Match 1 - at Eastern Washington - Friday, Aug. 23 - 4 p.m.
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SPOKANE, Wash. - After a grueling two weeks of preseason, the Gonzaga University women's soccer team finally gets to swap its practice gear for game uniforms Friday when it opens the 2013 regular season at Eastern Washington University.
The Bulldogs did don their new white and blue ‘home' jersey's last Sunday for their lone exhibition match of the year - a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the University of Oklahoma. That scrimmage, along with hours of work during the preseason has the Zags excited for what lies ahead this season.
The squad itself holds 27 players - 14 returnees; seven of which are sophomores, two returning redshirts and 11 newcomers.
Despite being such a young team on paper, Bulldog head coach Amy Edwards believes the potent mix of youngsters added to an extremely talented veteran group has the potential to be a recipe for success.
"Every year the question coming into preseason is how quickly will the new roster of players gel and adjust to all the different personalities and abilities on and off the field," stated Edwards, in her fifth year at the helm. "We feel there is a healthy dose of experience and talent spread through our entire team, so now we just have to get them to the right spots on the field to best express themselves."
The veteran group that has logged tons of minutes on the field includes senior midfielder Emily Eckmann, junior defenders Cricket Harber and Katey Pennington, junior midfielders Tori Lee and Kasey Rubosky and sophomore forward Heather Johnson.
"Over the past nine months our returners have grown in their individual soccer abilities and their leadership skills," explained Edwards. "They have made countless sacrifices during that time to make sure a positive and competitive culture was in place for our team this fall. Their pride and determination to succeed is extremely valuable."
Eckmann, one of two seniors on the team, has played a multitude of positions during her career at Gonzaga, and will once again be a mainstay in the central midfield or defense. The Seattle, Wash., native played and started all 20 games as a junior and closed out the year tied for second on the team in assists with three.
"Emily works as hard as anyone and is someone her teammates can depend on daily to give her very best," Edwards said of Eckmann. "Her defensive presence, heading ability and physical play in the midfield give us bite in the middle of the park, and if she continues to improve her awareness along with her passing ability she will be an important component in our midfield."
Both Harber and Pennington will be the core of the defense for the Bulldogs, with Harber, not only controlling the airways, but taking on 'field general' duties in the back, while the speedy Pennington will be looked upon to shut down the opposing team's offensive threat and be a threat offensively herself as her speed allows her to be an asset on the counterattack
"Continuity in defense is a key piece of any successful back line, so having KP [Katey Pennington] and Cricket back as well as Jordan [Travis] gives us a lot of confidence in our defense this year," explained Edwards. "Cricket has really developed into that dominant center back we knew she could be and love having her in charge in the back. KP is a dependable 1-v-1 defender with an attacking mindset, which is a huge threat against any team."
For the second straight season, Lee and Rubosky will roam the central midfield together.
Lee's pinpoint accuracy on set pieces saw her lead the 2012 squad in assists with five. She continued that trend in the Zags exhibitioner Sunday, taking the corner kick that led to the tying goal and scoring the game winner on a perfectly taken free kick. Rubosky's creativity with the ball allowed her to score four goals last season, and notch two assists for a team-tying high 10 points.
"Kasey and Tori are special players for our attacking style of play," Edwards said. "Both are very good on the ball and help settle our team down when we are in possession. Kasey has tremendous creativity and skillfulness, and has the freedom to be a playmaker for our team when we are on the attack so we anticipate great things from her this season. Tori is one of our best passers and has fantastic vision of the field, along with quality execution on set plays, which is a big piece or our ability to score goals."
Johnson may only be a sophomore, but opponents fear her speed, strength and creativity with the ball. Her talented freshman campaign ended with two goals, on a team-leading 43 shots, and three assists for seven points.
"Heather is absolute handful for defenders because of her power, strength and pure competitiveness, stated Edwards. "She is a strong target forward that does very well with her back to goal and combining with her teammates, so with her finishing touch and ability in the air, we feel that she will have a breakout sophomore season."
There are multiple returnees who came off the bench a season ago that will take on significant roles this year, including senior midfielder Ali Ohashi, junior defender Jordan Travis and sophomore midfielder Mikayla Anderson.
Ohashi saw limited minutes as a junior due to injuries, but now at full strength, her tackling and defensive abilities will be crucial to the Zags success. Travis also played limited minutes as a sophomore after returning from a knee injury. She was in the starting lineup in GU's exhibition win over Oklahoma though, and, playing a full 90 minutes, shut down her opponent on defense and created a lot of opportunities out of the back. Anderson will find time as a forward and midfielder.
"Anytime you can get experienced players back from injury it gives your team a positive boost," explained Edwards. "Ali is an extremely hard working player that inspires her teammates with her relentless effort and tenacity. Jordan and Mikayla have come out on the positive side of a long hard road battling back from knee injuries, and it is fantastic to have them on the field. Jordan provides us tactical intelligence and the versatility to play in a couple different spots, while Mikayla's tenacity and scoring ability will add needed depth to our front line and midfield."
The talent of the large freshmen class was apparent in the Zags exhibition win, as both Sarah Carter and Ashley Aberton earned the start and Karley Baggerly and Kristin Hayman played huge minutes off the bench.
Carter, a defender from Bonney Lake, Wash., played the full 90 minutes against Oklahoma. She looked composed like a veteran, shoring up the defense with Harber, and tallied the tying goal on a header off a corner kick.
Aberton's speed out on the wing will be a potent weapon for Gonzaga. In the exhibition victory, she got behind the Sooner defense, which forced them to foul her, and led to the winning free kick by Lee.
"It's never easy for first year players to step in and adjust to the speed of play immediately, but every now and again some adapt quick enough to contribute early on," explained Edwards of Carter and Aberton. "Sarah has shown that she has the intelligence, composure and athletic ability to fill a big hole at center back left by Morgan Manchester. She was able to seamlessly step in and provide stability in our back line. As for Ashley, she has pace and quickness to be an offensive threat game in and game out, so it was nice to see it in a competitive game so early in the season."
Baggerly and Hayman will each find time in the midfield for the Bulldogs. Baggerly's ability to go at defenders and her strong left foot will create tons of scoring opportunities, while Hayman's speed, quality passing and field awareness will make her and her teammates dangerous.
"Karley is very athletic and has tons of pace in the flank areas to attack defenders 1-v-1 and be a scoring threat," Edwards stated. "As she becomes more familiar with our style of play and adjusts to the speed of the game, she will become more and more dangerous on the offensive end of the field. Kristin has been an exciting addition to our roster this season. She has a high work rate and soccer intellect that has earned her the opportunity to contribute right away."
Newcomers also vying for time with Gonzaga are defender Aliyah Miller, midfielder Kristin 'KK' Standish and Kelly Bieraugel, among others.
"All of our first year players have done well this preseason and is still too early to tell exactly how their seasons will play out, but we have been really pleased with their training habits and willingness to grow and improve," said Edwards. "Players like Kelly, Aliyah, KK, Sydney [Anderson] and Meg [Rapp] provide tremendous depth to our roster for not only this fall but for years to come. Each of these players will continue to have chances to play as the season progresses and they will provide positive contributions this year."
New in goal for Gonzaga, but not new to the squad, is sophomore Christie Tombari. The former Gonzaga Prep goalkeeper used her freshman campaign to learn from and work with then-senior and now current volunteer assistant coach Susan Brown. Also working towards time between the posts is freshman Sarah Swanson and Chelsea Carey.
"Christie really embraced the training we set forth for her during her freshman year and this summer, which is why she has been able to step into our No. 1 goalkeeper role thus far," explained Edwards. "She has improved all areas of her game to provide consistency to our needs in goal. The exciting thing for our staff is that we will have tons of competition in goal, because both Sarah and Chelsea have the capabilities to garner playing time so it will be fun to watch as the season continues."
After Gonzaga's match at Eastern Washington, set for 4 p.m. at the EWU Sports and Recreation Center Soccer Field, it will head to Oklahoma for matches at the University of Tulsa (Friday, Aug. 30) and the University of Oklahoma (Sunday, Sept. 1).
