SEASON REWIND AND LOOK AHEAD: PART 1 - WOMEN'S SOCCER

 

WOMEN’S SOCCER
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011
SEASON REWIND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEASON REWIND AND LOOK AHEAD: PART 1 - WOMEN'S SOCCER

LANGLEY, British Columbia – After yet another outstanding year for the Spartans in the sporting arena and with the 2010-11 season just over a week away from being officially put to bed, we take a look back at each team and the season they had competing for Spartans Athletics and a look forward into what the future might hold in 2011-12.

Today: Women's Soccer
April 4: Women's Basketball
April 5: Cross Country and Track and Field
April 6: Swimming
April 7: Men's Soccer
April 8: Men's Hockey
April 11: Women's Volleyball
April 12: Men's Basketball
April 13: Men's Volleyball

WOMEN'S SOCCER - REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 9-3-2 - PLAYOFF FINISH: 4TH IN CANADA WEST 

To say the Trinity Western women’s soccer team’s 2010-11 season was a bit of a disappointment would be a massive understatement.

The Spartans were coming off back-to-back CIS championships, were returning all 11 starters from the previous year’s national title match and expectations were lofty. But unfortunately for the Spartans, the season never really panned out how many had hoped or imagined.

With injuries plaguing the Spartans for much of the preseason, Trinity Western struggled to gain any sort of momentum, especially amongst its would-be starters, as they tried to prepare to defend their title.

But once the regular season began, things looked relatively back to normal, at least on the score line. The Spartans won their first five games of the season and maintained their CIS Top Ten No. 1 ranking through Week 4.

But then a 3-2 home loss to Alberta happened and the Spartans were sent into a bit of a tailspin.

Trinity Western went winless in four games for the first time in school history and included in the slump was a loss to local rival Fraser Valley, which was the first time the Spartans had ever lost to the Cascades.

But with a playoff position suddenly far less than a certainty, the Spartans managed to reel off three wins in their final four games to book a spot in the Canada West Final Four and a date with Fraser Valley in the conference semifinal.

But that’s when the Spartans chance at an unprecedented CIS three-peat ended as it was the Cascades moving on to the Canada West gold medal match and a spot at the national championship via a 3-2 shootout victory. The Spartans then lost 3-2 in a shootout to Alberta the following day in the bronze medal game and returned to Langley empty-handed.

“It was a real wake-up call for us,” said Spartans second-year midfielder Natalie Boyd. “I mean we had a decent season and we did lose only lose on penalty kicks but if we were playing the way we should have, it shouldn’t have even gone to penalties.”

While it was a tough year as a team, individually the Spartans still had some standout performances during the year as four players were named to the Canada West all-star teams as Boyd, Melissa Mobilio and Kristen Santema were First-Team All-Stars while Daniela Gerig was a Second-Team All-Star.

Statistically speaking the Spartans were second in Canada West in both goals for, with 1.88 per game, and goals against, with 0.94 per game.

The Spartans offence in the regular season was led by Alicia Tesan and Gerig, who each had seven goals while goalkeeper Kristen Funk was a steadying force  on the back end as she led the league with a goals against average of 0.77 and was second in the league with a save percentage of .843.

Since the fall, the focus has been entirely on getting back to the top. In the spring, thus far, the Spartans have compiled a 5-1 record and, for the first time ever, won Victoria’s Keg Spring Cup, with a 2-0 championship game win over UBC on Mar. 27.

“We were all totally focused and we really wanted to prove to ourselves that we’re good and that we have the capabilities but we just haven’t shown them lately,” said Mobilio of their Keg Cup win. “It was nice to finally come together and do the things that we know we can do. I was high on life.”

 A LOOK AHEAD…

The Spartans will finish out their spring season with scrimmages this weekend against the FISU All-Stars and Seattle Pacific before going on the road for games against Western Washington and Portland.

And then, the next games they will play will be in August when they officially kick off the 2011-12 campaign.

The Spartans will lose midfielders Rebecca Ferguson and Kaleigh Henry (who was an injury redshirt this year), goalies Veronika Rogina and Ana Pruim and defender Heather Stevenson  to graduation this year but in saying that, they still will return 12 of the 13 players who played in the Final Four semifinal loss to Fraser Valley.

It will no doubt be a challenge losing the leadership of some key veterans, but the Spartans are well-equipped to move forward as a team as they look to climb back to the top in 2011.

“Our biggest goal is to win the league and then win the Final Four,” Boyd said. “I think last year we focused too much on winning a third straight national championship instead of the process it would take to get there.”

The Spartans will have most of their key players back at each position as keeper Kristen Funk will lead from the goal, defenders Jilian Dietrich, Nikki Byrne, Colleen Webber and Santema will steady a solid back line, midfielders Boyd, Mobilio, Jenna Di Nunzio, Alexi Foster, Tessa Meyer and Jen Castillo (who has played spring as a defender) will platoon in the middle and forwards Nikki Wright, Alicia Tesan and Gerig will patrol the front line.

Add to that Canadian U20 National Team defender/midfielder Vanessa Kovacs, Alberta Summer Games forward Sarah-Kim Bergeron and midfielder Alessandra Oliverio of the National Training Center Prairies and you have the making of a pretty formidable side.

And one playing with a purpose.

“Losing last year hurt a lot,” Mobilio said. “I think we’re using a little bit of that loss as fuel to push towards the ultimate goal of getting the [Gladys] Bean [Memorial Trophy] back. I know that’s far away but you have to dream big.”

-TW-

 

Last Updated: 2011-08-19
Author: Mark Janzen