By Ron Smith
August 30, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) The first day of the 2025 Women's Soccer season didn't start with training camp. It didn't start with the naming of new head coach Lauren Matthias or assistant coach Emmy Meyring. Nor did it start with the final horn in the 2024 season, or the signing of this year's freshmen recruits.
 
No, the first day of the 2025 season started years ago. Make that decades ago.
 
"I tell our players all the time that there are so many things our program does, and so many qualities and character traits we have, that were around long before I was a player here," reflected Matthias. "Regardless of who the coaching staff or the players are, there are certain values and core pillars that make up our program. They are strongly embedded into what we do.
 
"Things like the community aspect of our program, the culture, the high standards we set for ourselves, and the pursuit of excellence were all laid down by generations before us. As a coaching staff, we are mindful of how historically rich our program is and we want our players to choose daily to continue in that heritage.
 
"We have a really good foundation, but to continue to build the house is an active choice. I hope that our players feel the extreme honor to wear the jersey and know, as Westmont women's soccer players, that people have poured into this program before them, and continue to do so.
 
"There is a former player who volunteered last week to do the team's laundry. Another alumna came to campus and laid out all of our players' gear. I feel a deep, personal connection to our alumnae, even those I didn't play with. I am striving to do everything I can to uphold those things that make our program so special and unique. I want people on the outside, whether recruits or parents, alumnae or friends, to be able to look inside and want to come along beside us and be part of this program."
 
This season, the Westmont Women's Soccer culture is being expressed by the theme, 'Driven by Devotion, Defined by Discipline'.
 
"Sydney Reese came up with our theme," reported Matthias, "and Ainsley Martin broke it down and explained it to the team in a really meaningful way. In a nutshell, we are driven by a deep love for the game, a deep love for one another, and a deep love to serve our Lord. That is the motivating factor of why we are here and why we are on the team.
 
"Then the 'defined by discipline' part is the quality that allows us to be good stewards of the Lord, good teammates, good soccer players and a good team. There has to be this underlying theme of discipline and accountability to holding the standard. Our players are hungry for discipline because they know that it's going to produce really good fruit."
 
THE ROSTER
 
"There's a lot of depth in our roster this year, and I expect every player to contribute and have impact in some capacity," expressed Matthias. "I believe that every one of them has something to pour into this team.
 
"There are a few words I have heard from people who have observed our team." said Matthias. "Those are 'electric', 'gritty', 'hardworking' and 'tenacious'. We want to play boldly and courageously. In our first two scrimmages, we saw more of that. I've been around these players for a long time and I am seeing a whole other level of courage and bravery.
 
"Another important quality that I want people to see in us is resiliency. Regardless of who we are playing, even if it is in a scrimmage, we want to come out with this mental resilience and play our game. We have to play every game as if it is the PacWest Championship."


Those dynamic qualities are exemplified in the 20 returning players and 13 newcomers that make up the 2025 roster.
 
The goalkeepers are junior Ellie Ludwig and redshirt sophomore Katie Lannon.
 
"I am extremely confident with the two goalkeepers we have," assessed Matthias. "Ellie is our returning starter and has a ton of experience. I think they bring different strengths to the table, but I'm confident in both of them.
 
"Both bring a confidence of composure in their communication and are able to communicate clearly and briefly in the run of play. Neither one of them shies away from challenging plays. They both play with boldness and courage that I think the rest of our team feeds off of."
 
Ludwig played in 18 games for the Warriors last season and made 15 starts. She posted a goals-against average of 1.31 in 1,440 minutes of play. Ludwig posted a record of 9-7-1 and tallied five shutouts.
 
"I have seen a lot of growth from the players in our back line as a whole," noted Matthias. "They have grown in their ability to be more composed on the ball when they are not under high pressure. "I would argue that everyone in our back line is good at winning tackles.
 
"As a four-year starter for us, and one of our two captains, Makenna Meyers is an anchor for us in the back line."
 
Meyers played in all 19 games and made 18 starts in her junior campaign. In her first three years, she played in 54 games, made 47 starts and logged over 4,000 minutes.
 
"We have a lot of options for our back line," posited Matthias. "We know we can put Ainsley Martin at outside back and she is going to be fantastic. However, we can also move her around because she tactically knows the game really well. Vanessa Alcala is fast and a really good one-on-one defender."
 
Martin recorded two goals and contributed two assists for the Warriors last year. Alcala saw action in 17 games, scoring a goal against Jessup.
 
"Madison Ford is also an anchor in the back for us," noted Matthias. "She brings strength in the air, precise distribution, and great one-on-one defending.
 
"A player that had a standout spring was Giselle Cansino," noted Matthias. "She has really blossomed and flourished and I am excited to see what she can do at outside back. We could also use her at forward."
 
"A freshman we are excited about at center back is Estelle Bacsafra," said Matthias. "We are also interested to see if she could play as a defensive midfielder for us. She doesn't play like a freshman. She is very confident and calm on the ball."
 
Bacsafra, a native of Fair Oaks, comes to the Warriors from Saint Francis Catholic High School.
 
"Our holding midfielders include Emily Jordan, who is always locked in defensively," expressed Matthias. "We also have our transfer student from Santa Barbara City College, Gizela Zermeno who can be a bit of a secret weapon for us. She can shut opponents down and is so good one on one."
 
Jordan is a redshirt junior who saw action in 12 games last season. Zermeno was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection at SBCC.
 
"Moving up the midfield into the attacking positions, we come to Amelia Villa," said Matthias. "She is also a captain for us and is a player we can slide around to different parts of the field. We have put her at outside back and she has been fantastic. She is a special player and a playmaker for us that can hold the ball on her foot for a very long time."
 
Villa tallied five goals and a team-leading six assists for the Warriors last year. She is a two-time All-PacWest selection who was named to the first team in 2024.
 
"Ellie Gilbert is a returning sophomore who had a high number of minutes for us last season," offered Matthias.
"She has been picking up where she left off and already contributing a ton in the attack."
 
Gilbert, a Second Team All-PacWest honoree last year, recorded a goal and an assist.
 
"Sydney Reese has had a hot start to training camp," reported Matthias. "She scored in both of our scrimmages. We have tried pushing her higher into the midfield and she has been calm, collected and consistent for us.
 
"Ruby Stimer is someone whom we always trust going into the game. She brings composure for us."
 
Reese played in 18 games last season while Stimer played in 10. Both recorded an assist.
 
"At forward, Sierra Martin has been consistent for us," said Matthias. "Defensively, she is so good at forcing the other team to make mistakes. She has good speed. Offensively, she also has had a really hot start in terms of generating a lot of opportunities and being able to put some away herself."
 
Martin, who was named to the All-PacWest Third Team, notched four goals last season, including a hat trick against Academy of Art.
 
"Madeline Steinbach has also been scoring, generating offense and assisting," reported Matthias. "We saw glimpses of something really good in her last year and she has come out this season with a bang. She's a gamer, which is fun to watch."
 
Steinbach also scored four times last year, playing in 13 games and making eight starts.
 
"A freshman whom I think will get some minutes up top is Kaia Diedricks," assessed Matthias. "She's very smart and very good at reading the game. She is able to connect and keep the ball and doesn't lose it very often."
 
Diedricks played at Colfax High School before coming to Westmont.
 
"Skyler McNamara is someone whom I see contributing as well," said Matthias. "She grew a lot this offseason and I think is someone that we can continue to pour into and build up her confidence. She is someone who could be pretty dangerous for us. Ciara Caringal has pace, determination and wants to make an impact, as does Hannah Hays who brings a lot of strength in the air."
 
THE SCHEDULE
 
"It's a very competitive schedule," said Matthias about her non-conference opponents. "The West Region is arguably the top Division II region for women's soccer. The opponents we have in the non-conference season are going to prepare us for what we're going to see in the PacWest."
 
The last two Division II national champions have come from the West Region.
 
The Warriors open the regular season at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday, September 4 before returning the following Saturday at 4:00 p.m. to host CSU Los Angeles in the home opener.
 
Then on Thursday, September 11, Westmont will play at Cal Poly Pomona, the defending DII national champion.
 
After an exhibition game at home on Wednesday, September 13, against California Lutheran, the Warriors will travel to Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, September 20. The team will wrap up the non-conference season with home games against UC Merced and Stanislaus State.
 
Conference play begins on Thursday, October 2 when Westmont welcomes the Golden Eagles of Concordia to campus. Then, Westmont goes on the road for the next three games, making stops at Menlo, Fresno Pacific and Azusa Pacific.
 
On Saturday, October 18, the Warriors return to Thorrington Field to take on Biola as part of Homecoming activities. That evening, Westmont Athletics will celebrate 50 years of women's sports.
 
The following week, Westmont flies to Oahu to play against Hawai'i Pacific and Chaminade. Then it's back to Santa Barbara for the final games of the regular season. The three-game homestand will feature games against Vanguard, Point Loma and Dominican.
 
"There are no easy games on our schedule," asserted Matthias. "Every game is going to be a battle, which I think makes it fun."
 
There are two PacWest teams that are not on the Warriors' schedule this year – Hawai'i Hilo and Jessup.
 
The PacWest Tournament will be conducted November 13-15 at Point Loma, featuring the four teams that finish atop the PacWest standings.
 
"I think the top teams competing for the four spots will probably be Point Loma, Concordia, Hilo, Azusa Pacific and ourselves," predicted Matthias.
 
The PacWest semifinals will be played on Thursday and the championship will take place on Saturday. The winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II national championships, which begins on November 20.