2009 York College Women's Soccer Preview
The 2009 York College women’s soccer
campaign is a season full of expectations and excitement. The
Spartans, two years removed from their 2007 Capital Athletic
Conference championship, and one year after their 2008 CAC
Tournament championship game appearance, have reloaded for another
run at a conference title.
Spartan head coach Vicki
Sterner begins her 14th year at the helm of a program that
owns a 60.7% winning percentage during her tenure. Sterner welcomes
back a core of experienced players in addition to an influx of
talented newcomers that should provide the Spartans with a very
strong starting unit and depth that may be unprecedented in the
history of the program.
Sterner turns to a core of senior leaders that
provide the Spartans with tremendous on and off the field
leadership. Seniors Lauren Stewart, Jackie
Moser, Kat Torode, and Kaitlyn
Harney give York a strong contingency of seniors that have
NCAA Tournament experience and have made two CAC championship game
appearances. Stewart and Moser provide the Spartan defense with a
strong backbone while Torode gives York a playmaker in the middle
of the pitch. Harney battled injuries last year but brings an
athletic presence to the Spartan midfield.
“I feel very good about our core
leadership,” says Sterner. “Not only do I like our
senior leadership, but we have a strong group of juniors that gives
us experience and poise that will help us achieve our goals for
this year.”
Sterner will rely on a strong defensive unit
early in the year until the offense jells. Stewart and Moser are
joined on defense by returners Ally Wivell,
Allie Jensen, Megan George,
Kathryn Leyendecker, and Melissa
Schneider. Wivell returns as an experienced starter with a
big leg as the Spartan sweeper. She is a consistent player that
always puts herself in position to make plays for the York defense.
Jensen will make the adjustment to defense after spending her first
two years up front. She will attempt to fill the role of departed
regional All-American Kali Macgregor. Jensen is a strong, physical
player that battled injuries last fall but she is healthy and ready
to give the Spartans a technically talented player in the back.
George earned more playing time last year as she played in 19
games, starting seven of those, with most of those starts coming
late in the year. George played strong but missed the spring season
due to surgery. She is expected to be back at full strength in time
for the fall campaign. Leyendecker saw action in just 11 games last
year but worked extremely hard to put herself in the Spartan plans
in 2009. Schneider played in 12 games last year and should have the
chance to compete for time in 2009.
“Obviously losing Kali and Caitlin Allen
are key losses for us,” states Sterner. “However, I am
very excited about the returning players. Lauren is one of the best
players in our conference. I don’t think you can appreciate
how good a player she is until you see her play a number of times.
She is extremely consistent and provides us with outstanding play
each and every day.”
“Jackie also provides us with a veteran
presence while Ally has been a starter for a year and a half. Our
defense should again be strong despite some key losses to
graduation.”
Some Spartan defensive newcomers include
Kat Snipes as she will look to earn time on the
defensive side of the field for the Green and White.
The Spartan goaltending will be in capable
hands with the return of sophomore Sarah Spanarkel
and junior Desiree Halaka. Halaka went 9-5-1 with
four shutouts in her 1262 minutes of action in 2008. She posted a
.769 save percentage and a 0.86 goals against average. Spanarkel
came on at the end of the season to record a mark of 2-1-1 with a
shutout in 462 minutes. She had a .786 save percentage and a 0.58
goals against average. Spanarkel and Halaka will be joined by
newcomer as the threesome battle for the starting netminder
spot.
“I feel very good about our goal-keeping
situation,” says Sterner. “We will have options and
quality depth in goal.”
The Spartan midfield is another area of
strength for the Green and White. Torode returns for her second
year on the squad as a key playmaker in the middle of the field for
the Spartans. She has great vision and the ability to distribute
the ball to the front runners for the Spartans.
“Kat has the opportunity to be a very
good player for us this year,” states Sterner. “Her
ability to make plays for our forwards could be a huge key to the
success of our offense.”
Joining Torode in the midfield will be Harney
and fellow senior Meghan Rowland. Harney battled
injuries as a junior but is ready to have a big senior year. She is
a good athlete that gives the Spartans a dangerous player out wide,
especially on free and corner kicks. Rowland saw action in 17 games
last year, notching three points on a goal and an assist. She will
have the opportunity to garner quality playing time thanks to her
experience and ability.
Junior Carly Bock and
sophomore Stephanie Rice are two other Spartans
that will be major players in the midfield for the Green and White.
Bock came on strong during the 2008 campaign as she tallied seven
points on two goals and three assists. She is a very talented
athlete that is a hard worker with tremendous endurance. She can
carry the ball down the field and then feed the finishers while she
also has a strong shot that can score from distance. Rice is also
very athletic and really stepped up during spring practice, putting
herself in position to be a key member of the midfield. She scored
four points on a goal and two assists in 20 games last year. Rice
brings a fresh confidence as she feels more comfortable in the
system.
“We are in very good shape in the
midfield,” states the Spartan mentor. “We have a very
nice balance of returning experience and talented first-year
players.”
Jackie Ford and Caitlin Aversa are two
newcomers that should have the opportunity to make a significant
impact on the Spartan fortunes in 2009.
One area where the Spartans have some questions
coming into camp will be the forwards. There is a group of
returners led by junior captain Steph Mergler and
junior Ali Jones. Mergler is a strong leader that
will spend most of her time up top in 2009. Mergler finished last
year with 14 points on four goals and six assists. She is a very
hard worker that has experience as a finisher on the club level.
She is a player that puts herself in position to make positive
plays for the Green and White.
“Steph is a very hard worker that has
provided us with tremendous leadership,” says Sterner.
“I think she is very comfortable and has the potential to
have a huge season for us. I think last year she pressed early on
and that hurt her. However, I believe this year she will be able to
get off to a good start.”
Jones elevated her game as a sophomore and the
coaching staff believes she is ready to continue that progression
as a junior. Jones picked up 13 points on five goals and three
assists including a trio of game-winning goals. She had a very
strong spring campaign and should get a number of quality scoring
chances in 2009.
“You can see how comfortable and
confident Ali is after experiencing some success last year,”
states Sterner. “She has the potential to be an
all-conference type of player and I am excited to see how she
performs this season.”
Lacey Phillips, Erin
Mummert, Brittany Nechay, and
Ilana Kline are other returners that will have the
opportunity to earn time on the field for the Spartans. Transfer
Lauren Ward will compete for time up top for the
Spartans.
“I think we have great potential in our
group of forwards,” says Sterner. “It may take a bit
for this group to jell but once they do, we should have a pretty
explosiveoffense.”
While Sterner obviously likes the team that has
been assembled, there are still some tweaks that will occur early
on in the season.
“We have a few small question marks, but
I believe the talent is here to be a significant competitor for the
2009 CAC title. I think the kids felt like we missed an opportunity
to repeat last year because we just didn’t click. I was
impressed by the quality of play during the spring practices, and I
think we have a highly motivated squad.”
Sterner believes that quality depth will play a
role in the Spartans’ potential success in 2009.
“I really like the quality of our
starters and our reserves. We have the type of depth that will
serve us well during the year. I am also excited to see how the
junior class responds. They were freshmen when we went to the NCAA
Tournament, and I believe they are ready to step up and be
important parts of a team that hopes to win a conference
championship and get back to the tournament.”
The Spartans open up their 2009 campaign on
September 1 with a home date against a traditionally strong Eastern
University squad. The Green and White open their conference slate
two days later with a trip to Hood College.
2009 YORK COLLEGE WOMEN'S SOCCER ROSTER