By
Audrey DeAnda
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Klein still seeking warriors
The Arizona soccer team found offense from an unlikely source this weekend in sophomore defender Naomi Chu.
Chu had an integral part in both Wildcat goals this weekend as she scored the lone goal against Pittsburgh and assisted in Keri Kennedy-Weber's goal against Utah.
"I was out here to play to win, and I'm hoping that all of us are coming out here to play to win with our minds and our bodies," Chu said.
In the 16th minute against the Panthers, Chu scored her first goal of the season when she blasted a 25-yard shot from the top of the box to dent the upper left side of the net.
Chu is leading the team in shots this season with nine and also has the team lead with points (three).
She attempted only four shots in all of 1999.
The play of the weekend went to UA senior defender Ann Giallonardo.
Giallonardo, who has been the team's top defender, made an acrobatic save in Friday's game against Pittsburgh when goalkeeper Shannon Monti was drawn out of the net in the 30th minute of the game.
"That kid game in and game out gives you every ounce that she has," UA head coach Cathy Klein said.
The senior defender slide-kicked the ball before it skipped across the goal line to keep the Wildcats temporarily on top, 1-0.
"I was scared to death on that one seeing the ball roll in," Giallonardo said about the save. "I did whatever I could to slide and keep it out. Thank God I got it."
UA junior forward Kristi Lorona was suspended from playing in Sunday's Utah game after she was ejected from Friday's game against Pittsburgh.
Lorona and Pittsburgh junior forward Cande Ruiz got into an altercation after Ruiz apparently stomped on UA junior midfielder Twila Kaufman when they got tangled up after a play.
Lorona ran up to Ruiz and pushed her. Both had to be separated and were subsequently ejected.
The game was physical in nature and generated three yellow cards that were given to the Panthers along with the two red cards given to Lorona and Ruiz.
"I don't know what happened (with the altercation), I'll have to look at the tape," Klein said. "All I know was Lorona walked to the bench."
After the weekend games, Klein is still looking for the rest of the team to join the team's seven leaders and get the "warrior mentality."
"I believe, unfortunately, that we still only have seven warriors on this team," Klein said. "Cassidy (Guinn), Ann (Giallonardo), Erin (Nelson), Kate (Nighswander-Will), Monti, Twila (Kaufman) and Naomi are the heart and soul of our team and the rest of our kids need to develop that mentality."
Klein said the team still needs to develop the winning mentality - that means being unsatisfied with a one-goal lead.
In the beginning of the season, a conversation between Klein and Chu highlighted the goals of the young team.
"Naomi was like 'Cathy, these are all the kids that felt it in the spring and discovered what it was like to win,'" Klein said. "'We were the only seven to make it through the spring healthy, everyone else is just learning.'"
"The faster we get 11 warriors and the faster we get 14 warriors at the same time, those kids that are already leading the team have to learn what it takes to win the game."
