2008 Women's Soccer Outlook
8/19/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 19, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 2008 season is one that could prove to be a turning point in the history of the University of Maryland's women's soccer program.
"We have been waiting for pre-season since the end of 2007," says fourth-year head coach Brian Pensky. "Everyone returning knows how good we can be. Our defense has always been a strength and we expect that to continue. With the combination of our returning players and our incoming freshmen, we will be much-improved in the attacking end of the field."
Pensky's confidence could stem from one glance at his roster, which boasts talent, skill and, perhaps most importantly, depth.
"Our depth will be significantly better this fall," says Pensky. "We are going to have some fabulous competition for a number of positions on the field. For players, this is a bit scary, however, we know the competition will bring out the best in each individual."
How all of those factors will add up at the end of the season is anyone's guess, but Pensky knows what he expects from his squad this year. "We expect to surprise people this fall. There is no reason why we should not be back in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. We have the talent and depth - now it's all of our jobs to produce."
Here's a quick look at the 2008 Terps by position:
Forwards/Wingers
Depth at forward has been an issue for the Terps in recent years, but Pensky and his coaching staff have addressed that concern through some position changes and aggressive recruiting.
Returning for Maryland at the forward position is senior Kaila Sciascia, who had a tremendous off-season and seems to have found a new "killer instinct" for finishing her shots. Sophomore Annesia Faulkner showed a lot of skill and tenacity during her initial season as a Terp and is expected to be an even greater contributor in her second season. Her blue-collar work-rate will certainly factor in the Terps' success.
Lauren Gamble is a fifth-year senior who will be called upon to contribute as she returns from ACL surgery.
Juniors Maureen Dowling and Stephanie MacCormack are each moving to forward for this season. Dowling spent her first two seasons as a wide midfielder, while MacCormack played as a wide back last year. They both can impact a game immediately - Dowling with her pace and left foot; and MacCormack with her energy and intensity.
The freshmen attacking players - Ashley Grove, Lydia Hastings, Danielle Schulman, Jasmyne Spencer and Dominique Vellutato - give the Terps a boost of talent and depth. They also give Pensky some flexibility, as this group is capable of contributing at multiple positions. More specifically, the versatility of Skyy Anderson and Sade Ayinde may prove to be attractive options in the Terps' attack.
Headlining this freshmen attacking group is Hastings, who enrolled at Maryland this past January and was with the team during its spring season. She has also been invited to the past three US U18 National Training Camps and was the team's leading scorer during its European Tour in June. Most recently, Hastings was invited into a US U20 National Camp. Ayinde has also participated in multiple U18 training camps as both a forward and defender. Ayinde and Anderson were listed as a Top 50 and 100 recruit, respectively, by Soccer Buzz.
"Returning Kaila, Annesia, Lauren, Mo and Steph from last year is a real plus," says Pensky. "And the addition of the freshmen should give us the ability to be a fast-paced, high-pressuring attacking team. This is the area of the field where we'll have the most competition for playing time - and the players who create and score goals with the most consistency will receive the most playing time - simple as that."
Freshman forward Ariel Nehemiah will most likely redshirt this fall due to a broken ankle suffered in April.
Central Midfield
The offensive center midfield position was a big question mark (due to injury and inexperience) for the Terps as they headed into the 2007 season. But that's certainly not the case in 2008. Starting center midfielders Nataly Arias and Caitlin McDowell return and are expected to improve from last year, which saw them combine for six goals and four assists for 16 points.
Add to that mix, the return of Molly Dreska, who missed the entire 2007 season due to injury. Before suffering a knee injury near the end of the 2006 season, Dreska was one of the ACC's top freshmen. Now fully recovered, she is prepared to push for playing time and make an impact for the Terps.
Another contributor for playing time at attacking center midfield is sophomore Erika Theisen.
Shelley McDuff, who started all 36 games the last two seasons, anchored the defensive center midfield spot, but has now graduated. Looking to replace her is a quartet of newcomers, some of who could also find roles in other midfield spots. Megan Watson, a junior transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, started 31 games in her two seasons as a Panther. The versatile Becky Kaplan is one of the top 75 recruits in the country according to Soccer Buzz; while skillful Amy O'Sullivan and Kristen McAfee will also compete for prominent roles in central midfield.
"We feel great about our central midfield," says Pensky. "We have experience in Nat, Caitlin, Molly and Megan; and exciting young talent in Theisen, Kaplan, O'Sullivan and McAfee. We have lots of options."
Defense
The only loss from the 2007 backline is Ashly Kennedy, who started every game during her Terrapin career. But the rest of Maryland's defense returns intact - Mallory Baker, Aimee Bresani, Brittany Cummins and Mary Casey. This group gives Pensky a veteran presence in the backline, which will allow his team to push forward in the offensive third.
"We return quality players from last year's back line," says Pensky. "Mary, Aimee, Brittany and Mallory are all poised to continue the Maryland tradition of keeping the ball out of the back of the net."
Casey, who was recruited as a goalkeeper and will be the team's backup at that position, has matured into one of the best defenders in the ACC, which is widely regarded as the nation's top women's soccer conference.
Returning depth in the back will come from senior Mandy Paizs and sophomores Colleen Deegan and Chelsea Sprague. Freshman Carly Lenger is the only natural defender in this year's freshmen class. Newcomers that could also compete for playing time in the back are Ayinde, Watson, and Anderson.
"Solid spring seasons from Mandy, Colleen and Chelsea have put them in positions to truly compete this fall," says Pensky. "Sade, Megan, and Skyy will challenge in the back as well."
Olivia Onyeador is another sophomore defender, but she will redshirt this season after suffering an injury during the spring season.
Goalkeeper
Entering last season, the keeper position had the biggest question marks hanging over it, but Yewande Balogun quickly erased that with an outstanding freshman campaign. Now with a year under her belt, the ACC Freshmen Team of the Year GK will be able to combine experience with her unbelievable natural ability.
Balogun did miss the final three games of last season with a foot injury, but she has recovered from that and will be between the pipes when the Terps open their season.
"Yewande will be our starting goalkeeper this fall," says Pensky. "Her tactical growth has been tremendous over the course of this year, and her ability to lead in the back will be much-improved now that she is a sophomore, and has 21 starts (including the spring season) under her belt."
Schedule
The Terps will once again face a very challenging schedule this season, including nine regular-season matches against teams that competed in last season's NCAA Championships, including 2007 national runner-up Florida State.
"Including preseason games, we will play 11 teams that were in the NCAA Tournament last fall," says Pensky. "And we are happy to be home for 13 of our 20 games - which is something we need to embrace, taking advantage of playing at home on Ludwig Field.
"As I've said, we expect to be in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, and this schedule should prepare us not only to make those tournaments, but to succeed in them, as well."
After hosting a preseason scrimmages against Georgetown and West Virginia, which were also 2007 tournament teams, the Terps open the 2008 season with five straight home games at Ludwig Field against George Mason (Aug. 23), Bucknell (Aug. 29), Elon (Aug. 31), American (Sept. 5) and Temple (Sept. 7).
Maryland hits the road and heads to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia Soccer Classic. There the Terps will face Dartmouth on Sept. 12 and 2007 NCAA tournament participant William & Mary on Sept. 14.
Maryland then returns to College Park for its final non-conference game a Sept. 21 meeting with Mount St. Mary's.
The ACC schedule kicks off with a trip down "Tobacco Road" and a Sept. 25 game at Wake Forest. The Terps then head East to Chapel Hill, N.C., to tackle North Carolina on Sept. 28.
From there Maryland returns home for four consecutive games in College Park. The Terps host the Seminoles (Oct. 2), Miami (Oct. 5), Duke (Oct. 12) and Virginia (Oct. 16) over the 14-day home stand.
The Terps then face three-straight road conference games beginning with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., for a meeting with Virginia Tech on Oct. 19. Maryland will head North to Chestnut Hill, Mass., for an Oct. 23 meeting with Boston College, then wraps up its road schedule on Oct. 26 at NC State.
The 2008 regular season concludes with "Senior Day" on October 30 against Clemson.
The ACC Tournament will be held on Nov. 5-9 in Cary, N.C., at WakeMed Soccer Park. The 2008 NCAA Tournament will begin on Nov. 14 with the first three rounds being held at campus sites. The 2008 College Cup is being hosted by NC State at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The semifinals are set for December 5, with the finals taking place on Dec. 7.
