Nine newcomers, defensive approach keys for women's soccer
BOSTON, MA - With nine players having departed from the 2009 Wheelock College women's soccer team, fourth-year head coach Stephanie Smyrl has gone back to basics for a relatively young bunch with the fall of 2010 on the horizon.
"We lost a large senior class, and they were used to how I coached," said Smyrl, who is incorporating new means of teaching her 16 players, nine of whom are newcomers to the program. "Bringing in such a big first-year group makes the dynamic of the team entirely different, but the players are all asking a lot of good questions about how we do things. Even the older players are asking new questions this year."
Smyrl, whose charges finished one spot shy of qualifying for the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament last fall, has imparted a stronger emphasis on defense for 2010.
"If the first person on the scene doesn't pressure the correct way, then the effect is felt throughout the field," said the coach. "It's like a domino effect. Everyone's a defender, even the forwards; they're the first line of defense. The main thing this year is defending."
The Wildcats' 3-12 mark last fall belied the fact that they dropped five decisions by two goals or fewer, including four during NECC play, where they went 2-6. Among the close results was an overtime setback to Mitchell College, the eventual conference tournament runner-up.
Smyrl is looking to provide a positive outlook for her team as the season gets underway. "If it has become unpleasant to go to practice, then I'm not doing my job, because I want them to be just as excited as I am," she said.
With Wheelock finishing up its second week of preseason, Smyrl credits the squad's two captains, senior Christine Pellerin (Auburn, MA/Auburn) and junior Haley Butler (Yarmouth Port, MA/Dennis-Yarmouth Regional), with bringing the team together, an important task for a group with so many new faces.
Pellerin, the most seasoned current Wildcat with 46 career games under her belt, and junior Kimberly Rogers (Derby, CT/Derby) were two of only three players on the squad to start all 15 games a year ago, and the duo returns to anchor the backfield. They are joined by sophomore newcomer Sabrina Freiberg-Dale (Newton, MA/Newton South) and freshmen Kathryn Samonas (Greenland, NH/Portsmouth) and Haley Wotton (Rockland, ME/Rockland District).
Butler is among three returning midfielders, in addition to graduate student Nicole French (West Roxbury, MA/Beaver Country Day School) and junior Allison Rogers (Millbury, MA/Millbury). Butler turned in three goals and a pair of assists during her sophomore year while starting each contest. Junior Hilary Johansen (Walpole, MA/Walpole) is the eldest of a trio of new players, as Jettie Borresen (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) and Stephanie Isabelle (Granby, MA/Granby) each ready for their freshman year of college.
Both goalkeepers are back for the Wildcats, including incumbent junior starter Alexandra Chiesa (Medford, MA/Medford), who earned an NECC All-Conference honorable mention last fall in her first year of college soccer. Sophomore Sarah McCaffrey (East Taunton, MA/Taunton) missed last season with an injury.
In the offensive third, senior Nicole Zina (Bristol, RI/Our Lady of Fatima) is the lone returning forward. Junior Adriana Perry (Holbrook, MA/South Shore Charter Public School), who appeared in 28 games as an underclassman at Wells (N.Y.) College, joins sophomore Shelby Hewitt (Sharon, MA/Sharon) and freshman Perla Fernandez (Hyde Park, MA/Urban Science Academy) as newcomers at forward.
Wheelock is slated for 16 regular-season contests, with 11 at home, including the first six. It welcomes a pair of Midwest teams to town during its opening three games, beginning the campaign on Monday against Benedictine (Ill.) University before taking on Wisconsin Lutheran College on Friday. Wheelock's eight-game NECC slate starts against Becker College on Oct. 2, and the six-team postseason tournament commences on Nov. 2.
Smyrl's expectations for the season hinge upon her Wildcats' acceptance of a focused defensive approach this fall. "The key for the players is to view each other as a unit, and realize they're not just two forwards, not just two center middies, or not just a goalkeeper standing in the net," said Smyrl. "Everyone has to buy into the system; otherwise we won't be able to be as successful as we hope."
