BARNETT A QUICK LEARNER AFTER THREE YEARS AWAY, SHE ANCHORS COC'S DEFENSE.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Tessa Barnett questioned her coach's sanity at first. Maybe he was mistaking her for someone else.

It turns out Phil Marcellin wasn't crazy and he had exactly the right person to anchor the defense of his College of the Canyons women's soccer team. Barnett never reached the varsity level in high school and hadn't played soccer in three years before joining the Cougars, but she ended up as one of the stingiest defenders on a COC team going for a third consecutive Western State Conference South Division title.

``She's one of those who doesn't have a stellar resume but has come here and done a great job,'' said Marcellin, who, as a former defender, takes particular pride in his team's defense. ``She's one of the best one-on-one defenders you'll find and I've seen quite a few.

``She's our No. 1 marker. When we have someone on the other team that's a dangerous scorer, she's the one responsible for making sure they aren't dangerous.''

With Barnett's help, the first-place Cougars have posted eight shutouts and allowed more than one goal only three times during a 15-1-2 start that has them ranked No. 4 in Southern California.

Barnett, 20, had a little experience as a defender with a club team, but she wasn't sure if that's where she belonged at the college level. Although she knew she wasn't much of a scorer, she figured the endurance and speed she used as a cross country and track athlete would be perfect for a midfielder. Barnett told Marcellin she had played defense but didn't think someone with her lack of experience would be trusted to be one of the final obstacles between an opponent and the goal.

``When Phil asked me to play there, I was like, 'Is he crazy?' '' Barnett recalled. ``I was like, 'Does he have the right person?' ''

Now, there is no other position the sophomore would rather play.

``I love defense,'' Barnett said.

Her small stature could make her an easy target to be pushed around, but Barnett rarely gives way. Her fearlessness has earned her a broken nose twice this season.

Adjusting to the physical play at the college level was one of the biggest adjustments for Barnett, who had quit soccer to concentrate on cross country and track after playing on the Hart High soccer junior varsity as a sophomore.

``My first game with COC, it was so different,'' said Barnett, who returned to the sport at the urging of a friend. ``I thought, 'Oh my God, it's so physical.' It was like this is just the beginning. Suck it up and get on with it.''

Intense conditioning and weight training increased her strength and are a big part of what Barnett credits her improvement to this year. She's also learned to size up the opposition without getting psyched out. Making the same mistake twice is rare.

``I've worked on being more aggressive this year,'' Barnett said. ``You've got to be the first one to the ball. Just pressure, pressure, pressure. You've got to make them mess up.

``There's a lot of things I've learned since I've been here. I guess another one would be, you can never underestimate the person you're marking - small, big, whatever. I can't go out there thinking I've got this made. That's what we've got to do as a team, we can never underestimate our opponents. We're in a good position, but we've got to keep playing hard to get where we want to be. I just know I've got to do what I've got to do to help the team win.''

BARNETT FILE

Name: Tessa Barnett

Team: COC soccer

Position: Defender

Year: Sophomore

Quote: ``You don't get much recognition on defense, the offense gets most of the attention. I don't mind it, I know what my job is. I just want to win.''

-Tessa Barnett

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Two broken noses this season haven't slowed down Canyons defender Tessa Barnett, right, who remains as hard-nosed as ever.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Box: BARNETT FILE (see text)