Marshall University Athletics
Women's Soccer 2009 Outlook
8/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 11, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.-Kevin Long, who served as Marshall's University's women's soccer interim head coach last season, accepted the head coaching position on a permanent basis following the team's most conference wins since 2002. Long along with assistant coach Scott Letts look to continue to improve off of last year's season.
The 2009 roster returns nine starters, (three seniors, four juniors and two sophomores).
The group heads into the season in high spirits coming off an exceptional 4-1-3 spring season, including 1-0 victories over Morehead State and Virginia Tech, both 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. Marshall earned 1-1 ties against James Madison, who advanced to the Elite Eight last year and first round participant Radford.
"I am excited to start this fall season. After leaving in the spring with such positive play from everyone, I am eager to see where everyone is after their summer." said Long.
Defense-
The defense returns its all-time career saves leader (264), goalkeeper Liz Orton (Ft. Collins, Colo.). Orton is a three-year starter and three-year captain for The Herd. Her 74 saves a year ago, ranked her eighth in the Conference USA. Her 1,687 goalkeeper minutes set the single-season record at Marshall.
Sophomore Lauren Roberts (Rome, GA) made all four of her appearances in C-USA play as a freshman. Roberts registered five saves including her first career save against UCF.
"Orton and Roberts will set the competitive tone for the team as each brings a great deal of experiences to the field." Long said.
Freshman Lindsey Kerns (Hurricane, W.Va.) was two-time Second Team All-State goalkeeper for Nitro High School and according to Long "is bringing great athleticism and an incredible will to compete."
The backline lost four defenders from last year's squad, notably three-year captain Erin Johnson, who started in 66 of 69 games for The Herd. The young defense returns two starters, Kristen Berquist (Highland Village, Texas), and Emma Harrison (Christchurch, New Zealand), both of who registered 10 or more shots last season.
MU looks forward to the return of Meghan Wetzel (Aiken, S.C.) and Paige Oechsle (Oxford, Pa.), who were both forced to the sidelines early last season following knee injuries. Wetzel proved to be a strong leader for Marshall's back line as a sophomore and Long "hopes she can take the field in the same way she did before her injury."
Laurel Etter (Lititz, Pa.) and Freya Holdaway (Llandrindod Wells, Wales) both saw time last year during their freshmen seasons. Newcomer Sarah Vinson (Amelia, Ohio) was the 2008 Conference Player of the Year and was a four-year First Team All-Conference player at Amelia High School.
"We saw great growth in our defensive mentality in the off-season and Holdaway played a large part in that after converting her from forward to center back." Long said. "We expect (Sarah) to bring some composure on the offensive side of the ball and a strong defensive presence. She's a good athlete, brings sophisticated understand of competition and will immediately make her presence known among The Herd."
Midfield-
Last season Marshall welcomed transfers Rebecca Voss (Raleigh, N.C.) and Erin Blakely (Westerville, Ohio). Together the duo combined for 16 shots, four goals and two assists.& nbsp; The pair also added two game winning goals against conference foes Houston and Southern Miss.
  | |
"Voss, as a fifth year senior, will be looked to for her poise on the ball and composure under pressure." said Long. " While Blakely is coming off a very strong year and we will continue to look to her for her ability to win balls in the air, along with slicing distributions from the midfield."
Marisa Leconte (Greer, S.C.) and Kaitlin Devine (Leonardtown, Md.) also return to the midfield this season after making 17 and 14 appearances respectively. LeConte tallied two goals last season, including the game-winner against Tulsa. Devine scored her first collegiate goal off her only shot on goal of the season against Mount St. Mary. "After a strong performance this summer at her Regional Tournament, Devine looks to come off an injury-plagued year to make an impact as a possession player in the midfield. Long said.
Freshmen Ariel Marder (Plano, Texas), Blair Schneider (Lexington, Ky.), Robin Waskowski (Strongsville, Ohio), Annabelle Bramwell (Christchurch, New Zealand) and Huntington native Molly Harrington (Huntington High School) look to join the midfield cast this season. Waskowksi and Harrington both received 2008 first team All-Conference honors in their senior seasons. Schneider received the 2008 Best Center-Midfielder award.
Frontline-
Once again the Thundering Herd looks toward senior Molly Snead (Cincinnati, Ohio) and junior Erika Duncan (Easthaven, Scotland, UK) to lead the attack. The two combined for 93 shots with 43 being on goal, registered 13 of the teams 29 goals and five assists during the 2008 season. Duncan, the Oct.14 C-USA Player of the Week, finished the season first in C-USA in points per game and was tied for second in both points and goals.
 | |
Joining Snead and Duncan is sophomore Angela DeSumma (Doylestown, Pa.). DeSumma ranked 15th Nationally in Division I in assists during her freshmen season, as well as being named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team, an honor that Marshall hasn't seen since Snead in 2006.
Katie Ball (Louisville, Ky.) and Megan Tabler (Ashland, Ky.) also head into their sophomore seasons. Ball who appeared in all 19 matches registered two goals in a 4-0 victory over Mount St. Mary. "Both DeSumma and Ball will continue their exciting ball handling skills and each will be looked to as powers on the offensive side of the ball." Long said.
Accompanying this elite group of returners is freshman Chelsey Maiden (Vienna, W.Va.). Maiden earned second team All-State and second team All-Conference thanks to her 12 goals and seven assists she recorded during her senior season at Parkersburg High School.
"(Chelsey's) work rate and appetite for the ball should find her making an immediate impact in the program." Long said of Maiden.
Schedule-
The Herd will face three teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season. They will take on eight schools from seven different conferences (Horizon League, Atlantic 10 Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Big South Conference, Mid American Conference, Ohio Valley Conference and the Sun0ABelt Conference).
Marshall kicks off the 2009 season at home against Cleveland State. The Vikings last year set a school record for wins with an 8-10-1 record.
Marshall then hits the road to Pittsburgh, Pa. for the Duquesne Classic. The Thundering Herd will open the weekend against tournament host Duquesne and will have its first ever meeting with Manhattan College.
The following weekend The Herd will take on Big South Conference opponents Winthrop and Radford. The match at home against Winthrop will be the first between the two teams. Marshall then travels to Virginia to take on Radford (Mid-Atlantic Region No. 11 in the soccerbuzz.com final 2008 poll). The Herd tied the Big South Conference Champion Highlanders last season at the Thundering Herd Nike Invitational.
Marshall returns home to the Sam Hood Field for an afternoon match against Ohio. The Bobcats lead the all-time series 7-0-1, after a 1-1 double overtime tie last season.
The Herd finishes the non-conference schedule with a trip to Lexington, KY for first time match-ups with Tennessee Tech and Western Kentucky (Great Lakes Region No. 11 in the soccerbuzz.com final 2008 poll), in the University of Kentucky Tournament. Marshall opens the tournament against Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee Tech. Followed by Sundays match-up over Western Kentucky, a team that last year made its first ever Sun Belt Conference championship appearance.
Marshall kicks off C-USA action with a four-game home stand, beginning with Houston and Rice. The Herd lead the all-time series 2-1 over the Cougars following last season's 2-1 victory. The following weekend, The Herd looks to avenge last year's 4-0 loss against UCF (Southeast Region No. 7 in the soccerbuzz.com final 2008 poll). Marshall then hosts Southern Miss before it leaves for a four game road trip. A 4-0 win over the Golden Eagles last season put The Herd at a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series.
MU travels to Dallas, Texas looking for its first ever win over SMU. The Herd then look to even the series with Tulsa.
The Thundering Herd finishes its final road trip of the season against UTEP and Colorado College (Central Region No. 11 in the soccerbuzz.com final 2008 poll). The Tigers and The Miners tied for fourth in the C-USA regular season standings, and earned 2-0, and 3-1 victories respectively over The Herd last season. UTEP and Colorado College both lead their all-time series 3-0 over Marshall.
The final home stand of the regular season begins with the co-regular season C-USA champions and the back-to-back C-USA Tournament Champion, Memphis. Memphis (Central Region No. 8 in the soccerbuzz final 2008 poll) finished last season with an 8-2-1 record, including a 4-0 victory over The Herd, to put the all-time series at 4-0 in favor of the Tigers. The weekend ends with an afternoon match against UAB.
The regular season ends for Marshall at Sam Hood Field, facing co-regular season C-USA champions, East Carolina (Southeast Region No. 8 in the soccerbuzz final 2008 poll). The Pirates clinched a part of the regular season title with a double overtime win over The Herd late last season.
The C-USA Tournament will be hosted this year by SMU in Dallas, Texas from Nov. 5-8.
