RANKING NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

Melissa Mobilio cools off in summer heat

Howard Tsumara – Vancouver Province
From Fri. Sept. 4 Issue

RANKING NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
-WOMEN’S SOCCER: No. 1 Spartans not resting on laurels, looking ahead

LANGLEY, British Columbia - The Trinity Western Spartans women’s soccer team has accomplished so many things over the past five years that you’d assume there isn’t an honour that has yet to be bestowed upon them.

After all, when you’re a program that has been playing CIS soccer for only eight seasons, yet you’ve managed to win two national titles (2004 and 2008), you’re obviously doing a lot of things right.

But you’d be wrong to assume that the Langley-based program has grown accustomed to all of its recent national attention and respect, most notably its current CIS No. 1 national preseason ranking.

As the Spartans prepared Wednesday night for a local scrimmage against the visiting Langara College Falcons, Spartans head coach Graham Roxburgh was asked what it was like for his young, defending national champs to open the season by being pegged as the team to beat in Canadian women’s university soccer.

“Never mind No. 1 to begin the season, we’ve never ever been ranked No. 1 before,” admitted Roxburgh, 38, who has coached TWU for all eight of its previous CIS seasons, compiling an envious 10055-34 record along the way. “I think even when we won our national titles, I am not sure the other teams thought we were No. 1. But to be honest with you, I am OK with that.”

That’s about the closest Roxburgh will ever come to admitting that respect for his program has been a long time coming. Yet based on the Spartans past three recruiting classes and the fact that TWU has made the national tournament three of the past five seasons where it has compiled a 7-1-1 record, that respect appears to have finally arrived.

“It’s definitely a positive thing to be recognized by coaches around Canada,” said striker Nikki Wright. “But what it comes down to is it’s just a number on paper. Even though we have won, Graham has taken us down a level. He’s told us to be real.”

Still, there’s nothing pretend about a Spartans team which opens the 2009-10 Canada West season on Sept. 12 in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Huskies, and you can start off with Wright.

Before winning the national title and then heading off to a summer season with the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Langley Secondary grad was named the Canada West’s top player and rookie, the CIS Rookie of the Year, CIS first team All-Canadian and Sport BC’s University Athlete of the Year.

She also joined fellow TWU teammates Kristen Funk (second-year keeper), Rebecca Ferguson (fourthyear mid) and Jill Dietrich (secondyear defender) on Canada’s summer entry at FISU World University Games, a team coached by Roxburgh. Third-year midfielder Melissa Mobilio, one of the team’s top players, was also selected but could not play because of an injury.

And further reflecting the quality and depth of the TWU side was the selection of sophomore second-year midfielder Tessa Meyer, and incoming rookies Natalie Boyd (mid) and Alicia Tesan (fwd) to B.C.’s gold-medal winning entry at the Canada Summer Games.

And that’s a collective group that doesn’t even include Daniela Gerig, the third-year striker who was named the MVP at last season’s CIS championships.
“I think any time you win nationals you face the unspoken danger of complacency,” admitted Roxburgh. “But in fairness, we have girls that won big awards last year that aren’t guaranteed a minute. So I don’t think we’ll rest on our laurels because we’re so competitive within the squad.”

Added Mobilio: “We won nationals and we ranked sixth, so this doesn’t even faze us. It’s all about us, not what we’re ranked. We know we’re national champs and we have the rings to prove it. But it’s new year and a new team and you can’t keep looking back and getting your head all wrapped up in glory.”

Last Updated: 2009-09-05
Author: Howard Tsumara