Aug. 22, 2008
As the 2008 George Mason women's soccer season begins, the Patriots find themselves looking to bridge the gap with fewer than half its starters returning and 10 first-year players joining the ranks. Despite what would appear to be an apparent lack of experience, the Patriots will have a veteran presence at nearly every position on the field as Mason looks to improve on its three-straight eight-win seasons.
Mason opens the season tomorrow when the Patriots take on Maryland. The road match will be played in College Park and it is slated for a 7 p.m. start. Maryland was 6-9-3 last year and was picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Mason was picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Anchoring this year's squad for Mason is fifth-year senior midfielder Jessica Paris. A third-team All-CAA selection last year on the back line, the native of Clifton, Va. will start the season at the attacking midfield position. "J.P. (Jessica Paris) is a seasoned veteran," said fifth-year head coach Diane Drake. "Moving her back to the attacking position will instantly threaten the opposition."
Three juniors, two sophomores and a pair of freshmen will also likely play in the midfield in 2008 all in different roles. Juniors Patti Benner, Leslie Cabe and Sasha Vido are all incumbents who return in the midfield with Benner at holding midfield, Cabe at the right midfield and Vido at the left midfield. Vido had a pair of goals in 2007, including a game-winner, and Cabe had a goal as well.
"Our sophomore class and our midfield are the nucleus of the possession on our team," Drake said. "This group adds significant experience and will be very threatening. Also, this group, along with All-American transfer Omolyn Davis, played as a midfield unit this summer on the Fredericksburg gunners W league team." Davis will redshirt this season after transferring from Lindsey Wilson College.
The veteran midfielders will be looking to hold off sophomores Capricia Alston and Evan Feldman and freshmen Max King and Nicole Peters. Alston appeared in two games last year while Feldman played in five. Peters comes to Mason from Oak Hill while King, a graduate of North Stafford High School, enrolled at Mason in January and played with the Patriots in the spring. She had a goal and three assists in the 13 contests.
"Alston came alive this spring and will be a significant role in the midfield this coming fall," Drake said. "Max King made an instant impact this spring and has been playing along side fellow juniors Cabe, Benner, and Delucca all summer. Feldman is having a very strong summer on her club team and should challenge for minutes."
The Patriots will also have a lot of experience at the forward position. Junior Kelly Keelan, a third-team All-CAA player last year, returns after leading Mason in scoring and assists. She had six goals and four assists in 2007 and she was easily Mason's most potent weapon in the open field and on set pieces. Juniors Annie Lebherz and Theresa DeLucca combined to appear in 26 games last year with Lebherz earning eight starts. DeLucca scored once while Lebherz put four goals in the net.
"All of our forwards have been playing very well from the spring and into their summer teams," Drake said. "Keelan's Pennsylvania Strikers team was a National Final Four team in Snickers USYSA National Championships. Theresa and Annie have both been starting on their W League summer teams. This group understands each other and works very hard together."
Freshman Kelly Thomas, a 6-foot tall versatile athlete will challenge the three juniors for minutes at the forward position. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, she was her Conference's Player of the Year as a senior and she was a Nike All-American in track. Fellow freshmen Sandra Wingert and Peters and sophomore Katy Gray will also fight to be on the field as an attacker.
"Thomas is exactly what we have been missing with her size and explosive pace," Drake said. "She will be a huge threat to the opponents back line. Anyone in this group has the capability to impact our front line. "It will be a very challenging battle up front."
The back line will have depth, but the unit will be looking for cohesion after losing three starters, with two having graduated and Paris moving to the midfield. The lone returner will be junior Hannah Sklar, the team's captain. Sklar has started all 38 games since arriving at Mason. Redshirt junior Colleen Killiany and sophomore Kimmy Moss played valuable minutes last year and they should be expected to move into the starting lineup.
Pushing to fill that final spot will be freshmen Zania Barnum, Alyssa Andersen and Jordan McDonald while redshirt freshman Mary Raffael will contribute if healthy. Thomas could also land on the back line if needed.
"Moss, Sklar and Killiany played together all spring in brilliant fashion," Drake said. "Experience and consistency will be our answer in filling the fourth and final spot centrally. Zania Barnum has played many minutes there on her club team and is very composed as well as redshirt, Mary Raffael, while Anderson and McDonald will challenge for wide back spots."
Mason will have a first-year player in net for the first time in years. Melissa Mailley is expected to step in as a freshman and fill the position of goalkeeper. The graduate of Briar Woods High School was a twice honored as All-State and was second-team All-Met last year as well as the starting goalkeeper on the 2007 National Championship team. Adding depth at goalkeeper is Alex Bodenschatz, a freshman from Warrenton, Va.
"Mailley is solid and will make big saves for us immediately," Drake said. "Her experience starting for the top ranked team in the country the Washington Freedom, will give us veteran experience immediately. Bodenschatz is very athletic and determined and we are very excited to watch her growth curve to the college game."
The 2008 season will get underway on August 23 with a road match at Maryland. Mason will play at UNC Greensboro and Virginia Tech over Labor Day weekend before opening up at home with the Mason Tournament. The Patriots will host Hartford on Friday, September 5 and Mississippi State on Sunday, September 7. Mason will also host Indiana and Howard and travel to Longwood in non-conference action. In Colonial Athletic Association action, Mason will host VCU, Georia State, UNC Wilmington, William & Mary and Old Dominion while travelling to James Madison, Hofstra, Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware and Towson. The CAA Tournament will take place with the Quarterfinals on November 4 at the higher seed and the Semifinals and Championship Game on November 7 and 9 at the regular-season champions' home field.
