Marshall University Athletics
Women's Soccer 2008 Outlook
8/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 15, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's women's soccer interim head coach Kevin Long took over the reins of a challenged soccer program when he was named the Thundering Herd's head coach late in the summer. Coach Long, with assistant coach Scott Letts, hopes to help the program grow and build from the close matches lost last year.
The 2008 team will return seven starters and only a select amount of seniors to grow from last year's squad. With the returning starters, the group will include five juniors and six sophomores.
The squad is very competitive with an offense oriented recruiting class, which will add to the 16 returning letterwinners. The coaching staff hopes to compete at a higher level, be stronger on the attack, and appear in its first Conference USA tournament.
DEFENSE
The back line returns all of its starters including all-time career saves leader, Liz Orton (Ft. Collins, Colo.) who has stopped 190 shots between the pipes. Orton, a two-year captain, will enter her junior season as the leading goalkeeper with 111 saves last season and 2,836 career minutes. Orton will share time in goal with one teammate, incoming freshman Lauren Roberts (Rome, Ga.). Roberts was a three-time varsity soccer starter and two-time region champ at Rome High School.
Joining Orton and Roberts in the backfield will be senior and three-time captain Erin Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio), junior Meghan Wetzel (Aiken, S.C.) and sophomores Kristen Berquist (Highland Village, Texas) and Emma Harrison (Christchurch, New Zealand). The Herd staff will be looking for good things from them this year with few adjustments needed. Johnson, Wetzel, Berquist, Harrison, and Orton have one year together under their belts.
As the deepest position, the Herd's defense also returns seniors Stephanie Kot (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and Jessica Jennings (Dayton, Ohio), junior Eileen Venechanos (Charlestown, R.I.) and sophomore Haley Thaxton (Charleston, W.Va.). The back line will also have three freshmen joining its forces. Paige Oechsle (Oxford, Pa.) and Laurel Etter (Litiz, Pa.), who both were four-year starters and named to their all-area teams along with local standout Megan Tabler (Ashland, Ky.) joining the team.
MIDFIELD
With a strong off-season, Marshall's midfield plans for creativity and impressive play for 2008. The Herd welcomes junior transfer, Rebecca Voss (Raleigh, N.C.), from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She joins returning sophomores Marisa Leconte (Greer, S.C.) and Missy Gordon (Carmel, Ind.).
Voss will provide depth at the defensive middle position for the Herd. At UNC-Greensboro, Voss assisted the Spartans to the 2006 Southern Conference Championship. Leconte had a solid freshman year and will offer resourcefulness for the upcoming season. Gordon returns after solid performances in the fall and spring to anticipate a successful season. To close out the midfield, Marshall welcomes freshman Kaitlin Devine (Leonardtown, Md.) as an attacking player and Arizona State transfer Erin Blakely (Westerville, Ohio). Devine was a four-year starter and team captain as a junior and senior. She led Leonardtown to the 2006 Maryland 4A State title. Blakely will bring her Pacific-10 experience to contribute to the midfield and back line.
FRONTLINE
The most experienced position lies with the Herd's forwards after losing only two starters. The Marshall staff believes senior Ali Lizotte (Iron Station, N.C.), junior Molly Snead (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore Erika Duncan (Easthaven, Scotland) will lead the 2008 attack.
Snead had a great spring and will look to push and be more active toward the opponent's goal. Lizotte will bring creativity to the frontline, while Duncan will be a good target player. Duncan will be expected to continue her strong spring play into the upcoming season.
With the experience players, the front line also welcomes three freshmen, Katie Ball (Louisville, Ky.), Angela DeSumma (Doylestown, Pa.) and Freya Holdaway (Wales, UK). Ball was a four-year starter at DuPont Manual High School and leading scorer in both her junior and senior seasons. DeSumma was a four-year starter and two-time captain at Moorestown High School. She helped lead Moorestown to the New Jersey State Championships as a freshman and received all-county honors in 2004. Holdaway adds an international flavor in her attack. Holdaway played for the Arsenal Ladies Football Club.
SCHEDULE
The Herd will face seven different opponents from six different conferences during its campaign (Atlantic 10 Conference, Northeast Conference, Southern Conference, Big South Conference, Mid-American Conference, and Ohio Valley Conference). Conference USA, according to SoccerBuzz, a national soccer magazine, is ranked 10th in the country for 2008.
Marshall will begin the 2008 season with two road trips to face St. Bonaventure University and Mount St. Mary's University (Aug. 30), both first-time contests against the teams. The season opens Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. against the Bonnies.
The Herd will play its home opener, Sept. 5, hosting The Citadel, followed by Radford, and Mount St. Mary's during its fourth annual Thundering Herd Nike Invitational. The match against The Citadel will be the first-meeting between the squads.
Following the invitational, Marshall will be on an eight-match road trip to finish its non-conference schedule and begin its C-USA schedule.
Continuing with its non-conference schedule, Marshall will face three Ohio foes, University of Toledo (Sept. 12), Bowling Green State University (Sept. 14) and Ohio University (Sept. 21). The Sept. 19 match with Murray St. University, in Murray, Ky. will be the first contest between the two schools.
C-USA action will begin in Houston, Texas, against the University of Houston (Sept. 26) and Rice University (Sept. 28). The Herd will then travel to Orlando, Fla., (Oct. 3) to face reigning co-regular C-USA season champion, UCF. Marshall's eight-match road trip will conclude in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Oct. 5 against the University of Southern Miss. The Herd's C-USA home opener and start of a four-match home stand will be against Southern Methodist University, (Oct. 10) at Sam Hood Field.
Marshall will then host the University of Tulsa and conduct the Kicks Against Breast Cancer Auction, Oct. 12. During the match, the Herd will be wearing pink jerseys and the proceeds of the auction will be donated toward breast cancer research.
The Herd will continue with C-USA play against UTEP (Oct. 17) and Colorado College (Oct. 19) at Sam Hood Field.
To finish the regular season, Marshall will travel to Memphis, Tenn., to face C-USA reigning co-regular and tournament champion, the University of Memphis (Oct. 24), host UAB (Oct. 26) at Sam Hood Field, and end in Greenville, N.C. against East Carolina University (Oct. 31).
C-USA Tournament play will take place at Rice University in Houston, Texas, from Nov. 5-9.
