ESPN

This is an exciting time for the Women's Premier Soccer League, just not on this coast.

With Women's Professional Soccer officially dead, as of Friday morning, the 15-year-old semipro/amateur outfit is stepping into the void and embracing, in small steps, full professionalism. The WPSL Elite, an eight-team league that includes three former WPS teams (defending champion Western New York Flash, Boston Breakers and Chicago Red Stars), is the big focus for the league in 2012, with plans to form a division on the West Coast next year.

That leaves this year in a bit of flux, especially with reigning WPSL champ Orange County Waves dropping out after losing their money source. The Pacific-South Division is down to four teams, and they'll play a modest schedule -- six league games, a few crossovers against Northern California clubs, plus whatever friendlies they can scrounge up -- well out of the usual WPSL limelight, as it were.

“We have gone through a major upheaval, and a lot of our regions have shifted around,” league commissioner Jerry Zanelli, who also runs Sacramento-based powerhouse California Storm, told ESPN Los Angeles in an email. “We are having teams in the Pacific Division step out for a year to re-tool to enter the WPSL Western Elite Division next year.”

Only Rolling Hills' Ajax America, Los Alamitos-based L.A. Vikings and the San Diego SeaLions return to the Pacific-South, with Long Beach's Beach Futbol Club joining in. Gone, too, are the Claremont Stars and Pasadena-based LAFC.

The Waves are the big loss. They had a mix of WPS veterans and top amateurs, posted a 14-1-3 record and pulled out the championship game against Chicago on an overtime goal from Tanya Taylor (Buena Park/Sunny Hills HS and UC Irvine).

What happened?

“The CEO decided not to do the Waves, to just concentrate on [sister club Bay Area] Breeze,” said Waves head coach/GM Abner Rogers, who guided the L.A. Sol to the regular-season title in the inaugural 2009 WPS campaign. “He informed us in December and said he'd help us as much as he could, but there's no financial backing.”

The Waves approached youth clubs in the region about sponsorship -- Rogers directs powerhouse Laguna Hills Eclipse -- but was unable to acquire what was needed to continue on. There is hope of a return next year to play in the Western Elite Division, but no telling if it's doable.

Pacific-South play kicks off Friday night at Long Beach State, with Beach FC taking on the L.A. Vikings.

A look at the three local teams:

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Women's Professional Soccer follows Major League Soccer's lead and will stage its college-player draft Friday morning in Kansas City, Mo.

Here are seven local players angling to go to one of the five remaining clubs in America's top women's league:

Colleen Boyd (Oregon State): Goalkeeper from La Cañada Flintridge (La Cañada HS) was pivotal in the Beavers rise to regional power, an All-American who posted 27 shutouts and a 0.81 goals-against average in four seasons.

Judy Christopher (UC Irvine): Holding midfielder from Ontario (Upland HS) doesn't have sparkly numbers, but she's been the best defense-oriented midfielder in the Big West Conference for three seasons, critical to UC Irvine's conference title runs the past two years.

Sarah Devine (UC Irvine): Central defender from San Diego is coming out early -- she's a junior athletically after an injury redshirt her first year but eligible for selection. Sometimes overshadowed by her more celebrated teammate (below), but she's a solid, steady backline presence.

CoCo Goodson (UC Irvine): Central defender from Ramona (San Diego County) is a two-time All-American who, her coach says admiringly, plays the game like a man. She's got a rocket shot and is versatile enough to play anywhere on the field, but she's a force at the back.

Shawna Gordon (Long Beach State): Central midfielder from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos HS) is absolutely unflappable, a technical player who keeps things simple and expertly regulates the game's flow. She shared the 49ers' assists lead this year, with 10, despite taking a deeper stance in midfield, one of the maneuvers key to Long Beach State's run to the NCAA quarterfinals.

Sydney Leroux (UCLA): Forward from Vancouver, British Columbia (by way of Phoenix) is the big fish in this draft pool, a rising U.S. national-teamer and three-time All-American who scored 16 goals as a senior and 57 in four seasons with the Bruins while starring for the U.S. under-20 national team. Fast, intense, athletic.

Camille Levin (Stanford): Outside back from Newport Coast (Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School) might be the most impactful player in the draft. The first-team All-American is smooth, incredibly versatile and reminds some of another So Cal outside back from The Farm, WPS star Ali Riley.

UCLA's Chandler Hoffman scored goals by the bunches on a quest to go home. Nadia Link netted nearly as many to take Long Beach State to unprecedented heights. Christian Ramirez dazzled for Concordia. And Fabiola da Silva prodded Cal Baptist to a national championship.

They're ESPN Los Angeles College Players of the Year after superb fall campaigns on local fields.

We selected men's and women's teams, one for players from 10 local NCAA Division I institutions and another for players from 24 NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and unaffiliated schools.

Our coaches of the year in Division I are Junior Gonzalez, who led the remarkable turnaround by UC Riverside's men, and Tim Ward, whose Pepperdine women were a top-five team during the regular season. In the lower divisions, it's Ralph Perez, who took Redlands' men to 20 wins and NCAA Division III third-round berth, and Kristen St. Clair, who presided over a superb transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II, with the Pacific West Conference title and National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national crown.

The freshmen of the year: Cal State Northridge's Edwin Rivas and UCLA's Abby Dahlkemper in D1, Cal Baptist's Michael Salazar and Cal Lutheran's Taylor Will in D2/D3/NAIA.

Here are our inaugural postseason all-star teams:

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As the college soccer season hits its stretch drive, let's take a look at some of the most dominant players in Southern California this year, no matter the division.

Here are 10 who enjoyed marvelous campaigns:

• LUIS GONZALEZ

Cal Poly Pomona
Who is he? Senior striker from Long Beach (Millikan HS), the national JC Player of the Year at Cerritos College and soon-to-be two-time All-American in two seasons with the Broncos.
What has he done? Scored 14 goals this year and 26 in two seasons at Cal Poly Pomona, winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Most Valuable Offensive Player award this fall.
Coachspeak: “I equate Luis Gonzalez to Magic Johnson,” Broncos coach Lance Thompson said, “and I do that because a heard a story about Magic where he was playing for his youth basketball team and they were winning and he was jumping for joy and excited and couldn't figure out why his teammates were so depressed. Well, if the team scored 70 points, he scored 68, and he learned a valuable lesson of giving and getting others involved so they could contribute, and he became one of the best assist guys ever. That's Luis. Luis takes more pride and has more joy in getting teammates involved than he does in scoring. And the more he gave, the more he received. That's what sets him apart over any other student-athlete I've coached.”

• COCO GOODSON

UC Irvine
Who is she? Senior center back from Ramona (San Diego County), a University of Texas transfer expected to repeat as a Division I All-American.
What has she done? Set the standard at the back to lead the Anteaters to back-to-back Big West Conference titles, an NCAA sweet 16 appearance last year, and a return to the NCAA tournament this fall.
Coachspeak: “Coco's unique,” Anteaters coach Scott Juniper said. “She is the strongest player that I've seen in women's soccer. She strikes a ball better than many of the male players I've worked with, and she is just a relentless competitor. She's totally unique, and there isn't another player out there like her.”

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College all-conference teams are starting to show up, and several local players (and one coach) are winning awards.

All four players of the year in the Big West Conference are with local schools. Long Beach State's Nadia Link (Rowland Heights/Walnut HS) is the Offensive Player of the Year and Shawna Gordon (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS) is Midfielder of the Year.

All-American CoCo Goodson of UC Irvine is the Defensive Player of the Year, and Cal State Northridge's Cynthia Jacobo (Arleta/Granada Hills HS) is Goalkeeper of the Year.

West Coast Conference co-champion Pepperdine was honored with the conference's Coach of the Year, for Tim Ward, and Freshman of the Year, for Lynn Williams.

The Most Valuable Offensive Player in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, for NCAA Division II programs, is Cal State Dominguez Hills' Jessica Murphy (Torrance/West Torrance HS). Cal Poly Pomona's Christina Carriaga (Walnut/Walnut HS and Mt. San Antonio College) is the Newcomer of the Year.

In the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, for NCAA Division III schools, Cal Lutheran swept the top awards, with Sinead Vaughn (Simi Valley/Royal HS, Moorpark College and Cal State Northridge) voted Athlete of the Year and Taylor Will selected Newcomer of the Year.

Here are full lists from the Big West, WCC, CCAA and SCIAC:

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IRVINE -- Long Beach State is returning to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years after knocking off No. 24 UC Irvine in Sunday afternoon's Big West Conference women's tournament final.

Jazz Strozier scored in the 13th minute and the 49ers (15-5-1) backed it up with an organized defense led by goalkeeper Kaitlyn Gustaves and center back Alex Balcer, the tournament MVP.

It was the second straight year Long Beach State has won the title at Anteater Field after UCI captured the regular-season title.

“I thought it was a great day for Long Beach State,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “We came in with a game plan. We executed. ... [UC Irvine is] a very good team.

“We had to earn every inch that we got, but I think hats off to my team this year, because last year I told their coach I thought they were was the best team, when we shook hands, and I feel like this year we had the best team in the Big West.”

Strozier (Ventura/Buena HS and Ventura College) knocked home a corner kick from Loyola Marymount transfer Kelsey Wilson (San Clemente/San Clemente HS) that was first headed by Balcer and Shawna Gordon (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS). It ended a 435-minute shutout streak for the Anteaters, who had shut out their previous four and six of the previous seven foes.

Nadia Link (Rowland Heights/Walnut HS) nearly added to the lead seven minutes into the second half with a floater that Anteaters goalkeeper Jennifer Randazzo tipped onto the crossbar and away.

UCI (14-4-2), which is expected to receive an at-large berth when the 64-team field is unveiled Monday, nearly pulled even on a 60th-minute free kick by All-American CoCo Goodson, a blistering shot that slipped past the 49ers wall and required a diving save by Gustaves (Long Beach/Wilson HS).

Long Beach shifted from its customary 4-3-3 alignment to a 4-4-2 in the second half, with defender-turned-forward Nicole Hubbard (Lakewood/Mayfair HS) moving into midfield, then dropping deeper, right in front of the back four, in the closing minutes.

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UC Irvine has been here before, with a home game against their mightiest rival with an NCAA tournament berth, or at least an automatic berth, there for the taking.

Long Beach State knocked off the Anteaters last year, merely a hiccup en route to UCI's program-best round-of-16 appearance, and the 49ers are the opposition again Sunday in the Big West Conference tournament championship game.

The 24th-ranked Anteaters (14-3-2) will be home for the noon clash. Win or lose, they figure to make the NCAA field, and Long Beach (14-5-1) might be through regardless, too.

“You never know,” Anteaters coach Scott Juniper said on the eve of the match. “I think it looks likely [that we'll make it], and Long Beach has had a great season and put themselves in a great spot. The conference deserves two.”

The Big West usually has been underrated, especially by the NCAA, which relies far too heavily on RPI, a mechanism that doesn't really work when the sampling of interregional matches is so small. The regionalization of the NCAA bracket leads to too many first- and second-round matchups with the UCLAs, Stanfords and Santa Claras, giving the conference little opportunity to demonstrate its quality.

This year could be different. Long Beach State has a vibrant attack guided by wing-forward Nadia Link (Rowland Heights/Walnut HS) and central midfielder Shawna Gordon (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS). UC Irvine has a lock-down defense led by All-American CoCo Goodson and an offense sparked by UCLA transfer Natalia Ledezma (La Mirada/La Mirada HS), a U.S. youth national teams veteran.

“I knew this team could be as good as the team from last year, if not better,” said Juniper, whose Anteaters went 19-2-2 in 2010. “What's different and better is we got more experience and we have more confidence through the fact that we have more experience in the later stages [of the season].”

UCI has won seven in a row, six of them by shutout -- surrendering just 2½ shots on goal on average -- after a stretch of six games in which it conceded two or three goals five times. Juniper said the answer was to “go back to basics,” and Goodson, fellow center back Sarah Devine and top-class holding midfielder Judy Christopher (Ontario/Upland HS) responded with strong performances.

Ledezma has scored 12 goals with eight assists and is seeing her partnership with Lexi Kopf, who has 11 goals, reaching fruition as the NCAA tournament nears. Nice timing.

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LONG BEACH -- If the grind ever seems too tough, the swirl of responsibilities too dizzying, Nadia Link needs only a peek at the inside of her right arm to find the strength to keep pushing.

It's tattooed in stately script, just below her biceps: “Adrianna”

Long Beach State's star forward has overcome some terrific obstacles since learning three years ago, shortly after graduating from Walnut High School (Walnut), that she was pregnant. It sent her down a difficult and at times shrouded path while costing her a UC Irvine scholarship, destroying her relationship with her family, and forcing her to live, for a short stretch, in her car.

That path has led to unexpected reward, on and off the soccer field. Link, following two years of hard work to regain her fitness and form, has emerged as one of the deadliest attackers in the college game, with 12 goals and eight assists to lead the 49ers to a 10-3-1 record and a No. 22 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Division I poll.

It led to last week's call-up to the U.S. under-23 national team's camp at Home Depot Center -- Link was most impressive, reports say -- and All-American buzz for the 5-foot-6 junior.

She has grown up, is getting good grades (while juggling 17 units) and has a plan for the future (nursing and law) and has watched as her family has come together, healed deep wounds and built a connection that had never before existed.

All of it is about Adrianna, her daughter, who will be 3 in January.

“It was very difficult,” Link, 21, says. “I had to do a lot on my own and be really strong, but my outlook is I'm like a freight train now. Any time I ever feel like maybe I should quit, I just look at her, and I find there's no way I can.”

NINE HARD MONTHS

Link, a Rowland Heights native, learned she was pregnant right after her June 2008 graduation from Walnut. She told her mother after accompanying her on a stroll.

“I was figuring something was wrong,” Nelia Mendoza says. “We went home, and it was just her and me, and she says, 'Ma, I want to tell you something.' She was already in tears. I had a feeling, a mother's instinct.

“ 'What, are you pregnant?' That just came out, like that. And she cried. And I screamed, and I cried so hard.”

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All-American Sydney Leroux's first-half goal stood up Sunday for third-ranked UCLA, which posted its third successive Pacific 12 Conference women's soccer shutout in a 1-0 triumph over No. 23 Oregon State.

Leroux, who is in the U.S. national team pool, took a pass from freshman Caprice Dydasco, made a run to the end line and slipped the ball past Beavers goalkeeper Coleen Boyd in the 17th minute. It was her team-best seventh goal of the season.

UCLA (10-0-1), which conceded just three shots to Oregon State (8-3-1) and claimed its seventh shutout in 11 matches, has a showdown next Sunday at No. 1 Stanford (11-0-1).

In other women´s action:

• USC (3-9-0) has lost six straight one-goal decisions after a 2-1 defeat to visiting Oregon. Kristina Noriega (Westminster/Ocean View HS) tallied for the Women of Troy, who dominated play but surrendered a 63rd-minute winner to Bri Pugh.
• Shawna Gordon (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS) and Marysol Rosas (Santa Ana/Mater Dei HS) scored two goals and Nadia Link (Rowland Heights/Walnut HS) netted her 11th of the season as Long Beach State (9-3-1) routed Cal Poly, 6-0, in a Big West Conference clash in San Luis Obispo.
• Kishi Smith (Chatsworth/Chatsworth HS) set up Stacey Fox (Simi Valley/Royal HS) for the 87th-minute equalizer, then converted a penalty kick nearly four minutes into overtime to lift Cal State Fullerton (6-5-2) to a 2-1 Big West triumph at UC Santa Barbara.

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Englishman Andy Rose scored in the first minute of overtime, and UCLA escaped its Pacific 12 Conference men's soccer opener with a 1-0 victory Friday night over visiting California.

Rose, a senior midfielder, scored from Shawn Singh's feed 59 seconds into the extra period, the third pass from a corner kick that Kelyn Rowe played short to Spaniard Victor Munoz.

The 25th-ranked Bruins (6-3-1) were the aggressor and held a 17-6 shot advantage on Cal (3-3-2) in a matchup of the Pac-12's perennial powers. UCLA plays Stanford on Sunday.

In other men's action:

• Taylor Rivas (Lancaster/Lancaster HS and UC Santa Barbara) nodded home an 89th-minute throw-in from Osvaldo Lopez (Palmdale/Palmdale HS) to give Cal State L.A. (5-1-3), ranked 15th in D2, a 1-1 California Collegiate Athletic Conference draw at Cal Poly Pomona (6-2-1).

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UC Irvine and its Orange County rival Cal State Fullerton are off to their best starts in men's soccer in years, but any hopes for unbeaten campaigns -- realistic or not -- are now dead.

The fifth-ranked Anteaters and the Titans suffered their first defeats Sunday, dropping tight encounters on the East Coast.

Irvine (7-1-0) fell, 2-0, in a showdown with 12th-ranked South Florida, which got goals from Wesley Charpie in the 13th minute and Dom Dwyer in the 82nd.

Fullerton (5-1-1), which is ranked 24th by Soccer America, was beaten, 2-1, at George Mason on Taylor Morgan's penalty kick with about 20 minutes to go. Nick Posthuma (Pasadena/St. Francis HS) scored for the Fullerton in the 52nd minute, answering Julio Aronja's strike in the final minute of the second half.

In other men's action:

• Kelyn Rowe's spectacular shot from 30 yards -- off the left post, off the right post and in -- 88 seconds into overtime lifted UCLA (4-2-1) to a 1-0 victory at San Diego.
• Ben Sperber (Palm Desert/Desert Christian HS) provided an early lead, but UC Riverside (3-2-1) settled for a 1-1 draw with visiting San Jose State when Nick Cashmere tallied with 92 seconds left in regulation.
• Jason Swope scored twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation as Cal State L.A. (4-0-2), ranked 10th in NCAA Division II, rallied for a 2-2 California Collegiate Athletic Association draw with visiting Chico State.
• Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-2-1) closed a tough CCAA weekend as Cal State Stanislaus used a physical game plan -- committing 25 fouls to 11 for the Toros -- en route to a 1-0 victory. CSUDH was ranked 23rd in the NCAA Division II poll but lost, 5-0, Friday to Chico State.
• Cal Poly Pomona (4-2-0) topped visiting UC San Diego, 3-0, in a CCAA clash on goals by Boris Beta, Ian Trantow (Riverside/Arlington HS) and Jonathan Enns.

WOMEN: Hubbard's hat trick lifts Long Beach

Nicole Hubbard scored a hat trick as Long Beach State broke out a deadly attack Sunday afternoon, routing St. Mary's, 6-0, at George Allen Field.

Hubbard (Lakewood/Mayfair HS) tallied in the 17th, 29th and 64th minutes for the 49ers (6-3-0), who also received big games from Shawna Gordon and Nadia Link.

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UCLA doesn't look much like the title contender it might be destined to become -- not yet. The Bruins, ranked as high as fourth nationally, lost again Sunday, leaving them winless in three games.

Alex Henry's goal nearly 10 minutes into overtime carried UC Davis to a 2-1 home triumph, the Aggies' first victory over UCLA in program history.

“Our team executed our tactics perfectly today, and I knew that eventually we were going to get one on them,” UC Davis coach Dwayne Shaffer told his school's athletics website. “It's a huge win for our program, and it means a lot not only to our players, but to our entire athletics department.”

Chandler Hoffman scored from Kelyn Rowe's through ball in the 87th minute to give life to the Bruins, who were down to 10 men after Ryan Lee's red card four minutes earlier.

Goalkeeper Omar Zeenni (Arcadia/Crespi Carmelite HS) made eight saves for UC Davis (1-1-1).

UCLA (0-2-1) lost its opener at No. 1 Louisville and tied Santa Clara on Friday. The first home game is Friday night at Drake Stadium against St. Mary's.

In other men's action:

• Christian Hernandez (Palmdale/Palmdale HS) scored his third and fourth goals as No. 14 UC Irvine (4-0-0) topped visiting Drake, 2-1.
• David Opoku's 16th-minute goal gave No. 9 UC Santa Barbara (3-0-0) a Carolina sweep with a 1-0 victory at North Carolina State.
• Jake Dobkins and Omar Mata scored goals seven minutes apart to give Tulsa a 2-1 win over No. 25 Loyola Marymount (1-2-0).
• Nick Echeverry (Anaheim/Servite HS) scored just 19 seconds after kickoff, enough for Chapman (2-0-0) in a 1-0 win over Puget Sound.
• Cal Lutheran got its season off to a dream start -- Raul Yepez (Oxnard/Pacifica HS) scores twice in the first 29 minutes -- but Fontbonne, from St. Louis, rallied for a 3-2 victory.
• Matt Sykes' penalty kick in overtime carried Grand Canyon to a 2-1 win over Cal Poly Pomona (1-1-0).

THREE IN A ROW FOR USC: Courtney Garcia (Yorba Linda/Esperanza HS), just moments after coming off the bench, knocked home an overtime rebound, and USC (3-3-0) rallied for its third successive win, a 2-1 decision at Purdue.

Elizabeth Eddy (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS) scored an equalizer in the 63rd minute for USC, which beat No. 17 Illinois in Friday's opener at the Illini/Boilermaker Cup.

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Lexi Kopf scored her second goal in as many games and All-America candidate CoCo Goodson led a heroic defensive effort as UC Irvine stunned 11th-ranked Texas A&M, 1-0, to win the Aggies' Invitational in triple-digit heat Sunday.

Kopf, who netted the 88th-minute winner against UT San Antonio in the tournament opener Friday, tallied just eight minutes in from a feed by Dana Sanderlin (Upland/Upland HS) to lead the Anteaters (2-0-0), who are 17th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's preseason Top 25. The next ranking will be issued Tuesday.

Irvine withstood a constant barrage from Texas A&M, which rolled up a 21-5 advantage in shots -- 13-1 in the second half -- and 11-2 on corner kicks. A solid defensive effort backed by freshman Jennifer Randazzo's seven saves forged the shutout.

UCI's women have beaten only one team ranked higher the Aggies, upsetting No. 10 Hartford in 1995.

In other games:

• Freshman Brianne Medved's first collegiate goal lifted Loyola Marymount (2-0-0) to a 1-0 win at Texas State, completing the Lions' perfect trip to the Lone Star State.
• Stephanie Ochs' hat trick led San Diego in a 3-1 rout of USC (0-2-0). Pierce College transfer Erica Vangsness (Los Angeles/University HS) tallied for the Women's of Troy with five seconds to go.
• Sophomore Nikki McCants (Corona/Santiago HS) scored twice, matching her freshman total, to carry Cal State Fullerton (1-0-1) past Long Island, 3-1.
• Jazz Strozier (Ventura/Buena HS and Ventura College) scored and assisted Shawna Gordon (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS) in the first eight minutes as Long Beach State (2-0-0) romped past Sacramento State, 3-0, in its home opener.
• Michelle Manning (Calabasas/Agoura HS) and freshman Lynn Williams tallied for Pepperdine (2-0-0), which beat Arizona, 2-0, in its hjome opener.
• Senior Kayde Hensley's first career goal was enough for UC Riverside (0-1-1) to claim a 1-1 draw against Idaho at UNLV's Rebel Classic.

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The college women's season kicked off for real Friday with Long Beach State riding its biggest star to pull out a tight victory over No. 25 USC at McAllister Park.

Two-time first-team All-Big West midfielder Shawna Gordon (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS) beat USC goalkeeper Shelby Church with an 86th-minute header to lift the 49ers to a 2-1 triumph.

Defender Alex Balcer also scored, on a 45-yard free kick off Church's hands, for Long Beach State, which rallied after Haley Boysen (Moorpark/Harvard-Westlake School) gave the Women of Troy a 17th-minute advantage with a looping header off Brittany Kerridge's free kick.

The 49ers are expected to battle UC Irvine, which won its opener (see below), for the Big West Conference title this season, and USC provides a decent barometer, even if the meeting came a little early for Mauricio Ingrassia.

“I think for both teams, first game out, not a lot of rhythm that can be developed,” the eighth-year Long Beach State coach told ESPN Los Angeles. “It would have been nice to play each other maybe five games in, when we've had a little time to settle our lineups.”

Gordon scored after a long throw-in at 6-foot-1 Jazz Strozier (Ventura/Buena HS and Ventura College) flicked into the goalmouth. The ball was knocked about and into the air, and the midfielder -- “Our leader,” Ingrassia called her -- leapt above three others to nod the ball into the net.

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Orange County Blue Star made its move in the Premier Development League's Southwest Division playoff race, and Ventura County Fusion swept its matches in Utah to surge atop the standings, but it's the Fresno Fuego who remain in control.

Two postseason berths await a quartet of contenders, and Blue Star (7-3-1) appears likeliest to challenge the Fusion (8-0-4) and Fuego (7-0-3) for after routing the Southern California Seahorses (7-3-2) for their fifth straight win.

Fernando Monge scored twice from feeds by UCLA teammate Chandler Hoffman, who has 12 goals and six assists, in the 4-1 victory in La Mirada. O.C. is fourth, one point behind the Seahorses, but have a game in hand and head north this weekend for the first of two meetings with Fresno in its final five regular-season matches.

The Fusion, who won the PDL title in 2009 and the Southwest Division last year, are four points ahead of Fresno after toppling BYU and Ogden. Fresno would capture the division if it wins the rest of its games.

More on local clubs and players:

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