Vista Murrieta Alum Leads Columbia College Women's Soccer Team to Nationals

A Vista Murrieta High School alumna is gaining collegiate notoriety for her skills on the soccer field.

Stephanie Hale, 21, a 2010 graduate of Vista Murrieta, was named the American Midwest Conference Player of the Year on Nov. 14. It was the same night she led the Columbia College of Missouri women’s soccer team to its first AMC Tournament championship with a 2-0 victory over Park University, according to Columbiacougars.com. Hale scored both goals during the game.

The win earned Columbia an automatic bid to the opening round of the 2013 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Soccer National Tournament. The Cougars are in their second season as a women's soccer program, and this will be their first attempt at a national title.

The first round of the national tournament will bring Hale, the daughter of Murrieta firefighter/paramedic Dean Hale and his wife, Audrey, back to California. You can bet they will be in the stands when the Columbia Cougars (16-2-1) take on Vanguard University (15-4-0) in the opening round Saturday, Nov. 23 in Costa Mesa.

Hale played all four years on the girls soccer team at Vista Murrieta High School and also started a local club team before she went on to play at San Diego Miramar College, her father said.

The senior 5-foot-5 midfielder currently leads the NAIA in assists with 24, while also ranking 10th in goals with 22, according to the school website. Columbia is riding an 11-game winning streak dating back to Sept. 24.

During the 2012 season, Hale started all 20 games for Columbia. She was ranked second on the team with 10 goals and nine assists, and was named First Team All-AMC as well as AMC Newcomer of the Year.