August 27, 2002
Soccer: YSU Opens 2002 Season This Weekend
Youngstown -- This season fourth-year Head Coach
Elizabeth Bartley returns 14 players
and welcomes eight newcomers on her
2002 soccer squad.
Coming off a 1-19 record from last season, Bartley said she
looks for a lot of leadership from
her juniors and seniors as
Youngstown State enters its second
season as members of the Horizon
League. "I think we are going to be
a lot more comfortable in the
Horizon League," Bartley said. "I
think everyone saw us in our last
game against Butler and will
remember that when we decide to
play, we’re really not that far off,
we are right there."
The Penguins will also be playing on a new surface at
Stambaugh Stadium. Sprinturf was
installed on Beede Field over the
summer. Bartley said playing on
Sprinturf will slow the game down.
"It will make it more true to
soccer, like playing on grass, and
will help us with controlling the
ball."
Bartley’s first task will be filling the gap at goalkeeper,
which has been voided by the
graduation of four-year starter
Christine Handte. Freshmen
Catilin Bestard (Sarnia, Ontario)
and Jennifer Jennings (Warren,
Ohio) will split the goalkeeping
duties.
"Each goalkeeper will play a major role in direction from the
backline."
YSU returns six midfielders from last season. Leading YSU at
the position are seniors Lauren
Roseman and Rachel Wilds.
Last season, Roseman started in 19
matches and scored two goals.
Along with the seniors is a more experienced group of
sophomores, which include Cerid
Irvine, who appeared in all 20
contests and scored two goals,
Lauren Ausmundson, Diane
Fellabaum and
Kim Jugenheimer. Newcomers
Jessica Yarter (Wellsburgh, W.Va.)
and
Erin Moehle (Medina, Ohio) are
expected to contribute immediately
to control the middle.
The Penguins will have senior veteran Jessica Tait and
sophomore Hannah Lawther
leading the scoring attack. Tait
started all 20 matches last season,
attempting 13 shots. Lawther, who
started in 17 games, was ranked
second on the team in goals blasting
four. Joining Tait and Lawther is
newcomer Katie Deprey (Green Bay,
Wis.).
Returning on defense is senior Kate McHugh and junior
Kara White. Last season White, who started 19 games, was the Penguins
leading scorer with five goals. "We
are thinking about switching some
things up on defense this year,
depending on some injuries and
status of people coming back,"
Bartley said.
YSU should be solid in the backfield with junior Katie
Bollinger, sophomore Casey
Dick, and newcomer Maura
Patton (Medina, Ohio).
"We are going to have a relatively young defense, so we are
looking to change our system of
play," Bartley said. "When we are
talking about tactical decisions, we
are trying to hold the ball longer
rather than just kicking it away and
constantly being on the defensive
end."
The Penguins are scheduled to play a total of 19
regular-season matches, including
eight at Stambaugh Stadium.
Youngstown State opens its season on
Sunday, September 1, at Radford. The
Penguins have 12 non-league
opponents on the schedule, including
a tournament at the Univeristy of
Arizona on October 4.
The six-match Horizon League slate begins with a September 20
contest, at home, against
UW-Milwaukee. The 2002 Horizon
League Tournament is scheduled to be
played Nov. 7-8 at UW-Milwaukee. The
quarterfinal and semifinal matches
will be played at Uihlein Soccer
Park. The championship match will be
played Sunday, Nov. 10, at Engelmann
Field on the UWM campus. |
