timberwolves win three league championships, highlighted by a trip to CIF-Southern Section Division II championship in 2016. Alarcon would rack up first-team all-league honors and all-league defensive team recognition in her prep career. In addition, she has significant club experience playing with the highly competitive Slammers FC in Orange County. This season, however, Alarcon will be forced to the sidelines due to injuries sustained earlier this year.
"Sami tore her ACL in the spring so we're not going to have her this fall but we were expecting her to come in and contribute right away," said West. "I felt she could fit in somewhere in the back row for us and implant herself on the back row from the start. We're excited though to get her back on the field healthy next year. Sami played for the Slammers organization, which is one of the best clubs in America. We couldn't be more proud of the organization she came from and her soccer IQ."
Shelby Cooper, D, Santa Clarita, Calif., Canyon High School
Shelby Cooper played on defense primarily at Canyon High School where she earned all-league honors twice and served as team captain in her senior season. She helped the Cowboys advance to the 2018 CIF-Southern Section Division III quarterfinals after posting a pair of tournament wins. Cooper also played club soccer for Real So Cal.
"Shelby had a terrific high school career at Canyon," said West. "She's got great speed, defends the ball really well and possesses a big throw. It goes back to ups and downs as a freshman, when she figures out what it takes to compete and make a difference here, Shelby's going to be on the field for a long time to come."
Stephanie Gallardo, MF, North Hollywood, Calif., St. Genevieve High School
Stephanie Gallardo spent four seasons on the St. Genevieve soccer team as well as her senior season as a kicker on the school's football team. In soccer, she earned First-Team All-CIF Southern Section Division V honors last season in addition to team most valuable player accolades. The Valiants won back-to-back league titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18 while advancing to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs in each season. She earned club experience with the Sherman Oaks Extreme.
"Stephanie played for Marlon Archey in high school who really played a big part in her development," said West. "She is a special one, she's one of those kids that was a sleeper and not a lot of people knew about her. She originally came from one of our ID camps. You're going to hear her name a lot in the future. When she learns how to navigate her way through the early stages of her career here, she'll be a big part of our team."
Zoi Lerma, MF, Woodland Hills, Calif., El Camino Real High School
Another talented midfielder, Zoi Lerma enjoyed an outstanding high school career with El Camino Real. The Conquistadors won the 2018 CIF LA City Section playoffs while Lerma helped guide the team to the finals in 2016, 2017 and 2019. El Camino Real also clinched a berth into the CIF-Southern Section Southern California Regionals four-straight years. Lerma would be on two West Valley League championship teams in 2016-17 and 2017-18. In her senior season, she was named to the first-team all-city and all-area team.
"Zoi plays with a good spirit on the soccer field," said West. "She played on a good high school team and gained experience playing club soccer with Real So Cal. She will be missed this season because of a torn ACL. She's another one that I thought could come in right away and contribute with good minutes. It will be a waiting game, but when we get her back on the field she'll be a freshman, which means four full seasons with her contributing to the team."
The Matadors officially open up the 2019 season on Thursday, Aug. 22 at UNLV. CSUN will play its first four on the road before kicking off the home schedule against Kansas State on Sept. 6.
#UniteTheValley
Players Mentioned
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