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2005 Women’s Soccer Preview
For five years, the Christian Brothers University Lady Buccaneer soccer team
has been the mark of excellence in women's soccer in the Gulf South Conference.
The team is the five-time defending conference champion and has made trips
to four NCAA Tournaments including a runner-up finish in 2001 and the National
Championship
in 2002.
For first-year head coach Kieron Heblich, those are lofty standards to live
up to, but a challenge is something that neither he, nor the program have ever
backed away from.
The Lady Bucs return seven starters from last year's GSC Championship team.
Seniors Ella Thorsteinsdottir, Helen Goodacre, Ciara
McGuiness and Joanne Tobin all return to the starting lineup with Ashley
Smith and Angela Papachristou rounding
out
the senior class and the group will be looked for to provide leadership on
and off the field.
Backfield
Sophomore Colleen Hart, Thorsteinsdottir, Tobin and freshman Jeanine
Abel will all see considerable time in the defensive back field
for the Lady Bucs this year. Hart, Thorsteinsdottir and Tobin started each
match last year for
CBU. Hart scored one goal and added an assist for the Lady Bucs.
Tobin finished third on the team in goals and points, scoring four times and
adding two assists for ten points. Thorsteinsdottir assisted on two goals last
year for two points. Thorsteinsdottir has already stepped into a leadership
role after serving as a team captain a year ago. Tobin has improved
from an already successful season and Abel had a very positive pre-season.
Midfield
Goodacre and junior Cara O'Hern, as well as sophomore's Embla
Grettarsdottir and Rachael Valenzuela return to
their starting spots from a year ago. Grettarsdottir was a first-team All-GSC
selection after a freshman campaign that saw her score
three times and assist on two others for eight points. She was also named to
the GSC All-Tournament team. Goodacre and
Valenzuela had three goals each with Valenzuela netting her most memorable
shot as a 30 yard direct kick gave CBU a win in its first-round GSC Tournament
game against Lincoln Memorial. Smith, sophomore Francesca DeRanzo, and freshman
Sara Senkbeil will also see time off the bench with Smith splitting time
between
the forward
and
midfielder
position.
Forwards
McGuiness was the team's second-leading scorer a season ago with eight goals
and five assists. She was a second-team All-GSC selection and was a member
of the GSC All-Tournament team. She, along with former Lady Buc Stacy-Jo Fletcher
accounted for just under 60 percent of the Lady Bucs total offense last year.
McGuiness is a hard worker and a great scorer on the field with and extremely
good eye of the field. Papachristou returns to full-time action after a knee
injury cut short most of the last two seasons. She played in eight matches
last year, scoring on her only shot against Delta State. Valenzuela and Grettarsdottir
can both play up on offense and be potent scorers when the Lady Bucs break
away from their normal 2-5-3 offense.
Goalkeeper
The Lady Bucs will be the youngest they've ever been in goal this season with
sophomore Sarah Plummer and freshman Danielle Sines platooning between the
pipes. Plummer is in her first year of collegiate competition after transferring
from Eastern Kentucky University. She played club ball at EKU and was a four-year
varsity letter winner at East Central High School with currrent Lady Buc Valenzuela.
Sines is a freshman from Millington where she was a three-year starter for
Millington Central Coach Bruce Rasmussen. She was an All-District selection
and the team captain.
Heblich says the key to success this year, with substitutions being at a premium,
will be lack of injuries and to stay away from silly cards and suspensions.
"We're going to go into each game with plenty of confidence," Heblich
said. "We may be looked at as an underdog at times, but we are most definitely
looking to continue the long tradition of success the program has seen."
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