2008 SFA Soccer Preview
8/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 21, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin soccer team opens the 2008 season Friday with a road game against TCU. Following is a team preview with notes entering the season and a position-by-position look at the 2008 Ladyjacks.
Building on Tradition
Since the Southland Conference began playing soccer in 1995, Stephen F. Austin has been one of its most consistent programs. The Ladyjacks have won more SLC championships -- five -- than any other team in the league and have finished second on two other occasions. The program has even further distanced itself from the conference pack in the last half-decade. SFA has claimed one of the top two spots in each of the last five years with three league crowns and two NCAA Championship appearances in that span.
The 2007 campaign was perhaps the best in the program's 13-year history. SFA (13-5-2) won a share of the SLC regular-season championship, then swept two victories in the league tournament to earn its second trip to the NCAA Tournament. Despite a 4-1 loss to first-round host Texas A&M, the Ladyjacks notched the first NCAA Championship goal ever scored by a Southland team. That squad saw a school-record seven players named to the postseason All-SLC teams, including four first-team selections.
But the most encouraging thing about that 2007 team is how many of its members return for the 2008 season. SFA suffered the loss of only two starters from a year ago and just six players total. The Ladyjacks bring back an astounding six seniors and five of the six players who received first- or second-team all-conference honors last season.
Any coach would be glad to have that kind of ammunition in his belt heading into a season, but that's certainly the case for a head coach entering his first year with a new program, like SFA's George Van Linder. The 12-year veteran of collegiate coaching has spent the last nine seasons -- four with SMU and, most recently, five with Baylor -- in Texas. As such, he knows soccer in the Lone Star State and SFA's reputation in the SLC.
"The expectations for this program, for a while now, have been that if you don't win the conference championship, it's been a disappointing year," Van Linder said. "The expectations are great, and that's certainly enjoyable, but, at the same time, that's an added pressure that you have to deal with as a coach and a player."
A brief look at his coaching history will show that Van Linder is no stranger to that kind of pressure. All four of his SMU teams won Western Athletic Conference championships, and the Mustangs reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times in four seasons with one Sweet 16 appearance to their credit. As far as his players handling the crush, Van Linder expects his team's veteran experience to take care of the issue.
"We talked with our seniors at the beginning of the year and told them that if we're going to come in and defend our title and get back to where we were last year, we're going to have to depend on them," the coach said. "The seniors have to know that the pressure and expectation for them to lead is really important. It's going to be vital that they give us that leadership."
Rachel Schwind, Amanda Alders, Lauren Fricks, Jessica Cotton, Summer Bradfield and Amanda Lackey tie this year's senior class with that of the 2004 squad for the biggest in program history. All six have been regular starters at one point or another in their careers, and they have a combined total of nine All-SLC honors between them.
"The expectations are already here," Van Linder said. "We just have to try and build upon them."
Returning Firepower
If expectations for the 2008 season are even higher than normal for SFA, it's likely due to the fact that the Ladyjacks return the bulk of the productivity from last year's championship team. With 69.5 percent of the 2007 scoring coming back, SFA has plenty of ammunition in stock. The Ladyjacks bring back the feet that accounted for more than 65 percent of their goals in 2007 and return 89 percent of last year's assists.
The top returning scorer is junior Kelli Wilson, who posted nine goals with five assists last season for a total of 23 points. Despite an injury plagued junior season, Alders was third on the stat sheet a year ago, putting together five goals and four assists for 14 points on the season. Sophomore Kesia Broome is also back after a freshman year that saw her put up four goals and four assists. Cotton and Fricks rounded out the team's top six scorers. Cotton compiled all six of her points on three goals, while Fricks spread the wealth with a team-best eight assists and three goals, giving her 14 points on the year.
This returning nucleus accounted for over half of the team's point production in 2007. But the news isn't all good in the returning-lost analysis. Of the six players lost from last year's roster, sophomore Erika Palmacci definitely had the biggest impact. The forward led the team in scoring and was second in the Southland with 14 goals, but left the program in the off-season because of a chronic leg injury that refused to heal. Palmacci's 14 goals accounted for nearly 30 percent of the team's season total and included five game-winners.
But Van Linder believes his team's mixture of returning experience and incoming talent can absorb the loss without major incident. He also has an extra bullet in the chamber for the 2008 season in the form of a slight adjustment of philosophy.
New Face/New Pace
While Van Linder aims to keep the existing base for the SFA program in tact during his first season in charge, he plans to add a few tweaks of his own to the machinery. The primary change on the agenda is speeding up the pace of play to put more pressure on the opposition.
The 2007 squad registered 131 points, the second-best single-season total in program history, and the Ladyjacks' 48 goals last season rank third all-time. If Van Linder has his way, neither mark will look very impressive compared to the 2008 numbers.
"We want to continue with what SFA has done in the past -- play a possession-oriented style," Van Linder said. "But, at the same time, we feel like we can play with speed and try to put other people on their heels. We want to create a fast-paced style of play that is, hopefully, exciting to watch."
According to the coach, the opportunities for more scoring output are usually available. Players just have to know when and where to look for them and how to press their advantages to get the most of what might seem like small scoring chances.
"I think we just need to emphasize scoring and try to see if we can look for opportunities sooner," Van Linder said. "I think sometimes possession-oriented teams take so long to try and create that perfect scenario. We want to be a little riskier and try some things up front where we can create some more opportunities. We want to see more half-chances and try to score off those half-chances, instead of waiting for it to set up perfectly in our favor."
Creating more chances should prove to be no problem for the 2008 squad. SFA's returning players accounted for 79 percent of the school-record 433 shots attempted last season. The key will be improving on 2007's .111 shot percentage.
"For a program our size, we have some people who are blessed with speed here," Van Linder said. "That's what we're looking for. We want to make speed our ultimate weapon."
Position-by-Position
Goalkeeper
SFA returns both its net-minders from 2007, including starter and All-Southland Conference selection Crystin Pactor. The junior played 96 percent of the minutes in net a year ago and posted a 13-5-2 record with seven shutouts.
Pactor's 1.07 goals-against average last season ranks third on SFA's single-season list, and her career mark of 1.11 currently leads the program's all-time ledger. Pactor posted 91 saves in 2007.
Courtney Bauder also returns after serving primarily as Pactor's back-up a year ago. She played three games in net and registered one save with one goal allowed. Bauder, now a sophomore, also saw spot duty as a forward late in the season to offset some of the injuries that dogged the SFA lineup. She scored a goal and assisted on a second, finishing with three points.
Freshman Natalie Strabala will, at the least, add some depth to the position and is expected to compete for some quality minutes in goal. Strabala is a former Defensive MVP for her Houston-area district who holds the Katy Taylor High School record for career shutouts.
"With both Pactor and Bauder back and a talented freshman coming in, it's a real race back there," Van Linder said.
Defender
Solid defense has long been a point of emphasis in the SFA soccer program. That hasn't changed, but the personnel for the Ladyjack back line in 2008 certainly has. With the departure of Jenna Turner in the offseason, and senior Jessica Cotton beginning the year on the sideline with an injury, junior Megan Cash is the lone returning starter in the SFA backfield.
Cash's natural position is forward, where she played as a rookie in 2006 at Tulsa and scored a team-high eight goals. But her ball skills and speed make her both a tenacious defender and a dangerous threat coming out of the back third on attacks. She played the majority of the 2007 season as a defender, after injuries early in the year put a strain on the defensive personnel.
Until Cotton is able to return from her injury, Kelli Barnes joins Cash as the only other player to have seen significant playing time as a defender last season. Barnes played in 14 games last season.
"Cash is really our lone experienced defensive player coming back," Van Linder said. "That's where we're going to be counting on a lot of newcomers."
Two such newcomers are transfers Camille Royer and Brooke Kocian. Royer appeared in nine games with one start for Cincinnati in 2007. Kocian is yet to compete in a championship season collegiate soccer match, but got a start on college life this spring, when she enrolled early at North Carolina-Charlotte and spent the semester training with the team, before transferring to SFA.
Midfielder
The strength of the 2008 squad figures to be found right in the middle. SFA returns all four midfield starters from a year ago, plus two more players who have plenty of experience at the position over the last two seasons.
Last year's starters include seniors Amanda Lackey, Summer Bradfield and Lauren Fricks, along with junior Kelli Wilson. The quartet combined to put up 19 assists last season, accounting for nearly 55 percent of the school-record-tying 35 the Ladyjacks tallied as a team.
Lackey and Bradfield have been a huge asset in the SFA backfield, playing primarily as defensive midfielders. Their services will be called on early to help offset the youth behind them. Fricks and Wilson are as skilled with the ball at their feet as most forwards in the SLC.
Senior Rachel Schwind will begin the 2008 season on the sidelines, still dealing with an injury that kept her out for most of last year's campaign. She started 15 of 18 games in 2006, her first season at SFA after transferring from Texas Tech. The other returning midfielder is Brittney Barker, a sophomore who played in all 20 games last season and registered a goal and an assist.
"I think our strongest position is definitely in the midfield," Van Linder said. "We've got a ton of seniors who play in those positions. Ideally, we'd love to see that experience in the back, but if you have to pick the second-best position to be so loaded with veterans, an experienced midfield can certainly make life better for an inexperienced back line."
Forward
The sheer number of experienced players makes midfield a strong point for the Ladyjacks in 2008. But the tip of the sword isn't short on seasoned talent, either, and has some young players with potential to light up the scoreboard.
The top returner is senior Amanda Alders, who is the school's all-time leader in both goals (32) and points (74). She set both marks last season, despite seeing limited action due to injury. Alders finished 2007 with five goals but averaged 13-plus in each of her first two seasons, when she became the first player in program history to lead the team in goals and points for two consecutive campaigns.
Sophomore Kesia Broome brings back her four goals and four assists from 2007. One of the fastest players in the conference, she has explosive scoring potential. The other returning forward is junior Brenna Crockett. At 5-9, Crockett has imposing size. She tallied two goals playing up front in 2007, but Van Linder said her versatility will allow him to play her in multiple positions this season.
"We have the school's leading scorer coming back, along with some talented players, so we're excited about our situation at forward," Van Linder said.
Transfer Kim Kimmel should provide a dependable option as well after leading Jacksonville State with three goals last season.
-- SFA --
