Women's Soccer Wraps Homestand Sunday vs. Gonzaga
10/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MALIBU, Calif. - At the risk of using a tired cliché, midfielder Rebecca Klamser is the type of student-athlete who'd rather be seen and not heard.
The redshirt-sophomore, recruited out of nearby Buena High School in Ventura, Calif., is admittedly shy. She's the kind of person that takes some time warming up to others; the one who sits in the back listening to a conversation rather than partaking.
But after spending close to two agonizing seasons watching from the bench due to ankle and heel injuries, she's more than willing to make for those lost opportunities.
"It was all such a frustrating experience," Klamser said of her time on the sidelines. "I kept telling myself I can be helping out there helping and making an impact."
In reality, though, she couldn't.
First, she suffered a severely sprained ankle in her first collegiate start at Ohio State, which caused her to miss more than half the season. Then, there was an issue concerning a hole in her heel caused by a cyst. Not only did she miss her entire sophomore campaign of 2008, she also was held out of the preceding spring season.
Nowadays, Klamser is close to 100 percent. She's appeared in 12 of 13 matches with six starts and has collected 756 minutes of playing time, including 110 last Sunday in a 0-0 tie against Loyola Marymount. Klamser felt great during the game but her legs turned to Jell-O overnight and she could hardly move the following day.
"It felt great not to have practice Monday," she said.
Klamser's ankles are still giving her a tough time from day to day. And while she gets them taped and goes through physical therapy sessions as needed, head coach Tim Ward is more than thankful to have her out on the pitch.
"Becca's our diamond in the rough and she really shines," he said. "Being on the sideline wasn't an easy place for her to be emotionally after suffering those injuries. She wasn't smiling; it was hard for her to stay positive. But now that she's out there, Becca's been a key player we're stoked to have her on our side."
Klamser's strength as a player is being a people person. Indeed she's shy, but as a perpetual observer of all things Pepperdine soccer, the sociology student (and future elementary school teacher) has developed a certain knack for understanding many of her teammate's on-field tendencies.
"For me, sociology means understanding people," she said. "And I feel that I know each one of my teammates really well in addition to their individual strengths. I know if they want to receive the ball along the ground or settle it from the air."
Ward said when Klamser is carrying the ball it's like she has eyes in the back of her head. She can look to her right while finding someone on her left with a well-timed pass or via an eccentric dribbling maneuver. She is grace under pressure.
"I feel calm at midfield and being able to see everything that's going on behind, in front of, or on the sides of me," Klamser said. "It's something I have to practice and I'm lucky to have this field vision because I think it makes up for those areas in my game where I'm weak.
"In high school I would be counted on to slip through good balls and we would get rewarded. I'm not a scorer, but I'm good at setting people up."
"She's not the biggest player out there," Ward added, "but I think people notice the skills she has with the ball. She's a good player who understands the game at the high level."
Friday's match against Portland aside, the Pepperdine offense has made a lot of noise this season without much to show for its efforts on the scoreboard.
The Waves' went into this weekend averaging more than 13 shots per match and are receiving many good looks largely as a result of midfielders like Klamser, Kelly Reilly (Cardiff, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) and Michelle Spacciapolli (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS) winning the ball and pushing it forward.
The hardest part it seems is deciding whether to shoot or pass.
"We're working on remaining calm in the front third," Klamser said. "Composure is greatly important and knowing where to go with the ball and when to strike. We don't rush in practice because the goal is to set someone else up, but it's hard to do in the heat of a game when the adrenaline is rushing.
"There is no fear within this offense. We'll go after people with confidence and use our speed and skills. We have a lot of smart players on this team and I thought our performance against LMU was encouraging; it was one of our best of the year. Even though we didn't win, that game was a great way to start off our conference season."
In spite of all its hard work, Pepperdine still hasn't scored through its two conference matches and are 0-1-1 heading into Sunday's must-win contest with a hungry Gonzaga team.
The Bulldogs are in the midst of a four-match losing streak and will face Loyola Marymount Friday night before heading up the coastline to Malibu. Gonzaga began the season at 6-3, but are 1-4 on their current seven-match road trip.
Sarah Rhodes, Lori Conrad and Jessie Sorenson are tied for the team lead with seven points, as all three have contributed three goals and one assist.
The Bulldogs' goalkeeping tandem of Amy Danielson and Jessie Thalman has experienced mixed results while splitting time in the net. Danielson is 2-3 with a 1.23 GAA and Thalman is 4-4 with a shutout over Idaho and a GAA of 1.97.
Promotion: Sunday is Malibu Soccer Academy Day at Tari Frahm Rokus Field and all Malibu Soccer Academy participants from this past year will receive free admission.
