Elgazzar is knee-up on competition
By Shreya Bhakta
Daily Forty-Niner
An injured knee would be enough for some
reserve players to end their careers.
However, a torn anterior cruciate ligament
and medial cruciate ligament was not enough to make 49er goalkeeper Jihan
Elgazzar quit.
Elgazzar has made quite a recovery and
has already played 13 games this season for the womenís soccer team at
Long Beach State.
Last year was difficult for Elgazzar. She
didn't like being on the sidelines, just watching.
"I so wanted to play," Elgazzar said. "But,
I couldnít. I could barely even walk."
Oddly enough, Elgazzar won the starting
goalkeeper position due to another injury to teammate, Hannah Cochran,
prior to the beginning of the season.
Elgazzar said the biggest challenge for
her was coming back after a year and taking over the starting position,
which she claims she wasnít prepared for.
"When your out for such a long period,
you tend to loose that instinct, the stuff that you do subconsciously before
a game, she said."
Elgazzar had only one save in the first
game of the season against the University of San Diego, in which the 49ers
were shut out 7-0.
In the next couple of games, Elgazzar improved.
Elgazzar and the 49ers went to overtime
against San Diego State and Cal State Northridge. Although LBSU lost both
of these games, Elgazzar had five saves against SDSU and seven against
Northrigde.
Elgazzar said her motivation to become
better came from 49er Head Coach Julie Cochran and the rest of the team.
"She [Cochran] saw that I had a lot of
motivation in me," Elgazzar said. "She was behind me and kept encouraging
me."
Following the overtime losses, Elgazzar
stepped up her game.
Although the 49ers lost their next games
to the University of Pacific and Fresno State University, Elgazzar's play
made her teammates notice.
In a 1-0 loss to Pacific, she had eight
saves. Then Elgazzar recorded a career-high 10 saves against Fresno.
"She [Elgazzar] has proven herself," said
freshman middle forward Kim Domen. "Right now Hannah (Cochran) has to get
her position back, if she wants to play."
Coach Cochran agrees. "She's [Elgazzar]
won the praise of her teammates. She is deserving of that position," Cochran
said.
Elgazzar admits that at times, it was hard
for her to concentrate while sitting out the entire season last year. Elgazzar
said she felt the pressure in the beginning of the season.
"I hadn't played in a year and I had only
three weeks of training," Elgazzar said. "I didnít expect to be put in
so soon. I thought I would work my way in. So, there was a lot of pressure
to play well."
Elgazzar started out playing soccer when
she was five years old. She decided to attend Long Beach State after turning
down offers from the University of Southern California and Chapman University.
"I wanted to get a scholarship and play
soccer," Elgazzar said. "And I also wanted to major in business. I had
two good things going for me."
Cochran recruited Elgazzar while she was
a senior at John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma where she was a three-sport
star.
In 1998, she was Empire League Athlete
of the Year and was the leagueís Most Valuable Player in soccer and badminton.
Elgazzar had 26 saves as a prep in a game
against La Serna High School, and her team managed to win the league title
her sophomore year.
In 1997, she earned second team all-league
honors in volleyball.
Coach Cochran said that she likes the way
Elgazzar has grown into the starting position. "I'm pleased with her and
Iím proud of she has done from sitting out last year to starting goalkeeper
this year," Cochran said. "She has proven herself." |
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