Amy Rodriguez

Nearly three years ago, Amy Rodriguez and Lauren Cheney shared a pedestal in Beijing. The two local soccer stars stood side by side, adorned in the same outfit. At the Olympics, there was no cardinal and gold, no blue and gold, no rivalry — just matching white jackets with red shirts underneath. And draped around their necks, both players wore a gleaming gold medal. Now, on the eve of her first World Cup, Rodriguez reflects back on that moment and recalls she was crying. "That," she said simply, "was amazing.

Nearly three years ago, Amy Rodriguez and Lauren Cheney shared a pedestal in Beijing. The two local soccer stars stood side by side, adorned in the same outfit. At the Olympics, there was no cardinal and gold, no blue and gold, no rivalry — just matching white jackets with red shirts underneath. And draped around their necks, both players wore a gleaming gold medal. Now, on the eve of her first World Cup, Rodriguez reflects back on that moment and recalls she was crying. "That," she said simply, "was amazing.

BEIJING -- The "clutch player" has always held a special place in the hearts of sports fans: Reggie Jackson, Jerry West, Tiger Woods. Then there is "A-Rod" -- no, not Alex Rodriguez. This one is USC's Amy Rodriguez, newly minted member of the U.S. women's soccer team. She is called clutch because of her knack for game-winning goals, but you wouldn't know it by talking to her. "I've never really heard the clutch player thing until just recently," Rodriguez said.

Olympic gold medal winner and U.S. national team forward Amy Rodriguez of USC on Friday was selected as the No. 1 pick in the Women's Professional Soccer draft held in St. Louis. Rodriguez, 21, was chosen by the Boston Breakers, who are coached by former U.S. national team coach Tony DiCicco. "I think she was the pick of the litter. First of all, she's a great kid and an awesome soccer player with a tremendous upside to her game," DiCicco said of the former Santa Margarita High standout.

Jason Leopoldo of Thousand Oaks and Amy Rodriguez of Santa Margarita are the Gatorade state players of the year in boys' and girls' soccer. Leopoldo, a 5-foot-6 senior forward who has committed to UCLA, led the Lancers to the Southern Section Division II title last year and second place in the Marmonte League this season. The All-American player has a 3.8 grade-point average. Rodriguez, a 5-3 senior forward, led the Eagles to the Serra League title this season. The U.S.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo dug into her bag to retrieve two homemade gold medals moments after the U.S. women's soccer team defeated Brazil in extra time to win the Olympic championship, placing one around her neck and clutching the other a scant few minutes before she would get a genuine medal. Exactly why she did that remains a mystery. Solo repeatedly parried questions about it Thursday, after her stellar performance allowed the U.S. to hold off Brazil's early forays and made Carli Lloyd's 96th-minute goal hold up for a 1-0 victory on a soggy field at Workers' Stadium.

Olympic gold medal winner and U.S. national team forward Amy Rodriguez of USC on Friday was selected as the No. 1 pick in the Women's Professional Soccer draft held in St. Louis. Rodriguez, 21, was chosen by the Boston Breakers, who are coached by former U.S. national team coach Tony DiCicco. "I think she was the pick of the litter. First of all, she's a great kid and an awesome soccer player with a tremendous upside to her game," DiCicco said of the former Santa Margarita High standout.

A last-minute goal by forward Alex Morgan earned the United States a 1-0 victory over host Italy on Saturday and put the team on the brink of qualifying for next summer's Women's World Cup in Germany. Morgan's goal came in the fourth minute of injury time, when it appeared that the first game of the two-game playoff series would end in a tie. Midfielder Carli Lloyd played a long ball deep into the Italian half, where forward Abby Wambach leaped to head the ball, flicking it into the path of Morgan.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL * Kelly Cochran, West Hills Chaminade: Had 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 60-51 victory over Mission Hills Alemany. BOYS' SOCCER * Kevin Cox, L.A. Center for Enriched Studies: Broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the 77th minute against Sherman Oaks Center for the Enriched Studies to gave the Unicorns their first victory in two years. GIRLS' SOCCER * Amy Rodriguez, Santa Margarita: Scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei.

A crowd of 3,114 was at UCLA's Drake Stadium on Saturday night to watch an NCAA round-of-16 women's soccer game that ended with UCLA defeating USC, 1-0. It was the largest crowd to attend a women's playoff game in Southern California. What created strong interest was a matchup between the defending NCAA champion Trojans (16-5-2) and a Bruins (21-0-2) team that has made it to the College Cup five consecutive years. Kristina Larsen scored the only goal, 12 minutes 20 seconds into the game.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo dug into her bag to retrieve two homemade gold medals moments after the U.S. women's soccer team defeated Brazil in extra time to win the Olympic championship, placing one around her neck and clutching the other a scant few minutes before she would get a genuine medal. Exactly why she did that remains a mystery. Solo repeatedly parried questions about it Thursday, after her stellar performance allowed the U.S. to hold off Brazil's early forays and made Carli Lloyd's 96th-minute goal hold up for a 1-0 victory on a soggy field at Workers' Stadium.

BEIJING -- The "clutch player" has always held a special place in the hearts of sports fans: Reggie Jackson, Jerry West, Tiger Woods. Then there is "A-Rod" -- no, not Alex Rodriguez. This one is USC's Amy Rodriguez, newly minted member of the U.S. women's soccer team. She is called clutch because of her knack for game-winning goals, but you wouldn't know it by talking to her. "I've never really heard the clutch player thing until just recently," Rodriguez said.

Jason Leopoldo of Thousand Oaks and Amy Rodriguez of Santa Margarita are the Gatorade state players of the year in boys' and girls' soccer. Leopoldo, a 5-foot-6 senior forward who has committed to UCLA, led the Lancers to the Southern Section Division II title last year and second place in the Marmonte League this season. The All-American player has a 3.8 grade-point average. Rodriguez, a 5-3 senior forward, led the Eagles to the Serra League title this season. The U.S.

Three county teams remain in the Southern Section Division 3-A softball playoffs, which continue today with second-round games. Top-seeded Woodbridge (25-1) travels to defending champion La Mirada (16-9); University (19-10) is at home against Chino (24-4), and Trabuco Hills (19-9) plays host to second-seeded Don Lugo (23-4). Woodbridge, the Sea View League champion, advanced by routing Estancia, 25-1, in the first round Friday.

Tracy Lansing scored three goals in the second half Wednesday to lead the Northridge-based West Valley Samba under-16 girls' team to a 4-0 victory over St. Louis Busch SC in round-robin play on the opening day of the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Germantown, Md.