CSUN University News Clippings

Paletta

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Kaitlin Paletta (Moorpark) likes to be challenged on the soccer field.

She likes to be surrounded by players who are serious about the sport, players who never miss a practice and don’t need to be motivated for games.

Paletta has found that environment at UC Berkeley.

The 5-foot-6 redshirt freshman is a starting defender for a Cal team ranked No. 10 in the nation by Soccer America.

“It is definitely a huge adjustment. It is nothing like club at all. If you make one mistake, you lose a game,” Paletta said. “Even practice is way more competitive and everyone is fighting for a position. There are no bad players on your team. Everyone is good enough to start.”

The Bears have been forced to deal with some unexpected adversity just as they begin Pacific-10 Conference play.

Cal coach Neil McGuire resigned 10 days ago and missed Cal’s game against Santa Clara. But McGuire returned to the team on Monday and is expected to resume coaching.

The ordeal has left Cal’s players in a state of confusion.

“It is a really weird situation,” Paletta said. “But I think we have gotten closer since it happened, so it seems to be a good thing in that way. We play more for each other now and not for him anymore.”

Paletta redshirted last year with a torn hamstring, but was healthy by the time Cal took a summer trip to Italy.

The Bears mixed soccer with sightseeing, including visits to the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Vatican.

“It was awesome and really, really fun,” Paletta said. “We went all over and we won all of our games there, so that was good too.”

Between the challenges on the field and the challenges in the classroom, Paletta has no complaints about attending Cal.

“I love the school and would never leave,” she said. “It is very diverse. You get a little bit of everything here and you can see the whole Bay. Everything on campus is at your fingertips and you can have everything you want.”

Football factoids: University of San Diego freshman linebacker Zach Dunaj (Westlake) made a team-leading 10 tackles in a 25-24 loss to Butler. Dunaj had seven solo tackles and three assisted tackles. The performance earned Dunaj a starting role. … UC Davis junior wide receiver Sean Creadick (Camarillo) caught two touchdown passes in a loss to Boise State. Creadick finished with four catches for 53 yards. … Sacramento State freshman Sam McCowan (Oxnard) scored on touchdown runs of 6 and 1 yards in a loss to Eastern Washington. McCowan finished with seven carries for 37 yards. … Northern Arizona senior wide receiver Conrad Meadows (Moorpark, Moorpark College) caught his first touchdown pass of the season in a victory over Northern Colorado. … Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior linebacker Carlton Gillespie (St. Bonaventure) recovered a fumble in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in a 21-14 victory over South Dakota State.

News and notes: Northern Arizona junior Jason Pedersen (Royal) finished 19th in a time of 24 minutes, 32.60 seconds to help the Lumberjacks men’s cross country team win the team title at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State. … Oregon senior Nicole Blood (Royal) finished 15th (17:09.60) at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. … Arizona State junior Anna Sperry (Simi Valley) finished 21st (17:11) at the Notre Dame Invitational. … UC San Diego junior tennis player Armaun Emami (Oxnard) teamed with Austin West to win the doubles title at ITA West Region Championships. Emami and West defeated Sonoma State’s Conner Olson and Taylor Bianco 8-5 in the final. … Cal State Northridge senior defender Dylan Riley (Thousand Oaks) scored the go-ahead goal in a 3-1 men’s soccer victory over UC Riverside. … UC Santa Barbara junior striker Kylie McDonald (Westlake) recorded an assist in a 3-2 victory over Cal State Northridge. … University of San Francisco freshman forward Megan Connor (Oaks Christian) scored goals in a 1-1 tie against Pacifica and a victory over Eastern Washington. … University of Massachusetts-Boston freshman Shannon Thompson (Moorpark) was named Little East Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the fourth time in five weeks. The middle hitter had 15 kills, three aces, seven blocks and a career-high 18 digs in a victory over Tufts. … University of Tampa junior middle hitter Sam Macks (Oak Park) had four kills and two blocks in a victory over Florida Southern.