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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information
Director
Friday, August 22, 2008
Head coach Sammy Lane knows
that the Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team has become the
hunted as the 2008 women’s soccer teams is set to begin on Saturday.
“For the first three years,
we were chasing Johnson County and Butler,” said Lane, the fourth-year head
coach of the Lady Dragons, who won the program’s first Region VI
championship last season. “It will be interesting to see how we play knowing
we are going to get every team’s best shot.”
Hutchinson opens the 2008
season with a pair of games at the Barton Community College Tournament on
Saturday and Sunday in Great Bend. On Saturday, HCC opens with Redlands
Community College at 4 p.m. On Sunday, HCC plays Western Nebraska at 11 a.m.
on Sunday.
The 2007 Lady Dragons had a
mediocre regular season by HCC standards, finishing fifth in an improving
Jayhawk Conference. But they caught fire at the right time, knocking off the
top three seeds – Coffeyville, Butler and Johnson County – en route to the
Region VI championship. HCC defeated Johnson County 2-1 in the championship
game.
They then were just 36
seconds away from forcing penalty kicks in the District B semifinals against
Laramie County, but lost 2-1 in double overtime to finish 13-6 overall.
From that team, Lane must
replace 91 percent of the goals scored, 87 percent of the assists and 100
percent of the saves. Lane lost the program’s career leader in goals scored
and points (Jenny Yukich), assists (Johanna Adolfs) and goalkeeper victories
(Carly McArthur).
With only four players
returning, all back-line players, Lane knows his defense will have to lead
the way until the offense catches up.
“We lost a lot of offensive
firepower,” he said. “But we have more depth this year and we should have
more of a balanced attack. We were only able to count on a few goal scorers
last season, and if they didn’t’ produce, we struggled.
“I see us having a more
balanced attack this season.”
That experienced back line –
sophomores Mollie Mainz, Haley Edgar and Amanda Orth – will protect an
untested collegiate goalkeeper, no matter who wins the job for the Lady
Dragons.
Sophomore Bry Aiken and
freshman Michelle McElroy will both see time in the net. Aiken is the fourth
sophomore returning from last season’s regional championship team and is
battle tested in the Jayhawk Conference as a defender and midfielder.
McElroy is big-game tested at the high school level. She was a part of last
season’s Kapaun-Mt. Carmel soccer team that knocked off Kansas power St.
Thomas Aquinas in the state playoffs last season.
“We will go game to game and
whoever plays best, will be in there,” Lane said. “It’s a straight toss-up
between Michelle and Bry.”
With Mainz, Edgar and Orth
on the back line, the 2007 Lady Dragons allowed just 1.26 goals per game
last season. Adding to the depth will be Topeka Seaman all-stater Amy
Phipps, Victoria Koehn and Emily Hammond. Koehn and Hammond both played for
Lane in Wichita youth leagues.
The midfield and forward
positions will have 100 percent turnover from 2007. But Lane sees plenty of
depth and more athleticism in his new group of offensive players.
In the midfield, freshmen
Alaina Hudson, Danielle Sandman, Chelsea Myers Amelia Anderson, Stephanie
Weisen and redshirt freshman Meghan Decker have emerged as a solid group. Up
front, Hutchinson High all-state product Vanessa Magana, Leilah Saadi,
Ireland native Ciara Corboy and Jessica Ediger make up a talented front
line.
The biggest challenge early
will be to see how quickly the freshmen pick off the offensive system and
get used to the speed of the college game.
“We have good depth
throughout and we will have good competition for starting spots,” Lane said.
“We hope to win games early with solid defense and having four freshmen back
there; we have a good building block. By the time the playoffs roll around,
we hope the offense will be caught up.
The 2008 Lady Dragons will
play a tougher schedule and play the most regular-season games in the
program’s four-year history. HCC has 20 regular-season matchups this season,
including nine games at home at the Azzurri Soccer complex (23rd and
Cleveland).
The Lady Dragons will also
see Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, as well as Redlands and Western Nebraska, for
the first time in program history. Cowley College adds women’s soccer this
season and will be one of 13 Jayhawk Conference match-ups on the schedule.
“Every year going into the
playoffs, we were fresh and predominantly injury free,” Lane said. “We will
see how playing a tougher schedule and more games will affect us for the
playoffs.”
HCC opens at home on Aug. 29
against Neosho County. |
