Kicks getting easier to find at UNLV

Steve Carp

Friday, June 6, 1997 | 5:47 a.m.

The day was coming. And when it arrived, UNLV was going to be prepared.

At some point, the school was going to add women's soccer to its athletic program. Whether it was by choice, by necessity or by popular demand, the sport was going to be instituted.

Turns out it was a combination of all of the above. In 1998, the Rebels will be playing their inaugural season at Peter Johann Field.

"We knew at some point we were going to add at least two women's sports," said UNLV athletic director Charles Cavagnaro. "So we wanted to make sure we had a plan. And we have a plan."

Why women's soccer? Why now?

Start with the fact there's tremendous local interest in the sport.

Lots of kicks

There are approximately 5,000 Las Vegas girls playing in the Silver State Girls Soccer League and the Rainbow Youth Soccer League, Sagebrush Youth Soccer and Nevada South Youth Soccer programs. Virtually every high school in town fields a girls' soccer team and several of the top prep players have moved on as scholarship athletes.

"There's a built-in talent pool to recruit from," said Barry Barto, the UNLV men's coach who will assume the title of Director of Soccer and work with the women's program. "That's an important asset when you can recruit locally. It saves money and time."

Then there's the phenomenal growth of the women's game. In 1982, the first year the NCAA staged championship events for women, only 25 schools fielded varsity programs. In 1996, 211 schools had women's soccer.

In the Western Athletic Conference, 13 of the 16 member institutions have women's soccer. When UNLV begins play in 1998, the Rebels will play in the Pacific Division along with defending champ Brigham Young, Fresno State, Hawaii, San Jose State, San Diego State and Utah.

The colleges are the main source of talent for the U.S. Women's National Team and the Olympic squad, each of which won gold medals at the World Cup and last summer's Atlanta Games. The success of the national program has spurred interest at the collegiate level and that has trickled down to the high schools and the clubs.

"No question, the national team's success has created more interest in the game," Barto said. "Girls are seeing they can use soccer as a means to get an education and beyond."

Law-abiding citizens

The other impetus for starting women's soccer at UNLV is the law.

In its attempt to comply with Title IX, the federal mandate which requires equal opportunities for women in athletics, the school had to either drop a couple of men's sports or add women's teams to balance the participating numbers.

Cavagnaro said it was a no-brainer to add soccer.

"It was an easy call because everything is already in place," he said. "We have the facility (Johann Field and the Robert J. Miller Soccer Building), the practice fields and a recruiting base.

"The only thing we're lacking right now is a coach and players. And we're working on that as we speak."

Nearly 60 people applied to become UNLV's first women's soccer coach. The list has been pared to a final four, and Cavagnaro hopes to have the coach in place by the time the 1997 fall semester begins in August.

Precedent set

UNLV will use the blueprint of a couple of its existing programs for its soccer team. Like volleyball did two years ago, the coach will spend the upcoming year recruiting, building the schedule and developing community contacts for fund-raising.

There will be no club team in 1997. Play will not begin until the fall of '98.

Like with UNLV tennis, where Larry Easley oversees the program but doesn't coach the women's team, Barto will head both soccer teams but will not coach the women. However, he will work in conjunction with the women's coach in terms of coordinating practice times, the schedule and fund-raising.

"We talked about the possibility of me (coaching) both," Barto said. "But this will be fine. My role will be to assist the person they hire and walk that person through the process on campus and in the community."

Barto didn't believe the advent of women's soccer would mean the men being shortchanged.

"Absolutely not," he said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to open up more (fund-raising) opportunities for both teams. Our goal is to sell soccer."

Team effort

Barto has spent the past few months doing a lot of the legwork to build the foundation for the women's program. He has worked closely with Lisa Kelleher, UNLV's senior women's administrator, to identify needs and potential coaches.

A six-member committee has been screening applicants and will interview the four finalists. Cavagnaro said gender will not be the determining factor as to who becomes UNLV's first women's soccer coach.

"We're interested in hiring the best person available," he said. "What we're looking for is another Deitre Collins (UNLV's volleyball coach). Someone who's going to hit the ground running and not look back."

Cavagnaro also praised Barto's efforts on behalf of the fledgling program.

"It's pleasing to see Barry's enthusiasm and effort in this project," he said. "It has his juices flowing again."

Cavagnaro said the plan is to eventually fully fund the women's program's 12-scholarship allotment over two years. Six scholarships will be available for 1998 with the remainder being filled for 1999.

Barto said the hope is for 24 women to join the program for the first year.

"We're shooting for a full roster the first season," he said. "How the scholarships will break down will be up to the coach. But 24 is the maximum number you can have and that's what we hope to field."

How soon can UNLV be competitive? Barto believes sooner than people think.

Biding time

"It may take four to six years," Barto said about becoming a women's force. "But that's not a long time. That's one full cycle of a recruiting class and half of another.

"The competition for women players has increased, but it's not as competitive as the men, where the tradition is greater. The programs that are sinking money into women's soccer -- the North Carolinas, the Notre Dames, the Santa Claras -- those are the ones getting the players.

"If we do a good job of recruiting, getting the best local kids to stay home and get some top players from outside, UNLV can be competitive in the WAC very quickly."

Barto said interest is already keen. He has fielded a half-dozen calls from prospective players who want to come to UNLV and has talked to coaches in the Olympic Development Program about potential recruits.

"The word's getting out," he said. "I think it's going to be exciting for the school and the community to have a women's team."