RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan
College women's soccer team kicks off the
2009 campaign this weekend at the Duquesne Classic in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Lady Jaspers take on Robert Morris Friday at 5 p.m., and will return to the
turf Sunday at 1 p.m. for the program's first meeting with Conference USA
member Marshall.
2009 Manhattan Women's Soccer Season Outlook
Year after
year the goal for the Manhattan
College women's soccer
program remains consistent: win the MAAC Championship. According to head coach
Sean Driscoll, the 2009 Lady Jaspers are prepared to make a run for the title
with the "most experienced senior class" he has had during his five year stint
in Riverdale.
"There is
no better way to describe my goal for this team than to simply say: I want to
send this senior class off on the best note possible," stated Driscoll. "This
senior class, along with the 2009 graduates, have raised the bar for this
program with their athletic talent, positive attitude and success in the
classroom."
The Lady
Jaspers will rally behind captains Courtney
McMahon, Jill Beauchamp and Kara Bucci in a season long journey
which culminates in Orlando,
Fla. at Disney's Wide World of
Sports Complex, the site of the 2009 MAAC Championships. The trio enters the
campaign with great focus, and aspires to utilize their leadership, combined
with their on-field abilities to make program history by winning the program's
first league championship.
"This was
by far the deepest pool of potential captains we have had in my tenure,"
Driscoll expressed. "To that point, it speaks volumes that Courtney, Jill and
Kara were chosen by their peers. Individually, they are gifted and collectively
I believe they will be one of, if not the, best group of captains I have had in
my 13 years coaching. Passion to compete, exemplary work ethic, incredible
talent and wonderfully coachable, each of these players bring their own
uniqueness to the position."
Manhattan is hungry for its shot at the
hardware after sitting at the doorstep the last two seasons. All 10 teams
qualify for this year's conference tournament, and Manhattan
hopes to leave the Sunshine
State with the league's
automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"For the
past three years, we have finished in the top six of the conference," explained
Driscoll. "I am hoping we can make a push into the top four this season, which
will put us in good position at the Tournament."
The Lady
Jaspers return 18 letterwinners, including nine starters, and add eight
newcomers to a program which posted a winning conference record (4-3-2) last
season.
Forwards
Up front,
the Lady Jaspers return a high octane offense which finished in the top half of
the MAAC in scoring in conference games last season, and peppered opponents
with a league-best 16.4 shots per game. The unit will be anchored by 2008
All-MAAC performer Caroline Morse, a
pure goal scorer who has tallied 25 points in her first two seasons in
Riverdale. Morse has been a clutch performer for the Lady Jaspers with four of
her eight career goals serving as game winners. She adds an aggressive
attacking dimension to the offense with her abilities to break down opponents
and excel in 1-v-1 situations.
Megan Lavecchia is also expected to bring firepower
to the lineup and will look to build on a successful freshman campaign. A local
product from North
Rockland High
School, Lavecchia earned significant playing time
in her first season with the program as she started 14 of 17 appearances. She
brings a combination of speed and elusiveness with the ball, which resulted in
five points last season, including two goals to lead all Lady Jasper freshmen.
Senior Alexandra Konneker and sophomore Kristen Spiros will also be looked upon
to contribute to the effort in 2009. Konneker adds veteran leadership to the
front after appearing in 53 of 55 games over her first three years. One of the
hardest working members on the squad, Konneker uses her speed to create scoring
opportunities, which has resulted in seven goals and six assists, to date.
Spiros is another scoring threat, especially in the box, because of her ability
to finish with both feet. She works well with her back to the goal.
Midfield
Manhattan possesses one of the league's most
experienced midfield units highlighted by rising seniors McMahon, Tracey Colantonio, along with junior Marissa Greco. McMahon returns as one
of the Lady Jaspers top-scoring threats. In three years with the program,
McMahon has started 54 of 55 appearances and ranks in the top-10 of the
program's career points list with 35. Her superior field vision and uncanny
ability to feed teammates has made her Manhattan's
all-time assist leader (19), a milestone the Bethel, Conn.
native achieved last season prior to receiving All-MAAC First Team honors.
Colantonio
is once again expected to be a factor in the middle this season. She will be
looked upon for her composure and good possession skills to control the tempo.
Colantonio utilizes her high work rate to set the tone defensively, but she
also possesses the ability to move forward and attack. Over the last two
seasons, she has set up five goals, including assists on two game-winners.
Greco is
another well rounded player on both ends of the field who presents difficulties
for opponents. The Long Valley, N.J. native is creative and generates
opportunities on offense, and can drop back to make defensive stops. Greco
should earn significant minutes, after starting 12 of 15 appearances last
season.
Also in her
second year with the program, Tara
Gleason should again split time at the midfield and in the back. As one of
the team's most versatile players, Gleason is a tenacious defender and
energetic attacker. Her speed and athletic ability give the Lady Jaspers
flexibility in the lineup.
Upperclassmen
Laura Thurston and Michelle Miyaki are experienced options
at the midfield and will compete for playing time. Thurston contributes a
strong work ethic and can disrupt opposing teams in the middle. Miyaki's strong
defensive presence goes along well with her solid skills in the air.
Back
Despite the
graduation of All-MAAC defender Brittany Duhamel and fellow co-captain Viviane
Masters, the Lady Jaspers will rely on Beauchamp, Bucci and Devon Lutz to carry the bulk of work in
the back. Beauchamp, a two-time All-MAAC honoree and 2009 Preseason All-MAAC
selection, has transformed herself into one of the top center backs in the
conference, after coming to Manhattan
as a forward three years ago. The Westerly,
R.I. native is again expected to serve as the backbone of the Lady Jaspers'
defensive unit. Beauchamp has appeared in 52 matches in her time at Manhattan, and has
started her last 37. In addition to the significant defensive presence she
brings to the field, Beauchamp can also attack the cage well, as reflected with
her four career goals.
Bucci, a
junior co-captain from Newburgh,
N.Y., will also help lead the
Lady Jaspers from the back. She is a savvy and strong defensive player who is
very consistent. Bucci started all 16 appearances last season.
Lutz burst
onto the scene in 2008 and earned MAAC All-Rookie Team recognition. In 18
matches, including 16 starts, Lutz posted five points, scoring a game winning
goal and assisting two game winners. In addition to her great composure and
attacking presence, Lutz can cover significant ground hindering the
opposition's offensive efforts.
Senior Amanda Fischer will be another asset in
the back. After battling through injuries the past two seasons, Fischer looks
to return to form as in 2006 when she started 17 of 18 appearances, while
scoring 10 points (eight assists & a game winning goal) along the way.
Jackie Marchetti and Michelle Djonovic will also compete for playing time. Marchetti
returns to the field after suffering a season ending injury last fall. She is a
physical back with good field vision and a strong competitor in the air.
Djonovic offers a hard-nosed mentality on the defensive end, to go along with
her good attacking ability.
Goalkeeper
Upperclassmen
Caitlin Trupiano and Alyssa Bachowski, along with freshman Kara Davis will compete for the
starting role between the pipes. Trupiano, the most experienced of the three
keepers, started the first eight games and notched two shutouts last year
before suffering a season-ending injury. Over 24 games during her career,
Trupiano has produced a 1.38 goals against average. She is a great shot stopper
who possesses wonderful technique in net.
Bachowski,
an energetic goalie from Garden City, N.Y., started the final 10 contests of
the 2008 campaign and notched three shutouts. Bachowski is a good stopper who
made 29 saves last season and helped lead the Lady Jaspers to four wins.
Davis also enters the goalie mix after a decorated career at Joel Barlow High School in Redding,
Conn. She is an explosive keeper
with a great vertical leap, who also excels in 1-v-1 situations. A two-time
All-State First Team honoree, Davis
helped lead Joel Barlow to the 2008 State Finals earning All-New England
recognition for her efforts.
Newcomers
The Lady
Jaspers welcome eight new faces to the roster who will contribute and add depth
at both ends of the field. These eight talented incoming freshmen will help to
offset lost productions of last year's graduating senior class.
Erika Boll, a 5-11 forward from Grand Rapids, Mich.,
is a versatile player who can play either as a target forward or center back.
She adds a unique dimension to the Lady Jaspers' lineup and can have an
immediate impact. Boll is a skilled striker in the box who can put goals on the
scoreboard.
Nicole Landes and Allison Pfeiffer add firepower in the front line, but are also
capable to contribute at the midfield. Landes, a four year letter winner and
two-time All-Section I honoree from North
Rockland High
School, offers good speed and top notch
technique. Pfeiffer is a creative attacker with good speed who has a knack for
scoring goals.
The Lady
Jaspers will also utilize Kayla Howden
up front. A product of Monroe, Conn.,
Howden tallied 48 goals and 17 assists in her final two seasons at Masuk High
School. Howden uses her unique combination of
speed, strength and balance to stretch opposing defenses and find the back of
the net.
Brittany Egan and Sierra Phelan are additions to the Lady Jaspers deep midfield unit.
They each bring a tremendous work rate to the field and can help out
immediately. Egan is an explosive, charismatic player with a sharp soccer IQ.
She started all four years at Pearl
River High School
and was named First Team All-League and All-Section I her final three years.
Phelan is a savvy player who possesses the ball well. She is a high percentage
passer who can break down opposing defenses. In her four years at Conard High School
in West Hartford, Conn., Phelan earned All-Central Connecticut
Conference honors at the conclusion of each campaign.
Sara Jones will help primarily in the back, but
can also contribute at the midfield. The California
native brings a tough defensive presence to the field which will add depth at
the flank. Jones, a multi-sport athlete at Aliso Niguel
High School in Aliso Viejo,
played club ball with the Slammers Futbol Club of the Coast Soccer Premier
League.
Schedule
The Lady Jaspers 18-game slate features eight home
contests, all to be held on Manhattan's
state-of-the-art turf field at Gaelic
Park. The 2009 MAAC
Championships run from Oct. 29 - Nov. 2 at Disney's Wide World of Sports
Complex in Orlando, Fla.
Manhattan kicks off the
regular-season with two games in Pittsburgh,
Pa. at the Duquesne Classic. The
Lady Jaspers open against Robert Morris on Aug. 28, and then will face
Conference USA
member Marshall on Aug. 30, marking the program's first meeting with the
Thundering Herd.
The
Lady Jaspers make a brief return to Riverdale for their home opener under the
lights on Sept. 4 versus Holy Cross, but then hit the road again for a three
game stretch in eight days visiting Fairleigh Dickinson (Sept. 6), Columbia
(Sept. 11) and Cornell (Sept. 13).
Just
before the Lady Jaspers dive into the always challenging conference schedule, Manhattan will host inter-borough rivals Fordham (Sept.
18) and Wagner (Sept. 20) at Gaelic
Park. The Lady Jaspers
begin MAAC play on Sept. 25 at Marist, and then continue north on the Thruway
for its match up at Siena
(Sept. 27).
Manhattan begins October with
five consecutive home matches, with the initial four being league contests
against Niagara (Oct. 2), Canisius (Oct. 4), Iona (Oct. 9) and defending MAAC
champion Fairfield
(Oct. 11). The Lady Jaspers wrap up the stretch with their final home contest
of the year on Oct. 15 versus Army, the 2008 Patriot League champion and NCAA
Tournament participant.
The
Lady Jaspers complete the regular-season with road games at St. Peter's (Oct.
18), Rider (Oct. 23) and Loyola (Oct. 25).
The
2009 MAAC Women's Soccer Championships return to Disney's Wide World of Sports
Complex for the first time since 2005. All
10 MAAC women's soccer programs qualify for the tournament, and will compete
for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
