Team Depth Leads The Way for Ladyjacks in 2017 Campaign

8/7/2017 2:16:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Ladyjacks return 13 letter winners from the 2016 season

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Full 2017 Women's Soccer Media Guide

NACOGDOCHES, Texas.-- After coming up short in both the conference regular season and tournament championships last season, the Stephen F. Austin women's soccer team has plenty of added motivation to make amends in the 2017 campaign. Playing in championship deciding games is nothing new for the 'Jacks—they've played in nine of the last 10—but the missed opportunities to close some of those games out has grounded the Ladyjacks and provided a more concentrated focus on their goals for this season.

"Going for one vision (six league championships in a row) last year but dropping that game was certainly frustrating, and then going into the conference tournament and dealing with some added adversity in sickness and injury gave us more to deal with as we headed to the conference championship", head coach Wally Crittenden said. "Any time you play for a championship it's important, because you never know when you'll find yourself in the next one. We've been fortunate to be on the field for nine of the last 10 championships, and have won five of those. Ending the season the way we did absolutely grounds you, makes you evaluate yourself from a staff perspective and a team perspective to determine how you can improve, and in our case it's made us very hungry and motivated going into this season."

Crittenden enters his fifth season at the helm for SFA, and has brought a steady tradition of winning to the fold while there. Crittenden's 54 wins at SFA are the most in program history, and his winning percentage (.721) ranks second. The team has posted winning seasons in each of Crittenden's four campaigns, and played in three of the past four Southland Tournament Championships. Despite coming up short in the final game of the season, Crittenden lauds the growth of his team through the season in the way they prepare and focus for each match.

"I think as we went through the year our maturity and professionalism and how we prepared for each game improved", Crittenden said. "Our big thing was making sure we had a good chance to win each game in league play, and I thought we had that. Part of that is understanding that opportunities against top teams are rare and the chances to execute in critical moments are harder to come by in postseason play. We had a young to middle-aged team last season, so that appreciation for opportunities to put a game away and the growth we had in that area as a team is something I was very proud of."

A strength of the team last fall was their ability to score goals in bunches. The Ladyjacks totaled 42 goals on the season to rank second in the Southland Conference, and ranked 12^th nationally in scoring offense at 2.33 goals per game. Forwards Hanna Barker (10 goals) and Breanna Moore (nine goals) led the way for the 'Jacks in 2016, and are the top picks to lead the 'Jacks in goals in 2017 as well. Newcomers Sabrina Segovia, Katelyn Termini and Sophia Fondren have had strong showings in fall camp on the attack for the 'Jacks, while Destiny Davis has melded nicely into a capable corp of midfielders manned by Caylon McMillan, Michaela Mencacci, Madison Hall, Lauren Hall and Crystal Calvit.

"We're going to score goals" Crittenden said. "We're going to be the most dynamic in our mobility and possess the highest soccer IQ that we have had since I have been here. We've had some tremendous athletes and players in the past years, but I think this is the most complete and most balanced team that we have had, and that includes our new players. We'll be aggressive on the attack this season and should eclipse our goal total from last season."

While Barker and Moore are known quantities on the attack, it is likely that other players will break out on the offensive end as well for Stephen F. Austin this season, given the team's impressive depth at every position. Excitement is high among the SFA coaching staff, as the team heads into the 2017 season with the program's deepest roster in recent memory. With a surplus of talent on the roster, competition for every starting spot has been the underlying narrative for the team as they head into the season, according to Crittenden.

"The depth we have from a size, athleticism, technical speed, soccer IQ standpoint, you name it, every position has at least two players that could start in that spot", Crittenden explains. "We have not had that before since I've been here, and to have that competitive dynamic every day in training and just look at the squad and be excited to see who wins the position battles because both players should be on the field, it's an exciting look to have for our team. From a coaching standpoint, we're also looking at creative ways to get those talented kids the time they deserve on the field, and I think it's in a way that our players will be happy with."

The competition on the field extends all the way back to the Ladyjack net, as a pair of skilled goalkeepers vie for playing time as the season looms near. Returner Allyson Smith, a redshirt sophomore who made three appearances last season before breaking a wrist, will be challenged daily by newcomer Madeline Talbot, a freshman keeper, who has shown she's up to the task as well thus far, leaving the starting position still up for grabs.

"Without a doubt, we will have the best goalkeeping unit in the conference in a year that I believe the great separator in this league will be the level of goalkeeping among the top four teams". Crittenden explains. "Now whether that translates into winning a title or competing to win one on the last day, I don't know, but being a goalkeeper myself and knowing that we have such a strong goalkeeping corp is a really exciting thing as a coach. Their position is going to be just as competitive as half a dozen positons on the field for us, and that's not a point of stress for us, because both keepers are very good and both will get their opportunities to show that."

Regardless of which goalkeeper is guarding the net, improving on last season's defensive numbers is a key point of emphasis for the 2017 season. The Ladyjacks surrendered eight goals in conference play (20 overall), with multiple goals being allowed as a result of easily remedied mistakes.

"Effort was never a question for us on the defensive end, which is something I'm extremely proud of", Crittenden said. "From a performance and execution standpoint, we've identified some areas about how we have gotten scored on, and what changes can we make to help prevent that. There were eight goals scored on us in conference play, and there are plenty of teams who would like to have only given up eight, but we'd like to be more in the range of three or four. When you look at those eight goals, how many of them were self-inflicted through our mistakes, and how can we shift personnel or techniques to cut down on those.
As a program, we're looking to be efficient and putting our players in a position to be successful with minimal effort, knowing that they are going to give 100% effort."

The 'Jacks return a trio of key defensive players in Carli Arthurs, Bailey Bosley and Mari Gillespie, all of whom will be counted on to provide the 'Jacks with a stout defense in the 2017 campaign. Transfer Kennedy Rose will help to strengthen the back line as well as providing a veteran presence to the mix, while sophomore Brooke Shirley and newcomers Lauren Prentice and Katherine Shoffner will have their own opportunities to make plays as well. Katie Jennings, Chloe Fowler and Tyler Johnson return with experience from last season and will also factor into the mix on the defensive side of the ball for the "Jacks.

Without a doubt, the conference schedule is the focal point of every team's season, as winning the conference championships is oftentimes the most outspoken team goal in the fall campaign. It is in conference games that Crittenden's teams have shone brightest, racking up an impressive 38-4-3 regular season record against Southland opponents in the past four years. Before getting the chance to continue that conference dominance, the 'Jacks will once again have to wade through the non-conference schedule, an area in which SFA has traditionally boasted one of the league's toughest opponents. These games serve as a barometer of the team's potential and skill, while also serving to expose the 'Jacks to differing playstyles, levels of physicality and play in different regions.

"Some coaches think of the non-conference season as a second season, and others call the non-conference "preseason", and I am totally against that. If people say these games are any less important than conference games, then why are these kids undergoing two-a-days and putting themselves at risk of injury to play them? Every game matters, and that is how this program is built, regardless of opponent or the point of the season that the match is played. As we go into this non-conference schedule, we're looking at a group of opponents that all had really good seasons last year, and we're expecting those to all be tough matches. We are looking to face opponents from different conferences, have our kids play in different areas of the region, and continue to build our brand as a program from the recognition these games give us."

The Ladyjacks open the season with a non-conference tilt against Mississippi State in Starksville, Mississippi on August 18^th, before a quick turnaround to face Southern Miss on the 20^th. SFA then closes out August with a road matchup in San Antonio on the 25^th against UTSA, before the home opener pits the Ladyjacks against Texas Southern (Sep. 1^st) and Texas State (Sep. 3^rd) in Nacogdoches. From there, the team hits the road for non-conference matchups with New Mexico State on September 8^th, and UTEP on September 10^th. From there, Stephen F. Austin begins the conference slate with a home contest against Northwestern State on September 15^th, and hosts TCU in a non-conference matchup on September 17^th in Nacogdoches. SFA then plays out the remainder of the conference schedule, facing the remaining 10 league opponents in subsequent weeks.

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