2003 Virginia Women's Soccer Outlook
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Aug. 21, 2003
As the season approaches, optimism grows about the 2003 Virginia women’s soccer team. Nine starters are among the 16 letterwinners back from last season’s team which once again finished in the national top 20, reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament and finished in a second place tie in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Those veterans, joined by another top ten recruiting class, the Cavaliers remain as one of the elite teams in the nation this fall.
GOALKEEPERS
The season begins with fourth-year Anne Abernethy returning as the incumbent in goal. In 2002, Abernethy started all 22 games for Virginia, posting a 1.09 goals against average and six shutouts. She enters the season already ranked in the top six in school history in career saves, shutouts, and goals against average.”Anne has developed tremendously as a player during the past three years,” stated head coach Steve Swanson. “She has always been a good shot stopper, but in the past year she has improved her air game and distribution skills that has made a difference in terms of her overall presence in goal. She is a leader for us and is very capable of having a breakout year in goal.”
Abernethy is joined by two other goalkeepers on the Cavalier roster, third-year Erin Lycan and first-year Christina de Vries. Lycan returned to the net last season after missing the previous year with a knee injury. She came off the bench to appear in two games last season. De Vries comes to Virginia as one of the top goalkeeping recruits in the nation.
“We are fortunate to have three quality keepers on our squad heading into this season. It should make for a competitive pre-season,” adds Swanson. “It is nice to have Erin healthy again after two years of rehabilitating her knee. She has made some good strides, especially last year, and I expect her to compete very hard this season. Christina has all the tools to excel at this level and I am excited to watch her develop in this environment. I expect all three of them to push each other throughout the season.”
DEFENDERS
One of the strengths of the 2003 team will be the experience and depth at defense. Fourth-year captain Melissa Somadelis along with four third-years, Gillian Hatch, Jamie Fabrizio, Katie Bunch, and Jessica Trainor are the core of this group. That group of five players has combined for 187 starts over the past three seasons. Although the defense lost three-time All-ACC defender Kelly Worden to graduation, there is optimism that, this season, the defense can be even stronger.
“It has been a while since I could say we have had this much experience on the back line,” says Swanson. “This group understands one another very well and has gelled as a unit.”
Hatch, a 2002 All-ACC selection, and Fabrizio will anchor the central defense, while Bunch, Trainor, and Somadelis play on the outside of the defense. Last season, they were all part of a Cavalier defense that allowed just under nine shots per game, one of the lowest in the nation.
“Gillie is an extremely intelligent player who has been rock solid for us the past two years. In my opinion, she is one of the most underrated players in the country. Jamie is an exceptional distributor of the ball to go along with her solid defensive skills. Katie and Jess are very hard to get behind and give us some great options going forward. We will need their creativity to open up some options for us out wide,” says Swanson.
Somadelis, who could also see time in the midfield, will once again be a player who can give the Cavaliers valuable minutes at a number of positions.
“Missy is an extremely versatile player who, like Katie and Jess, can get forward in to the attack,” adds Swanson. “She has been a tremendous asset for our team on the flank and we could use her in a number of positions this season. She also has really developed as a leader during the past year.”
Also returning on defense is second-year Erica Kashiri. Kashiri has worked hard and improved since her first season and will provide depth in the back this year.
“Erica has improved enormously over the course of her first year,” comments Swanson. She has always been a strong athlete and now with her improved technique and understanding of what it takes to compete at this level, we are looking for her to make more of an impact this season.”
Joining the Cavalier defense this season is first-year Becky Sauerbrunn. A co-captain of the United States U-19 national team, Sauerbrunn could make an immediate impact for the Cavaliers.
“Becky already has some tremendous experience, having played and captained the youth National Teams,” says Swanson. “She is very composed, a great ball winner and a real competitor.”
MIDFIELDERS
Virginia’s midfield will once again feature some the team’s best young talent. Last season, Sarah Huffman and Kelly Hammond played in the central midfield in their rookie seasons and both earned ACC All-Freshman team honors. Both are back this year to once again center the midfield and will be flanked by third-year Taylor Wood, second-year Kara Frederick, first-year Shannon Foley, and Somadelis.
“I am excited about our midfield. We have the potential to be excellent here,” comments Swanson. “Last season we had two first-years in the center and they did a great job despite their lack of college experience. With a year under their belt, we are confident they will continue to get better. We also have quite a few options in the wide midfield.”
Last season, Hammond started all but one game in the central midfield. She was an offensive weapon, leading the team in shots (64) and tying the team lead in assists (five). Huffman missed parts of the season while at the U-19 World Championships and with injury, but was a strong two-way player for UVa when she was available.
“Both Sarah and Kelly are extremely talented players. They are skillful, see the field well, like to get in to the attack and are very hard workers,” states Swanson. “As much as both of them impacted our team last season, I also feel they learned a lot in terms of complementing one another in the midfield.”
In the wide midfield, Wood returns after starting 15 games last season. She is joined by Somadelis, who could also see time in the defense, and Frederick as the veterans of the group. Wood gave the Cavaliers steady minutes on the outside last season, while Frederick scored two goals while coming off the bench.
“A lot of our attacking success has come from the flanks and this year will be no different,” says Swanson. “Taylor has great skills, can create for us individually and has become a better crosser of the ball. Even though Missy has spent the majority of time in the back, we feel she can also be an option for us as a wide midfielder. Kara is another player who has improved enormously over the course of her first season. She has great speed and is a player who is hard for other teams to match up against.”
The new addition to the Cavalier midfield is first-year Shannon Foley. A member of the United States U-19 national team, Foley has the ability to contribute instantly in the Virginia midfield.
“Shannon is exceptional at creating scoring opportunities,” states Swanson. “She has two good feet, can cross well from both sides of the field and has good speed. We could use her in a number of different ways this year.”
FORWARDS
After last season, when Virginia lost Lindsay Gusick for five games during the middle of the season and Kristen Weiss for the year early in the season, the goal was for the Cavalier forwards to stay healthy and make a major impact this year. While Gusick returns, looking to regain her All-American form from her first year, Weiss will miss the entire season due to a knee injury suffered over the summer.
“Losing Kristen to injury this summer, especially after what happened to her last season, was hard on both her and the team,” states Swanson. “It is difficult to replace someone like Kristen, especially in terms of her ability to create and score goals. However, I am confident we have several players who are capable of putting the ball in the back of the net.”
Gusick had four goals and four assists in 2002, while fighting an ankle injury all season long. She is looking to return to her 2001 form, when she scored 17 goals and had 37 points, both the second most in a season in school history. Fourth-year Sarah Lane is an experienced forward who tied for the team lead with five assists a season ago. Second-year Noelle Keselica can contribute offensively from both the forward and midfield positions. Last season, she had six goals and four assists in her freshman campaign.
“When Lindsay is healthy, she has already proven she can be one of the top forwards in the nation,” states Swanson. “She is an excellent athlete who is capable of scoring anywhere at anytime.
“Sarah is also a very capable goal-scorer. She gives us a different look up top in that she holds the ball extremely well and can create scoring chances for others with her individual ball skills. Noelle could play a number of positions for us this season. Wherever she plays, we will try to take advantage of her attacking skills. She has a wonderful first touch, excellent vision, and a great ability to pass the ball. She played exceptionally well for us this spring, and we feel she has the ability to be a major factor for us offensively.”
First-year Ariel Thompson joins the attack this season. A three-time All-Virginia prep player, she scored 102 goals and had 73 assists in her high school career.
“Ariel has tremendous potential at this level,” adds Swanson. “She is an exceptional athlete who should give us a huge spark off the bench.”
SCHEDULE
The Cavaliers will once again be playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules this year. Fifteen of Virginia’s 18 regular season opponents participated in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. The home schedule at Kl?ckner Stadium consists of nine games, including four ACC contests.
“We have always tried to schedule a very challenging non-conference schedule to go along with our conference games,” states Swanson. “This is only going to help us heading into the ACC tournament and hopefully the NCAA’s.”
Non-conference opponents include two rematches of 2002 NCAA Tournament games for the Cavaliers as they host West Virginia to open the season and later visit Dayton. On September 12-14, the Cavaliers host the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic, which promises to be one of the marquee in-season tournaments this year. UVa will host two 2002 College Cup participants in Santa Clara and Penn State, along with traditional Pac 10 power Southern California. Virginia also travels to defending Big Ten tournament champion Ohio State and plays Ivy League powers Dartmouth and Harvard in the non-conference. The Cavaliers play in-state rivals William & Mary and Liberty at home and visit James Madison and Richmond.
“We still have a relatively young squad so it is important for our team to get as much experience playing away from home and also playing against top competition,” adds Swanson.
The Cavaliers host four ACC teams at Kl?ckner Stadium this season, including defending conference champion North Carolina, and 2002 NCAA Tournament teams Maryland, Florida State, and Wake Forest. Virginia visit NC State, Duke, and Clemson in ACC play.
“Our home schedule is outstanding this year,” adds Swanson. “Between our Virginia Nike Classic, the ACC games, and our traditional regional games against West Virginia and William and Mary our fans will be able to see some very exciting games at Klockner Stadium.”
The Cavaliers conclude the regular season with play at the ACC Tournament. Both the ACC Tournament and NCAA College Cup will be held at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
EXPECTATIONS
The Cavaliers look to continue their tradition of being one of the nation’s top programs in 2003. Nine starters from last season’s team returns and are joined with another top ten recruiting class. Virginia has reached at least the third round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four seasons, and the team appears poised to go even farther this fall.
“Our goal has not changed since the inception of the program at Virginia. We want to win a National Championship, but we also want to build every facet of our program in the process,” says Swanson. “This means first and foremost developing a strong and positive team atmosphere, playing an exciting and attractive style of soccer, graduating our players, maintaining relationships with our alumni, establishing ourselves on Grounds and within the community.
“To do this, we need to recruit student-athletes who want to compete at the highest level of college soccer and who value a challenging undergraduate education. We need to compete against the best teams in the country, develop our players through a year-round training program, and have fun in the process. Hopefully, by doing all this, we will enhance our reputation for developing players and helping them reach their true potential both on and off the field. I think, each year, we have made progress in all these areas. We look forward to continuing that progress in 2003.”