Net-Working
September 25, 2003 09:20 AM | General
September 25, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Fate kind of steered West Virginia University freshman Lana Bannerman toward being a goalkeeper.
Her father, Murray Bannerman, played parts of eight seasons tending goal for the NHL Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks from 1977-87.
The majority of Bannerman’s career was spent in Chicago, where he played from 1980-87. His most extended service came during the 1984-85 season when he saw action in 60 games. Bannnerman also played in 40 playoff games from 1982-86.
Lana says it’s neat having a father who was a professional athlete, but she admits it’s really not that big of a deal.
“It’s kind of fun but he’s still just my dad,” she says.
Lana is a self proclaimed hockey nut who enjoys watching games on television when she’s home.
“Once playoff time comes around that’s all we watch in the house,” she said.
Although hockey isn’t quite as big here in West Virginia, Bannerman says she might drive up to Pittsburgh to take in a Penguins game or two once the season is over.
But right now Bannerman is in the midst of a productive year protecting the net for West Virginia’s nationally ranked women’s soccer team. The rising freshman claimed the starting goalkeeper duties during the preseason when senior Laura Finley was sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
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| Freshman Lana Bannerman has had a hand in five shutout victories so far this season. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
“It’s unfortunate that she got hurt, but I came here and worked hard and I think I’ve earned it,” said Bannerman.
Lana has been stationed in front of West Virginia’s net for almost the entire season, or 831 minutes worth of action heading into play against Tennessee.
Through nine games the Naperville, Ill., resident has already been involved in five shutout victories and has a goals-against-average of 0.54, which ranks her among the Big East’s top 10 keepers.
Bannerman ranks sixth in total saves with 34. Nine of them came in a critical 1-0 victory at No. 8-ranked Connecticut last Friday, including a fabulous sliding stop on a shot late in the game to preserve the victory. That effort, coupled with a 2-0 shutout of Yale, earned Bannerman Big East keeper of the week honors.
The development of Bannerman at goal has enabled West Virginia to keep the pressure off its defense and on opposing defenses. Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown has all of the confidence in the world in her rookie keeper.
“We’ve let her go,” Izzo-Brown said. “We let her play her game just like we do everyone else. Keepers need to make big saves to keep us in games and that’s what Lana has been able to do.”
In addition to blanking Connecticut, Bannerman also owns shutouts over New Hampshire, James Madison, Yale and combined with Finley to blank Binghamton Wednesday. She has allowed just one multi-goal game this year against St. John’s, a 3-2 WVU win.
Bannerman came to West Virginia with the intention of starting right away. She spent five years on the Illinois state team and was a two-year member of the ODP regional team. Bannerman says that experience helped her adjust to the high level of soccer she’s playing right now.
“We got to play a few college teams around Illinois,” she mentioned. “We got a little bit of experience, the training was a lot better and I got to play against a higher quality of kids.”
Bannerman says she considered Illinois, Purdue and North Carolina State in addition to West Virginia. But once she made her visit to West Virginia she was hooked.
“I loved it here, it was the perfect place for me,” she said. “The first time I talked to Nikki I knew I was coming here.
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| Lana's father Murray with the Chicago Blackhawks |
“About a week after my visit I committed,” she added. “I think I pretty much told Nikki in her office on my recruiting trip that I was pretty happy here and I liked this place. She said, ‘We’ll call you in a week.’ So she called me and a day after that I told her I was coming.”
“She’s had a high level of playing experience and we just liked her competitive nature and her personality and attitude,” said Izzo-Brown. “We felt with the right environment that she was going to be big time.”
Lana had a pretty good idea what to expect from the Mountaineer soccer program when she came to Morgantown in August, but West Virginia is still pretty foreign to her.
“I didn’t really know much about West Virginia before I came here,” she said.
Lana’s parents were apprehensive about her going to school so far away from Chicago, but in the end they knew it was her decision to make. Now with schedules being so hectic, they are trying to find the time to travel to Morgantown to see her play.
“I have a younger sister who plays soccer and my dad is a hockey coach,” Lana said. “It’s pretty hard for them to get out here but I’m sure they will eventually come.”
One date circled on the Bannerman calendar is October 3. That’s when West Virginia travels to No. 2-ranked Notre Dame for a showdown of two top 10 programs. South Bend is an easy trip for the Bannermans to make.
Lana says having her dad watch her play really helps.
“He actually played soccer when he was younger,” she said. “It’s really good to have someone you can talk to who understands what it’s like to go through all this. Not so much on the goalkeeping side of things but just on the sports aspect -- dealing with losing and those types of things.”
Lana says her dad’s biggest piece of advice is to simply forget about the goals, “You get scored on many times and you’ve just got to keep playing,” she said. “Soccer is the same way. You make one mistake and it could cost you the game.”
West Virginia coaches are willing to take their chances with Bannerman in front of the net, though.
“She’s not playing like a rookie,” said Izzo-Brown. “I’m not at all surprised with the way she’s played. That’s why we brought her here.”
