Women's Soccer Preview
8/16/2007 2:27:10 PM | Women's Soccer
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The Orange women's soccer team has a bevy of experienced players and six freshmen who can make an immediate impact on its 2007 roster. The Orange lost just one starter and three letterwinners from the 2006 squad. Among the returnees, nine have at least two years experience and nearly all of the eight sophomores saw significant time in their first seasons.
“I think this will be the year that we make the transition from being a really young team, like we were last year, to instantly becoming a more experienced team,” head coach Patrick Farmer said. “A lot of the juniors have started for two years and I think last year we thought we were very young, we instantly seem like we have a more experienced team now.”
FORWARDS
No position shows the mix of youth and experience like the Orange forwards. Junior Amanda Arcuri and sophomores Chelsea Berry and Tessa MacDougall saw the majority of the time on the frontline last season. MacDougall became the first SU freshman to lead the team in assists (3) and points (5) in the same season. MacDougall and Berry were the only freshmen to start every game last season. In her first two seasons, Arcuri has started 35 games and tallied six assists.
Senior Lauren Jentzen has played in every game at Syracuse and is tied for the active career lead in points. Senior Darcy Hamill transferred to Syracuse from Fordham last season and played in 16 games.
The freshmen class is stocked with talented forwards. New York State natives Megan Bellingham and Kaitlin Robbins each amassed more than 100 points in their scholastic careers. Bellingham led her conference in scoring four-consecutive years and Robbins is the all-time leading goal scorer in New York. Freshman Sharifa Wilkinson is slated as a forward, though she may also see action as a midfielder.
MIDFIELDERS
Senior captain Jen Taormina leads the Orange midfield. With 33 starts in the past two seasons, she is one of the most experienced players on the roster. She scored the game-winning goal in the season finale against South Florida and handles most of the corner kick opportunities from the left side.
Sophomore Sara Grimsgaard stepped into her first season with the Orange with ease. After redshirting in 2005, Grimsgaard patrolled the center of the field and maintained the offensive pace in every game in 2006, with 11 starts. Sophomores Danielle Jordan and Katie Peck combined for 22 starts in their first full seasons. Jordan scored the Orange’s first goal against Binghamton and Peck, who redshirted in 2005, spent the final nine games with the first unit.
Freshmen Dana Bergstrom and Hayley George join the midfield after very successful high school careers. Bergstrom was the 2007 National Christian School Player of the Year and George was a two-time all-state selection in New York.
DEFENSE
The SU defense is one of the most experienced and strongest areas, with juniors Karrah Benson, Lauren Cappelli and Sarah VanSickle anchoring the unit. The trio has combined for 112 starts in their first two seasons. VanSickle has been the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player each of the past two years. She is the team’s top-returning goal scorer and was SU’s MVP a year ago. Benson and Cappelli have each started every game they have played in their careers.
Senior Crystal Thune and junior Kristen Hamill rejoin the defense after knee injuries limited their time in 2005. Thune has missed parts of the last two seasons, while Hamill was injured midway through 2006. Sophomore Elizabeth Healey is new to the defense after switching from midfield after spring practice. Freshman Marjory Elwell was a three-time all-state selection in New Jersey and should play a key role in the Orange defense.
GOALKEEPERS
At the beginning of 2006, Farmer was faced with a dilemma. He had three goalkeepers, none of which had seen significant time in the collegiate game. He decided to give each of them starts early in the year and let their play decide who the starter would be. Eliza Bennett-Hattan emerged as the elite goalkeeper and turned in one of the most successful seasons in Syracuse history. She set single-season marks for goals-against average (0.94) and save percentage (.862). She started the final nine games of the season and posted five shutouts. Her six shutouts on the season were the fourth-most by an SU goalie all-time.
Senior Candice Hofmann and sophomore Sami Hirsh also made contributions in goal. Hofmann started four of the first five games, and faced three of the Orange’s nationally-ranked opponents. She turned in double-digit save performance twice, with 10 against sixth-ranked West Virginia and a career-high 11 against 21st-ranked Wake Forest. Hirsh made two starts in the span of a week. In her first game, she made a career-best 10 saves and gave up only one goal against Colgate.
SCHEDULE
The Orange starts its season with a weekend trip to Michigan to take on Oakland and Michigan State. The home opener is against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 7. St. John’s is the first BIG EAST opponent on Sept. 21 and the Orange host West Virginia on Sept. 30 for its first conference home game. Last season’s NCAA runner-up Notre Dame travels to the SU Soccer Stadium on Oct. 5. The Orange hit the road for four games before returning home to close out the regular season against Providence (Oct. 26) and Connecticut (Oct. 28).
“The prime thing will be our first four or five games,” Farmer said. “If we get off to a good start and build confidence, people will see a big difference this year than last. The beginning of the year will probably tell how we go towards the NCAA Tournament and our BIG EAST home games will have a lot to say were we are ranked within the conference.”
