Women's Soccer Opens 2005 Campaign at Home against Cal and UC Irvine
8/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 22, 2005
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THIS WEEK IN GAEL SOCCER
The 2005 Saint Mary's women's soccer season will begin on Friday, August 26 when it hosts the No. 24-ranked California Golden Bears at 4 p.m. SMC will complete the week on Sunday, August 28 against the UC Irvine Anteaters, with kick-off schedule for noon. Both games are scheduled to be played at Saint Mary's Stadium.
SCOUTING THE #24-RANKED BEARS
Cal, which is ranked No. 24 in the NSCAA preseason national rankings, returns all 11 starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team. The Bears lost to Santa Clara, 2-1, in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. Sophomore defender Courtney Hooker garnered second team All-Pac-10 recognition, while junior midfielder Nadia Al-Lami, sophomore forward Stephanie Wieger and sophomore midfielder Chioma Igwe received honorable mention honors.
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
The Antraters will sport a new look in 2005 with only five starters and 11 players overall returning from last season's 4-14-2 squad. Lauren Baer and Joy Grey are the only two seniors on the young roster. Juniors Lauryn Birkinshaw and Britney Webster were the top two scorers in 2004 and will look to lead UCI again in the upcoming season. UCI was picked to finish eighth in the Big West Conference coaches poll earning 13 points.
PREVIEW
The Saint Mary's women's soccer team returns 13 players, while adding nine freshmen to the 2005 squad. Saint Mary's returns three players on the front line in Gen Hollis, McKenna Belzer and Katie Frattone. Having three players with valuable collegiate experience up front, SMC should be poised to put a lot of shots in the back of the opponents net. In addition to the experience up front, SMC returns the entire starting defensive unit from last season. The Gaels' defense held opponents to a 1.34 goals against average last season. In addition to returning seven starters from last season, the Gaels welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the West Coast Conference. The incoming class of nine players, which includes Stefani Rocco, Nikki Schrey, Danielle Spann, and Mia Tofano were ranked third in the WCC and in the top-50 in the nation according to Soccer Buzz.
THIRD-YEAR HEAD COACH Paul Sapsford
Paul Sapsford enters his third season as head coach of the Saint Mary's women's soccer program. Sapsford currently holds a 16-20-3 record at SMC following an 8-12 campaign in 2004 and an 8-8-3 overall record in 2003. Following a one-year stint as the co-head coach at Stanford, Sapsford's career record stands at 37-22-3 in three years at the Division I level. In 2002, as co-head coach of Stanford, Soccer America named Sapsford co-Coach of the Year, after leading the Cardinal to the NCAA Quarterfinals and a 21-2 overall record in 2002, marking the best record in the program's history.
TOP 50 RECRUITING CLASS
Sapsford and his assistant coaches have added one of the top-50 recruiting classes in the country and the third best in the WCC according to Soccer Buzz. Nine new faces will join the Saint Mary's roster in 2005, which includes two forwards, four midfielders, one defender and two goalkeepers. Stefani Rocco from Sacramento, CA comes in as one of the nation's top-50 recruits and should make an immediate impact in the Gaels' midfield.
HARRISON RETURNS TO ANCHOR GAEL DEFENSE
Stephanie Harrison was a Second Team All-WCC selection and garnered Second Team Freshman All-American honors by Soccer Buzz following the 2004 season. In her first season, Harrison proved to be a valuable addition to the SMC defense as she usually marked the opponents top offensive player.
Katie Frattone RETURNS TO GAELS' LINEUP
Katie Frattone has been hampered by injury the past three seasons and returned to play in nine games in 2004. After an injury that sidelined Frattone for more than two years, she scored just one goal as a junior. When Frattone was playing at 100 percent as a freshman, she tallied 33 points on 13 goals, seven assists and four game-winning goals in 2001.
SMC RETURNS LEADING SCORER IN GEN HOLLIIS
Hollis, who transferred to SMC from Sierra Junior College in 2004, led the Gaels in goals (8) and points (18) in 2004. Hollis had game-winning goals against Columbia and No. 23 Cal Poly last season and tallied two multiple goal games, one against Columbia and the second against Colgate.
McKenna Belzer ADDS DEPTH TO FRONT LINE
Following a successful 2004 campaign that saw McKenna Belzer finish second on the team with 13 points and tied for the team lead with five assists, Sapsford will look towards the junior to help boost the Gaels scoring output. Belzer posted back-to-back game winning goals to open the season as SMC posted wins over Hawaii and Pacific.
SMC DEFENSE RETURNS INTACT
The defensive unit returners Sarah Churchill, Stephanie Harrison, Joelle Gizzi and Allison Kop, and goalkeeper Andrea Lee. Although Harrison and Lee are just sophomores, combined with Churchill, Gizzi and Kop, SMC held opponents to 1.34 goals per game last season. The defensive unit returns intact for SMC this season, which will help the Gaels in 2005.
Andrea Lee IMCUMBENT IN GOAL
Returning for her sophomore season is Andrea Lee. Lee is coming off an outstanding freshman season that saw her post 4.5 shutouts and a 1.15 goals against average. After starting 19 of 20 games, and logging 1,560 minutes in net for SMC, in 2004, Lee should be the incumbent for the starting job in 2005.
A LOOK AT THE 2004 SEASON
Saint Mary's is coming off a 2004 campaign that saw the Gaels post an 8-3 record in its first 11 games. During that stretch, SMC posted wins over Hawaii, Cal Poly, and Colgate. SMC struggled through the always-tough WCC schedule, going 0-7 for the first time in school history. Saint Mary's will look to regroup from last season, and post a memorable year in 2005.
NEXT WEEK
Saint Mary's will play two games next week when the Gaels travel to Berkeley to compete in the California Invitational. SMC will open the Cal Invite against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Friday, September 2 at 2 p.m. The final game of the invitational for SMC will be against the Montana Grizzlies on Sunday, September 4 beginning at noon. Both games will be played at Edwards Stadium on the Berkeley campus.
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Friday, November 07
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Tuesday, November 04
WSOC | Sydney Middaugh Game-Winning Goal vs. Pacific
Sunday, November 02
WSOC | Emmie Ennnis Game-Winner vs. Pepperdine
Saturday, October 25
