July 22, 2005
George Mason Women's Soccer 2005 Season Outlook
History was made 20 years ago at George Mason University when the school's fourth-year women's soccer program defeated four-time defending national champion North Carolina in Fairfax in the finals of the NCAA Tournament to capture the 1985 NCAA Championship.
It was one of the proudest and stunning moments in Patriots lore. Mason established itself as a national staple in collegiate women's soccer and went on to reach the NCAA "Final Four" four times, while making 11 tournament appearances in 16 years.
Twenty-years later, Mason enters the 2005 season having missed the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season. But, after finishing 2004 with a 10-7-3 record under then first-year head coach Diane Drake and posting 10 or more regular season wins for the first time since 2000, the Patriots are not going to let last year's ending dictate their future. In fact, following a 5-6-1 start, Mason went unbeaten at 5-0-2 in its last seven regular season games, making its 10th straight Colonial Athletic Association Tournament before falling in the first round.
"It was disappointing to lose in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament," stated Drake, who enters her second year at Mason with a 55-51-9 overall record in six seasons as a head coach. "It was a bad way to end the season after we were really started to gain momentum."
"But, I'm proud of our players for rising to the occasion during our seven-game unbeaten streak," she continued. "In the beginning of the year, the team was uncomfortable because no one felt secure about their starting role. We probably lost some games early on that we could have won if our players had confidence in their roles. Returning players had to prove to me that they still deserved that starting position, so players were not always producing to their level.
"We had to imprint a new style on this team that didn't fully develop until late in the season. We found that passion for playing with one another during the second half of the year. Last season was one of my most fulfilling as a head coach because the players were very receptive to the changes and interested in learning as means to gain an advantage. Change can be good because it adds excitement."
An exciting change for the Patriots this season are the return of nine starters and 13 letterwinners from the 2004 squad, including four of their top five scorers and the majority of the defensive unit. Drake is expecting those units to continue where they left off last season.
"Our team's strength will be our depth and versatility at midfield, where we have several players who can have five and six goal-type seasons," she explained. "We return key personnel at those positions, including several starters who can be used interchangeably in the midfield or along the back line. For us to be successful, we need point production from a half dozen players."
Notable absences, however, include players who received regional accolades in Sarah Coughlin, Allison Cowan and Sarah Wilkinson. Coughlin earned CAA Defender of the Year honors as a goalkeeper, while Wilkinson led the team in scoring and Cowan was a four-year starter.
"There are three things that we'll lose that those players possessed: leadership, experience and determination," Drake expressed. "Losing those qualities from such pivotal players will be challenging. They were able to back whatever they said on the field and were respected greatly by their peers. But, we also have four returning seniors, who are all impacting leaders and will guide the team this year. They are ready to step in and also lead by example."
Among the returning seniors are captains Danielle MacDonald in the midfield and Kristen Portell on defense. Joining them will be senior midfielders Amy Sorenson and Amy Alecci.
MacDonald, an all-CAA selection in 2004, ranked third on the team in points with 11 after scoring three goals and finishing second on the squad with five assists. Portell, who started 19 of 19 games on defense, also contributed an assist. Sorenson and Alecci each played key roles in the midfield as Sorenson scored two goals and started 19 contests, while Alecci, who was one of two players to start all 20 games, totaled one goal and two assists.
"MacDonald is poised to have her best season yet," mentioned Drake. "She has a lot of skill and talent and had a great year for us in 2004. This year, if she continues to raise her level of expectations for herself, she could have 20 points on the season. Portell is a stellar 1v1 defender and has great leadership on the field. She reads the game better than most. I know that she will get done what needs to get done.
"Sorenson will continue to be a staple for us in the midfield. She plays great defense, is very fit, can spray the ball well and is not afraid to tackle. We want to get her in position to shoot more because she has a good shot on goal. Alecci has experience, speed and determination. She had better point production her sophomore season than last year, but she did other things for us like covering the field defensively and linking the back line with the forward line. We expect her to do that again as well as rekindle her point production this year."
The four senior leaders will be counted on as they lead the team through another system change. Drake will implement a 4-3-3 system alongside the 4-4-2 formation she coached last season.
"With our 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 systems, we're now going to be floating more players into different positions than we were in the past," Drake commented. "This way, we can better adjust to our opponents and find the best home for our players in the system that best suits their productivity."
Drake and the Patriots are expecting to get more versatility up front by playing with three forwards. Among the returning forwards are sophomore starter Sarah Fack and sophomore Rachel Wiggins. Fack, a CAA all-Rookie selection, ranked second on the team in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points in 15 of 20 starts. Wiggins appeared in 20 contests, earning four starts, and collected three assists.
"We lost three great forwards in seniors Wilkinson, Dianna Russini and Franmarie Gregg," stated Drake. "Fack and Wiggins are both capable of scoring for us. Fack knows where to put the ball and makes great tactical decisions. Wiggins was our most dangerous forward during Spring scrimmages and she's capable of being a 10-goal scorer. However, I wanted more opportunities for this team to get behind defenders and to have better opportunities. For Fack and Wiggins to be successful, they will need some complementary speed up front. So, I moved us to a three-front system with Alecci or MacDonald along the forward line. The team looked comfortable with the formation change, and with our personnel, we'll be much more dangerous because we can shift systems should the need arise."
Also expected to compete for time at the forward positions will be junior Jamie Daulton along with freshmen Nilani Duarte, Jenny Sparks, Colleen Killiany and Christine Arkwright. Daulton appeared in five games off the bench for Mason last season, while Schmidt, who started 13 of 18 games at defense a year ago, will move up to the forward line in 2005.
Duarte and Sparks were teammates at Costa Mesa High School in California, where they won the 2003 California Interscholastic Federation championship and were three-time undefeated Premier League champions. Killiany and Arkwright are both three-time all-district selections. Killiany is from nearby W.T. Woodson High School and hails from Fairfax, Va., while Arkwright attended Falls Church High School and is from Arlington, Va.
"Jaime gives us a lot of depth on the field since she has the ability to play three positions," Drake expressed. "Duarte and Sparks are more central midfield type players, but they can also play forward. Duarte has a lot of creativity and flare to her game. Sparks reads the game well and is very skilled. Killiany and Arkwright will add depth to the forward and midfield positions."
Drake is confident that the fluidity of the midfield unit will produce solid results over the course of the season. Led by Sorenson, Alecci and MacDonald, as many as 10 athletes could see time in the midfield, including freshman Mary Raveia, who was also a three-time all-district winner out of nearby W.T. Woodson, and junior starter L.J. Williams, who totaled two goals and three assists for seven points while starting 15 of 17 games. Both Williams' and Raveia's seasons are in question, however, due to injuries.
"It's likely L.J. will have to sit out the season as a red-shirt," commented Drake. "She could return late in the year and we'll make that decision as a staff as the season unfolds. Raveia is also having problems that could limit her effectiveness for us this year."
Defensively, "we have our entire starting unit returning with Portell, sophomores Laura Salichs and Jessica Paris, and Amanda Schmidt," said Drake.
Salichs started 11 of 19 games for the Patriots on defense, scoring a key goal against CAA rival Hofstra. Paris, a CAA all-Rookie honoree, also started all 20 games and ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Schmidt appeared in 18 games with 13 starts.
"Paris and Portell are expected to be the anchors of our defense this season," expressed Drake. "They are the core of that unit. Paris has extraordinary vision and versatility. She's confident and she has very few weaknesses to her game. Salichs is very polished on the ball and continues to grow with every game. Schmidt had a great year for us as a starter on defense for most of the season. She is a very capable scorer and could possess some of the best physical speed on the team, so we could be moving her forward more which will give other players an opportunity to step up."
Looking to step up will be sophomore Alison Feldman and freshmen Jessie Hart and Emily Napolitano. Feldman saw action in 18 games, earning six starts, and posted one assist. Hart attended nearby Hayfield High School and hails from Springfield, Va., while Napolitano played for Bordentown Regional in Bordentown, N.J.
"Feldman has good feet and can serve well," Drake mentioned. "She's very good in the air and physically, she's getting a lot stronger and healthier. Hart and Napolitano are very cultured players that will contribute to the backfield or midfield. With these players, we have a good balance in terms of speed so we don't get beat in from behind from forwards coming at us. Since Raveia and Daulton could also move to the defense, we have depth at every position and many interchangeable parts among the different units."
The biggest question mark headed into the 2005 season will be at goalkeeper where junior Olivia Brown will battle red-shirt sophomore Kasey Davenport for the starting position. Brown started two games last year and made seven appearances, earning a 2-1-0 record with 24 saves and four goals allowed. Davenport, who is a transfer from Christopher Newport University, made great strides last year and over the Spring scrimmages as she makes the adjustment to Division I soccer.
"We bring back Brown and Davenport and they will be competing for the starting goalkeeper position this season," explained Drake. "That position is wide open and will go to the player that comes out of preseason the strongest, the most confident, and the one who appears to learn the most from their mistakes."
Following its preseason, Mason enters a tough 19-game regular season schedule that includes seven first-time opponents. Added to the mix will be the addition of new conference foes Northeastern and Georgia State as the CAA expands to 12 teams for the first time in league history.
"We really try to concentrate on the season in halves, notably the first half of non-conference games and then the second season of conference matches," Drake expressed. "From here on out, every year is going to be a challenge to get to the CAA Tournament with the addition of the two new teams and the increases parity within the conference. Only half the squads make the tournament, and with one point separating first through sixth place last year, it will be a challenge to get there."
The Patriots begin 2005 with their first-ever trip to Hawai'i, where they will face two teams for the first time in host Hawai'i and Brigham Young on back-to-back days. Mason returns to the mainland on Aug. 30 for a visit to area-rival American.
Mason's first home game will be a first-time meeting versus St. Joseph's on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Other home contests against first-time non-conference opponents include Yale (Fri., Sept. 16) and East Tennessee State (Sun., Sept. 18). The Patriots open their CAA slate at home versus Towson on Saturday, Sept. 24, in a doubleheader with the men's program.
Five home games dot the schedule in October, including the first-ever meeting against new conference foe Northeastern Friday, Oct. 7. Mason is slated to face Georgia State in Atlanta on Sunday, Oct. 16. Arch-rival and 2004 College Cup qualifier James Madison visits Fairfax Sunday, Oct. 2.
"If we come out of the first half of the season at 6-2 and upset some teams along the way, then we would have the confidence moving into our conference slate that I think we'll need to get the job done and reach our ultimate goal," stated Drake. "It's always nice to mix up your schedule so you're not always playing the same teams on a different day. Rivalries are good, but we have enough of those on our schedule that we needed to add a little flare to it.
"Our end goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. With a 6-2 non-conference record and seven or eight conference wins to finish in the top three in the league, that should be good enough to reach our goal."
Twenty years ago, George Mason's women's soccer team not only made the tournament, but also reached the ultimate goal in capturing the National Championship. In 2005, the University, community and alumni will celebrate the 20th anniversary of that historic accomplishment. Hopefully, by the end of the season, there will be another reason to celebrate.
