LaRocca, Harper women's soccer off to big start
Harper College women's soccer coach Dwayne Cruz could not have asked for a better start to the 2010 season.
Freshman forward Jaclyn LaRocca (Schaumburg) broke the school's single-game scoring record when she scored 10 goals on opening day against Milwaukee Area Technical College.
The Hawks followed up with a loss to rival College Of DuPage.
"Our fitness was not where I wanted it to be (against COD)," Cruz said.
The Hawks (2-1) have not found a No. 1 goalie yet. Both freshman goalies - Ally Fernandez and Nicole Gaborek (Hersey) - have been splitting time in net as they continue to battle for the starting job.
LaRocca (Schaumburg) leads NJCAA scoring with 27 points. Sophomore forward Heather Pawlish (Schaumburg) is tied for fifth nationally in points with 15.
The Hawks travel to Rochester Community College this weekend.
Steady, now: It's been an up-and-down season for the Harper men's soccer team. After winning their first two games to start a season-long five-game home stand, the Hawks proceeded to drop their next three, including a 7-0 loss at the hands of NJCAA Division I 4-ranked College of DuPage.
This week, the Hawks hit the road for the first time this season. On Monday, Harper traveled to Triton College for a matchup with the No. 5-ranked team in NJCAA Division III. The Hawks suffered their fourth straight loss, 3-1.
On Tuesday, the Hawks lost to a vastly improved Kankakee Community College team, and on Wednesday they traveled to conference foe Joliet Junior College. Trailing 1-0 at half, the Hawks came back to earn a 2-2 tie.
Coach Jason Diebold is trying to keep his team thinking positively.
"(Tuesday's) game was the game that they figured it out," Diebold said. "The team is starting to come together and play as a unit."
The Hawks (2-5-1) have been without some key players early in the season due to injuries. The midfield has been hardest hit; the Hawks have changed from their normal 4-4-2 formation into a a 4-3-2-1.
Next week the Hawks play the two teams at the bottom of the conference, Madison College and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Side out: Improvement is the name of the game for the Harper women's volleyball team after last weekend's College of Lake County Invitational. The Hawks went 2-3 in the tournament, but two of the losses came against NJCAA Division II ranked opponents (Lincoln Land, No. 14, and Kankakee, No. 19). The Hawks are 8-9 overall.
"We really learned allot over the weekend," said Harper coach Bob Vilsoet.
Lindsey Pickle (Prospect) is leading the Hawks in hitting percentage.
"I believe that when we fix the hitting errors, we are going to be a top-notch team," Vilsoet said.
Former Fremd middle hitter Liz Dotson was added to the roster last week. Dotson and setter Alyssa Cazzato (Bartlett) are starting to form a lethal setter-hitter combination.
This week the Hawks play four games, three of them in Saturday's Illinois Valley invite.