BEND IT LIKE CASANOVAS FAMILY FINDS TIME FOR SOCCER, EACH OTHER.

Byline: Lauren Gustus Staff Writer

There are so many practice and game times to keep track of that Peggy Casanova of Simi Valley has a color-coded chart so each of the Casanovas - Matthew, Megan, Molly, Madeline, Max, Marissa, Mitchell and Macarios - get to where they need to be during soccer season.

Their garage, which used to hold two cars, is filled with all kinds of gear, mostly soccer-related. Everyone plays on at least one team, except for Mitchell and Macarios, who still are too young.

Megan, the second oldest and a junior at Alemany High of Mission Hills, admitted her mom forgot Max, now 11, at home once but got no farther than the end of the street before she turned the car around.

But most of the pressures that inevitably come with such a large family seem to slide off the Casanovas' backs, and the group is well thought of as much for their good manners and disposition as their soccer skills.

``Every single one of them is polite,'' said Nino Galindo of Simi Academy of Soccer Kickers, who has coached at least five of the Casanovas. ``And they have an incredible work ethic. They are a group that doesn't draw attention to themselves. There's not an egotistical bone in any one of their bodies. They're the kind of kids you wish you had.''

Matt, a senior at Alemany, is the oldest in a family that's one player short of fielding a starting lineup. He shores up the Indians' defense, and is encouraged by the team's progress this season. He is considering playing soccer in college, and is looking at UNLV, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.

Getting to those games might be a challenge for the Casanovas, but so far, they've been as supportive of all the kids as possible.

``They go to a lot of my games,'' Matt said about his parents. ``Both of them usually get out to my home games.''

Matt said he wasn't as good about getting out to see Molly and Megan, who both play for the Alemany girls' varsity team, because the game times usually conflict with his.

Molly, a freshman, is enjoying playing with her sister again, which she has done before on club teams.

``Since I've been playing with her for a while, I'll make a run and she'll know where to put it,'' Molly said. ``And she sticks up for me.''

Galindo believes Molly has the skills to take over a game, and the attitude to go far.

``You'll never get any more effort out of her,'' Galindo said.

Molly is helping out with her sister Madeline's team in the SAS Kickers club system and thinks Madeline, 12, will be a special player.

``She's going to be a lot better,'' Molly said. ``She's bigger and she's built.''

Madeline comes out to the Alemany games when she can, and it's not uncommon to spot the younger kids running around the track, according to Molly.

Even Rick Casanova is involved, as a trainer for the Alemany girls' team.

There might be trouble in soccer paradise though, because Max, according to Peggy, is interested in basketball. But it's doubtful the Casanovas will mind if one turns away from soccer.

For now, the only problem seems to be trying to coordinate everyone's schedule. Megan is scheduled to take her driver's test soon but isn't quite itching to get behind the wheel. But Galindo said because the kids are so well-mannered, it's never a problem taking them anywhere.

``Everybody is more than happy to take any one of those kids because they're so well-behaved,'' Galindo said. ``They're just great.''

And how about their names?

``It started with liking names that began with 'M','' Molly said. ``Matt, then Megan, then me. Then they had Maddy and it was like, 'Well, what if this is the last one?' They had to keep going.''

Lauren Gustus, [phone]

lauren.gustus(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

The soccer-playing Casanova children: (front, from left) Molly, Madeline, Max and Macarios; (back, from left) Megan, Marrisa, Mitchell and Matthew.