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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Not many programs can said
they have accomplished more in their first four seasons than the Hutchinson
Community College women’s soccer team.
A total of 52 wins,
four-straight winning seasons, four consecutive trips to the regional
semifinals, two championship game appearances and one regional championship
have highlighted the first four seasons of Lady Dragon soccer.
In order to raise the bar
even further, the Lady Dragons will face perhaps its toughest overall
schedule and the most balanced Jayhawk Conference ever.
“The league is more balanced
than it ever has been,” HCC head coach Sammy Lane said. “This will be the
most competitive conference season in the history of the Jayhawk.”
In preparation for the
rigors of the 2009 season, Lane has made conditioning a priority for this
team.
Looking back at HCC’s
record-setting 17-2-1 season, the common thread in the two losses and one
tie were late goals allowed. Thus, the 2009 Lady Dragons have conditioned as
much or more than they have worked on their skills in fall camp.
“It’s definitely my goal to
push this team this season,” Lane said. “We just have to work hard and we
have to physically push this team to put us in position to be successful.
The girls have shown a great appetite for it. We want from 60 minutes on be
the strongest team.”
The 2009 Lady Dragons return
10 sophomores in all, including 3 of the top 5 scorers from last season. HCC
also returns its No. 1 goalkeeper, nearly its entire midfield and three
quality defenders.
As the Lady Dragons head
into Friday’s season opener at home against Cowley, Lane applauded the 2009
sophomores for doing what it took to raise the bar once again.
“Of all the classes that we
have returned, this sophomore class took the off-season and the summer
program the most serious,” Lane said. “They all came back in great shape.
They learned a little from last year. We started eight or nine freshmen last
year and they knew if they didn’t come back in shape, they might not have
their spots.
“They are good leaders. They
have taken ownership in their team.”
The Lady Dragons are picked
to finish third in the Jayhawk Conference in 2009. Defending Region VI
champion Johnson County is the overwhelming favorite, while Butler just
edged HCC for second. Defending conference champion Barton was picked
fourth.
For HCC to raise the bar in
year No. 5, it will have to bid for league and regional crowns, Lane said.
“All of the ingredients are
there. We just have to get off to a good start on Friday and build from
there,” said HCC’s coach.
FORWARDS
Lane returns two
high-scoring forwards in sophomores Leilah Saadi (11 goals, 14 assists),
Chelsea Myers (14 goals, 15 assists). Myers, who played her first five games
on defense in 2008, was a first-team All-Jayhawk Conference and All-Region
performer as a freshman. Saadi was all-league honorable mention.
The Lady Dragons add high
scoring Kansas prep all-stater Stephanie Franz to the front line. Franz
scored 63 goals at Buhler in her final three seasons, including a
career-high 30 goals as a senior.
HCC also adds Ashley
Leihsing from Emporia, Veronica Guzman from Salina South and Caitlyn Coney
from Arlington, Texas, to a potent front line.
“Chelsea, when we converted
her from a fullback to a forward, we knew that she would be successful, but
we had no idea how successful,” Lane said. “She has a year under her belt
knowing how to score goals. She looks more comfortable because she never was
in that situation before.”
“Leilah knows her job. She
can score, but she knows she needs to play to Chelsea and Franz, who have
the speed. Franz scored all those goals at Buhler. We know she’s going to
score goals for us. We have a pretty potent offense.”
MIDFIELDERS
The Lady Dragons return
their entire group of midfielders from last season.
Sophomore Alaina Hudson (11
goals, 6 assists) was HCC’s top scoring midfielder and was fifth-leading
scorer. Hudson was a second-team All-Jayhawk Conference and all-Region VI
performer.
Also back are Amelia
Anderson (3 goals, 2 assists), Emily Hammond (1 assist) and Alisha Cooper (3
goals, 3 assists), who returns from missing the second half of the season
with a knee injury.
Freshman midfielders will be
Elisha Schultz from Hays and Nicole Randall from Wichita Northwest.
DEFENDERS
This position group took the
hardest hit from graduation, losing two-year starters in Haley Edgar and
team captain Mollie Mainz.
But first-team All-Jayhawk
and All-Region VI Amy Phipps and All-League honorable mention Victoria Koehn
are back as well as sophomore Stefanie Wiesen, who saw ample playing time as
a freshman.
That group limited opposing
offenses to less than six shots and 0.70 goals per game in 2008.
Joining the Lady Dragons is
England native Finola Corley, who is a physical presence on the back line at
5-feet-11.
GOALKEEPERS
The prospects in goal for
the 2009 Lady Dragons is as good as it’s been in any single season.
The Lady Dragons return
their top goalkeeper from last season in Michelle McElroy (14-2-1), who had
a stellar goals-against average last season (0.69). She was named NJCAA
national Division I goalkeeper of the week last season.
Lane has added Arkansas all-stater
Mandy Stapleton into the mix, giving the Lady Dragons two legitimate No. 1
keepers.
“Michelle had a great year
last year and we brought in Mandy Stapleton, who was an all-state keeper.
Now we have competition for that spot,” Lane said. “Competition breeds
success. For the first time in the program, we have to quality keepers at
the same time. That’s no disrespect to those who have been here before, but
we really do have two No. 1s.”
SCHEDULE
The Lady Dragons have played
two NCAA Division II programs – Emporia State and Missouri Western – to
draws of 2-2 and 1-1, respectively in two scrimmages. The Lady Dragons will
play four of their first five games at home.
Hutchinson gets defending
league champion Barton at home on Oct. 2 and Butler at home on March 10. The
Lady Dragons face Johnson County on the road on Oct. 16.
WEEK 1 WOMEN'S SOCCER NOTES |
