2005 Bloomsburg University Women's Soccer Preview
Every good cake recipe has a main ingredient–one that makes the delicacy special and different from others. This year, for the Bloomsburg University women's soccer team, that special ingredient is leadership.
With eight seniors on the squad and two juniors who will be taking on leadership roles, the team has a strong foundation on which they can build.
“I am really proud of the ownership the group took in their team this past spring,” said head coach Sandy Dickson. “ They have an expectation of themselves that is high, and that is the key to winning the conference title. I have no doubt that we will have great on-field leadership from our junior captain Alex Totino and senior captain Jackie Shaw.”
“The team really came together in 2004,” she said. “Our players took ownership of our winning tradition and decided that they should be competing for the PSAC championship.”
Mid-season, the team had a turning point after a 3-1 loss to Kutztown.
“After that tough loss in the middle part of the season, the team came together and played great soccer in the second half of the year,” she said.
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The Huskies were led by Becky Ritter who finished with eight goals and two assists. Lauren Hess recorded six goals and two assists, while Jen Fico added to the offense with four goals and five assists.
Shaw was a second team All-PSAC selection, while Hess earned first team honors in her rookie campaign. Also earning post-season honors was Ritter, who was a second team selection in her junior season.
Jill Docherty is also returning for the Huskies after red-shirting last season due to injury. In her freshman year, she was named third-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was first team All-Northeast region and in the PSAC. Her sophomore season, she earned second team All-PSAC honors.
“Another key [to the season] will be the return of Jill at center back,” Dickson said. “She red-shirted last year and is coming off a strong spring season.” After falling to Kutztown in the semifinals of the conference playoffs last year, Dickson believes the team knows what it takes to put themselves in the position to make it even further in the tournament.
“This year's senior class won a PSAC Championship as freshmen and has been to the NCAA tournament,” she said. “That is the goal for this year's team. We are standing together very well right now, and the determination of this group is strong.”
DEFENSE
The first ingredient for the Huskies will be a pair of goalkeepers in Robin Gerber and Brittany Moses.Gerber had a record of 5-4 in 2004 and a goals against average of 1.34. She had 65 saves on the year and allowed 17 goals in 12 games. Moses, seeing time in eight games, finished with a goals against average of 1.87 and had 40 saves.
“A big key for us last year was the goaltending that we got from both Moses and Gerber as freshmen,” Dickson said. “They will be the key in the back for us again this fall.”
Add to the batter the defensive combination of seniors Becca Callen and Jessica Mueller, Shaw and Docherty. Junior Kate Holden may seem time as a back this fall as well. Despite the loss of Lindsay Knupp, a second team All-PSAC selection in her senior year in 2004, Dickson already knows this team wants to step up and fill her shoes.
“Losing the defensive ability and speed in the back of Lindsay is never easy,” she said. “But the team has already seen new personalities emerge in Knupp's [absence].”
Dickson believes Callen and Shaw will provide leadership in the backfield as well.“Becca will look to provide smart, smooth play in the back line; she is coming off a strong spring season,” Dickson said. “Shaw is so steady and will be moved to a more central role for us.”
Two freshmen will also compete for playing time in Angela Brown and Allison Lerch. Brown, from Sparta, NJ (Sparta High School), earned first team by the New Jersey Herald and was also an All-State selection. Lerch, a Mendham, NJ native (Mendham High School), could also see time for the Huskies.
Last year, the Huskies' defense allowed 32 goals and had a team goals against average of 1.55. They outshot their opponents, 277-211.
MIDFIELD
After losing first team All-PSAC selection Kelly Salvaterra to graduation, the Huskies have to add some new faces to the line-up.
“You can never replace the work rate of Kelly, but if anyone can do it, it's Fico and Sarah Fick,” Dickson said. Fico, who spent time as a flank midfielder last season, will be changing roles this season and has certain abilities that will help propel her to be as effective on the field as Salvaterra.
“She will be in the midfield, splitting time between the center and flank roles,” Dickson said. “Her tireless work ethic and fitness are major strengths.
Fick, a junior, brings her own qualities to the mix.“Sarah has become a more complete player, especially defensively,” said Dickson. “She has tremendous speed and will be able to get forward as well.”
Also seeing time at midfield could be Mueller, juniors Michelle Marciano and Jill Huffman and sophomore Jackie Cellucci. Hess will also be looking to return to the field after sustaining an injury in the spring.
“Lauren is rehabbing hard from her injury and fully expects to pick up where she left off from last season,” Dickson said.
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OFFENSE
The Huskies have a variety of ingredients to add to their offense, all of which bring different qualities to the field.
Returning from injury will be Michelle Carmosky. As a sophomore during the 2003 season, Carmosky earned second team All-PSAC honors after finishing the season with a team-high nine goals and two assists.
Carmosky's 2003 highlights include a game-winning goal against Holy Family with less than two minutes remaining and had two hat tricks on the season.
“The return of a big, strong forward in Michelle will add a scoring punch up front,” Dickson said.
Also contributing up front for the Huskies will be Christinga Mazurek, Christine Mongelli, Erin Snyder, Alex Totino and Ritter.
Junior Totino, along with Shaw, will captain the squad. Last season, Totino had two goals and an assist. Dickson looks for her to contribute even more this season.
“Expect to see Alex in a linking forward role,” she said. “Her strength is her vision and distribution ability.”
A couple new faces could add some spice to front line in freshmen Ashley Brucker and Katie Armitage. Brucker, out of Blairstown, NJ (North Warren High School), was second team All-West Jersey, a team captain and earned the team's MVP award.
“Expect Ashley to compete for playing time up top off the bat,” Dickson said. “She is extremely athletic and is a raw talent that will mature quickly in this environment.”
Armitage, from Saylorsburg (Stroudsburg High School) earned first team All-Conference after recording 46 goals and 45 assists in her senior season.
“She has great speed and, like Brucker, should mature quickly in the college environment,” Dickson said.
OVERALL
The Huskies will be looking to knock off West Chester and Kutztown again this year to reclaim the PSAC title. Along with the PSAC championship, the team has set its sites on returning to the NCAA tournament.
“They are capable of playing quality soccer and this core group has matured into a more sophisticated, smart team,” Dickson said. “There are players on this team that are finally getting their chance to break into the starting line-up and we'll have some surprises up our sleeves this fall.”
With the team that she has, Dickson knows their personalities could be the secondary ingredient, that with good leadership, creates a masterpiece.
“When a team becomes bigger than the personalities on it, when it becomes something bigger than that, that is what you need to win it all,” she said. “This group can do that.”
With leadership as the principal ingredient, alongside a few cups of heart, desire and work ethic, a PSAC title would be the icing on the cake.