Versatility key to Glende's role

By Phil Witte
Daily Forty-Niner

By her own admission, Amber Glende is not a flashy player and she prefers to stay out of the spotlight, but her team would not be where it is this year without her.

Glende, the last of the "Original 49ers," was playing on the Long Beach State club team when Coach Julie Cochran came to the university three years ago to start a Division I program.

"Amber is an entirely different player than she was three years ago," Cochran said. "She is a consistent player, she plays a pivotal role in the middle, and she is tremendous in the air."

Glende plays a versatile role on the team, shifting from defense to midfield depending on the opposition. Since adjusting to a position farther up the field, her offense has increased, and she is currently tied for second on the team with three goals, tripling her career high for a season.

She attributes part of the team's success this season to better overall chemistry.

"From the beginning of double-days, we knew this year would be different; there was much more closeness between the players," Glende said. "The first two years of the program we really didn't have anyone to look up to."

This year the freshmen can look up to Jennifer Reott, Sarah Aguilar, Marisa Barragan, Caitlin Murphy and Hannah Cochrun.

Having veterans on the team has also eased pressure on the freshmen during the seven-game losing streak in the middle of the season.

"When spirits get down we can help the young players get through the hard times because we've been there before," she said.

Sophomore Sarah Aguilar partners with Glende in the central midfield.

"Amber is a great player and we all look up to her," Aguilar said. "She is a consistent player and a big part of our defense."

Glende was born in Orange and grew up in Anaheim Hills, where she attended Canyon High School and excelled on the soccer team.

LBSU was an easy choice for Glende, as she wanted to be close to the beach and move away from home, but not too far away.

"I love the atmosphere and everyone is so supportive here," Glende said.

Away from the soccer field, Glende likes hanging out with friends, going to the beach and spending time with her family.

In addition to being a teammate of Glende's for three years, senior Jennifer Reott is one of her closest friend on the team.

"Amber is a very quiet, thoughtful and team-oriented person; she always puts the team before herself on the field," Reott said. "She would do anything for anyone and once you get to know her she opens up and is a lot of fun to be around."

After the end of the next soccer season, Glende will have enough units to graduate, and the business major plans to spend a semester overseas before getting her degree.

"My mother wants me to go to Italy, but it depends on what kind of offers I get," she said. "I'd like to see a different part of the world. Maybe somewhere in Africa to study international business."

Though she doesn't have any definite plans for the future yet, Glende plans on seeing a lot of the world.

"I definitely want to do a lot of traveling and I've liked the places we've gone to on road trips, especially places like Connecticut and Utah," she said. "I've always had a fascination with Australia so I think I'd like to go there."

Caroline Limuti/Daily Forty-Niner

Junior defender Amber Glende, with aspirations of seeing the world, has more than soccer on her mind.