Women's Soccer Preview
July 30, 2003 10:34 AM | General
July 30, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- If, as the University's slogan boasts, West Virginia University is where "greatness is learned," then the WVU women's soccer team is consistently grading out at an A+.
The Mountaineers, coming off their most successful season in school history, open fall camp on Thursday, Aug. 7.
With their program just two years shy of being a decade old, the Mountaineers have never had a losing season and enter their eighth campaign coming off a record-setting year in 2002 that featured a potent offense led by All-American forward Chrissie Abbott, and a formidable defense that rarely allowed opposing offenses a decent shot on goal.
Abbott is back for 2003 and is ready to lead an offensive attack that should prove terrifying for WVU's opponents. The defensive unit remains solid, having lost only one player from a back four that barely fell short of perfect.
And, with the play-making ability of the 2002 BIG EAST midfielder of the year Lisa Stoia tying everything together from her spot in the center, this season of Mountaineer women's soccer should play out to be the greatest yet.
Offensively, West Virginia will once again be led by Abbott. The North Olmstead, Ohio, native enters her senior season on the verge of becoming WVU's all-time scoring leader. One of the best active forwards in today's game, the 2002 BIG EAST offensive player of the year will be called on to do more than just score goals this season.
"Chrissie had a tremendous season last year," said head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "My biggest expectation for Chrissie this year is to get better, to continue to develop, not only as a player, but also as a captain and a leader. We want her to improve overall -- both on and off the field."
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| Returning All-American Chrissie Abbott could be a contender for national player of the year. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
With Abbott having made her mark on opposing defenses for the past three seasons, it goes without saying that she will be well guarded, and must often endure opponents' double and triple teams. Enter junior Laura Kane. Abbott's partner in WVU's offensive attack for the second straight season, Kane looks to take advantage of the fact that her teammate will attract plenty of attention. The Pottstown, Pa., native was West Virginia's second-leading scorer in 2002 and is every bit as dangerous as Abbott with the ball at her feet.
"Her role up top this year is extremely important, even more so now that people are going to be looking for Chrissie," says Izzo-Brown of Kane. "She has just as much ability to finish the ball, and that's what we want her to do: work hard and put the ball in the back of the net."
Add sophomore Marisa Kanela to the mix and the Mountaineers gain the ability to use a three-person front should they choose. Hampered by a late summer injury that put a dent in her endurance level last season, Kanela is looking to make more of an impact in 2003.
"I talked with Marisa in the off-season and our foundation for her is to work on staying healthy and building the endurance to finish games," the eighth year head coach says. "We want her to develop as more of a scoring threat, and by being able to play 90 minutes of soccer, we'll begin to see a high level of what Marisa Kanela can do."
Should the Mountaineers continue to go with only Abbott and Kane on top, Kanela is no stranger to life on the outside flank. Coming in off the bench, the Wantagh, N.Y., native scored three goals and tallied three assists from the wing in 2002.
Both Leslie Barden and Kambria Riggins return at the outside midfield positions for West Virginia. With Barden, a junior, and Riggins, a 2002 BIG EAST all-rookie team selection and now a sophomore, Izzo-Brown and her staff are looking for more dangerous play from their flank players.
"With another year of experience under their belts, we expect both Leslie and Kam to have more of an impact than they have in the past. We want to be certain that they are offensive and defensive threats on every possession," she said.
Controlling the flow of the game for the Mountaineers for the fourth straight season is All-American Lisa Stoia. Back at center midfield for her senior campaign, Stoia is looking to build off of last season's eight-goal, 10-assist performance that earned her BIG EAST midfielder of the year honors.
"Lisa Stoia is coming off an All-American season, and my goal for her is to continue to develop into a leader that brings out the best in our team," the two-time BIG EAST coach of the year says.
For the first time in her four years at West Virginia, however, Stoia will be without Rachel Kruze alongside her. Now playing for the WUSA's Philadelphia Charge, Kruze was a vital part of the Mountaineers ability to maintain control in the center of the field. Together, Stoia and Kruze had a great chemistry, and recreating that chemistry in the center is one thing West Virginia will need to do to be successful this season.
"I think that Stoia's strengths and Rachel's strengths balanced out well for the past three years. And that's a key reason why I think it is really important that Stoia becomes more of a mature player, because this year there won't be a veteran with a ton of experience beside her," says Izzo-Brown.
"On the flip side of that, a lot of people are going to be keying in on Stoia, so it is also important that the person we get in there be mature beyond her years and start working with Stoia to develop a rhythm right away."
Newcomers Cathy Abel, Nicole Cauzillo and Christina Monzi are Izzo-Brown's top three candidates for the open spot. Abel comes to WVU from Flemington, N.J., where she was a four-year member of the region I ODP team and a two-time national pool player. Cauzillo, the state of the Michigan's 2003 Gatorade player of the year, is a creative playmaker who was also a national pool player, while Monzi, a Staten Island, N.Y., native, was a two-time conference defensive player of the year in high school and was the conference player of the year as a senior in 2002.
Defensively, the Mountaineers return three of the back four that had the eighth-best goals against average (0.57) in the country last year. Senior Jenn Lewis, the veteran of this year's back line, and junior Lisa Zanti return on the outside while North Huntingdon, Pa., native Ashley Weimer returns in the center. West Virginia will have to replace Christen Seaman, a two-year starter at center back.
Each of the three returnees brings something unique to WVU's style of play. Lewis has tremendous speed that allows her to run any player in the country down. Weimer is physical and smart while Zanti is skillful with the ball and has the ability to press forward and become an offensive threat out of the back. In her fourth defender, Izzo-Brown is looking for someone whose attributes compliment those of the returners. She believes she has found that player in sophomore Karrie Hutchins.
"Karrie had a tremendous spring," says Izzo-Brown. "She stepped in and was able to find some rhythm in the backline."
Newcomer Natalie Cocchi should also vie for time in the back. The Ocean Township, N.J., native stands 5-feet-11 inches and helped lead her high school team to four division titles, two shore conference champions and the state title as a senior.
In goal, the Mountaineers face the challenge of replacing Melissa Haire. The lead candidate for the job is senior Laura Finley. The Mt. Laurel, N.J., native started 11 games last season and has the most experience of the team's goalies.
"Finley played the end of the season for us last year and gained some valuable experience," says the Mountaineers' coach. "She should come into this season realizing how critical her position is, that being a leader and commanding our defense from the back is key to our success."
Freshman goalkeepers Lana Bannerman, Jackie Picard and Jacque Sutphin should also contend for time between the posts.
Other newcomers vying time on this year's squad are Leigh Anthony and Brandi Sutphin. Both are offensive players that will likely see time up top as back-ups to Abbott and Kane.
Overall, Izzo-Brown believes her freshmen are each capable of making an impact in their first season of play.
"I believe that they have the talent and the mentality to come in immediately and contribute to our goal of winning a BIG EAST championship," she says.
"We definitely expect Nicole (Cauzillo) to come in and do some things. We see Abel, Monzi and Cauzillo competing for Rachel's spot and Cocchi will be vying for time at center back."
Combine a talented freshman class with a core of veteran players and the Mountaineers should be armed with the tools necessary to take on the teams their challenging schedule presents. Ten of West Virginia's 18 games this season will come against teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2002, including games at Virginia, Connecticut and Notre Dame. WVU plays host to Penn State, a Final Four team last season, as well.
"Every team we're playing this year is going to be a tough game," says the 2002 NSCAA mid-Atlantic region coach of the year. "We should be able to improve our overall play because of the quality of our opponents."
"When it is all said and done, we will be successful if we get better every game, if we develop individual play and achieve the goals we set during preseason," says Izzo-Brown.
