Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Soccer Lifts Lid on 2011-12 Bucknell Sports Campaign Friday vs. St. Bonaventure
8/18/2011 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. --The 2011-12 Bucknell Athletics season officially gets underway on Friday afternoon when the Bison women's soccer team hosts St. Bonaventure at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. Game time is 4 p.m., and like all Bison regular-season sporting events except football and basketball, admission is free of charge.
Last season Bucknell got off to a slow start primarily due to a rash of injuries, but then came on strong down the stretch. The Bison finished 7-13 overall but 5-2 in the Patriot League en route to a second-place finish. Even though seven key players have graduated from that team, Bucknell still has championship aspirations in 2011 and hopes to get off to a positive start Friday against the Bonnies.
St. Bonaventure last season finished with a 12-9 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the Atlantic 10. The Bonnies beat UMass 2-0 in the first round of the A-10 Tournament, their first-ever tournament win. The 12 victories also tied a program record. Senior midfielder Hannah Lapp was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team.
These two teams also met in last season's opener in Olean, N.Y. The Bison took a 2-1 lead on Kayla Yee's goal in the 67th minute, but the Bonnies equalized just three minutes later and went on to post a 3-2 victory.
Both teams have been picked to finish fifth in their respecive conferences. Bucknell is 1-3 all-time against St. Bonaventure.
Following Friday's match, the Bison will play their next six on the road before returning home on Sept. 17.
Below is a more in-depth look at the Bucknell women's soccer team heading into the 2011 season.
The Bucknell women's soccer program has been a model of stability since Ben Landis took over as head coach in 2005. Since then the Bison have won 10 or more games and finished with winning records in five of six seasons, they have qualified for the four-team Patriot League Tournament every year and posted top-two regular-season finishes in each of the last five years. Landis once again has high hopes in 2011, even though for the first time in several years he enters the season with some uncertainty personnel-wise after graduating six starters and seven key players.
Bucknell was hit hardest by graduation in the offensive half of the field, where striker Christa Matlack, the two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, along with three-time all-league attacking midfielder Kelliann Doherty and three-time all-conference midfielder Caitlin Holtz have all received their diplomas. Those were Bucknell's top three scorers in 2010, and that trio combined for 56 goals, 41 assists and 153 points in their careers. Factor in the loss of another playmaker in outside midfielder Brooke Stokes, and there are plenty of opportunities for younger players to step into prominent roles this fall.
Defensively, Bucknell must replace four-year starting center backs Kelsey Johnson and Amanda Citron, as well as part-time starting back Julianne Harris. Injuries to Johnson and Citron last year opened the door for some younger players to get some game experience, and they will be counted on to close the door in front of veteran goalkeepers Sandita McDermott and Colleen Garrehy.
“Yes, we lost a great class that will always have a special place in my heart, but that is done and we can only look forward,” says Landis. “The word 'rebuilding' is not in our vocabulary. We have six starting spots to fill, but the talent is there to do it. This is a very coachable group that is young and eager, and we have five seniors who are extremely motivated to go out on top. Our goals remain the same as every year: to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament, find a way to get into the final, and then play our best 90 minutes or more in the final in order to lift a trophy at the end.”
Serving as captains in 2011 are senior Casey Crowley, a four-year starting outside back, and senior center midfielder Tara Cort, who made an immediate impact last season after transferring in from Clemson. Both are expected to be key figures again this season.
“I am really excited about our leadership,” says Landis. “We have the right two captains, and really the entire senior class has been great. Casey has seen it all during her time at Bucknell, and she is just a great competitor. Coming in as a transfer, Tara brought a very interesting perspective to the team. She was so steady last year and was close to scoring a lot of goals.”
Sadie Canter, Megan DeGennaro and Garrehy round out the senior class. An outstanding attacking player, DeGennaro has four career goals and has the potential for more. Canter, a vocal leader in the back or midfield, has made a welcome return to the squad after missing all of last season with an injury, while Garrehy is once again locked up in a preseason battle with McDermott for the starting spot in goal. “Megan and Sadie both studied abroad last spring, and it is great to have them back,” Landis says. “Megan's best game last season came against Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament, and I think that is still fresh in her mind. We are counting on her to produce goals. And we are so excited to have Sadie back out there. She has made an immediate impact from a leadership standpoint, and she is a very tough player.
“Colleen is competing for the starting position after a terrific spring. Depth in the goal is definitely one of our strengths. We have two keepers who can play at this level, and you may see us use both of them unless one really rises above.”
After sharing time early in 2010, it was McDermott who grabbed the goaltending reins a few weeks into the season. She ended up starting 17 matches while seeing reserve time in two others. McDermott made 104 saves while allowing 29 goals and posted three shutouts. Garrehy collected 18 saves while conceding six goals in five appearances, three of which were starts. She also had a clean sheet against Ohio early in the season.
Bucknell employs four in the back line, where Crowley and junior Corinne Collins are both returning starters, and Canter brings yet another veteran presence after returning from injury. Collins played a bit out of position at outside back last season, and now she moves inside where she can better utilize her height and athleticism. Junior Meghan Fitzpatrick and sophomore Bridget Gilmartin both pack tremendous potential, but neither has played in a varsity game yet due to injury. If healthy, both could be major contributors. Landis says Gilmartin was perhaps the team's best player in the spring, and he feels that when healthy Fitzpatrick is one of the best players he's recruited at Bucknell.
Landis is also high on a pair of freshman defenders in Hannah Bonotto and Courtney Nelson, who hail from California and Arizona, respectively. Bonotto came in with a reputation as a terrific communicator and organizer who deals well with pressure. Just a few days into preseason training Nelson already appeared to be a difference-maker, showing skill with both feet and the physical toughness to win 50-50 balls in dangerous spots.
In the middle of the field Cort figures to play a prominent role again this fall, and combined with junior Taryn Boucher the Bison have good size and strength at center mid. Junior Jenna Tryon has contributed playing time at both midfield and back in her career and brings good versatility on the flanks.
Junior Emily Trosch and sophomores Liz Dwornik, Corey Tipton and Alex Degarmo also return with game experience. Dwornik played in 17 games and made eight starts as an attacking midfielder and scored her first collegiate goal last season.
Four members of the first-year class are all hoping to make early contributions at midfield. At center mid, Evelyn Nicinski has made very positive early impressions. A member of the Polish national team, Nicinski is a tough, athletic player who can cover box-to-box with excellent vision.
Outside, Michaela Berman can play both midfield and defense, and she has a good soccer sense coming out of Eclipse Select, one of the top clubs in the United States. Vix Matthews brings an aggressive attacking attitude to the wings, and Courtney Doud offers great speed to the wide midfield position.
Up front, replacing a two-time conference player of the year and continuous scoring threat like Matlack will not be easy, but Landis feels that junior Kayla Yee, when healthy, has the potential to produce significant points. Yee scored in the season opener against St. Bonaventure last season, but then injured her knee against Louisville two games later. She did return for league play at the end of the campaign but was never fully fit. Now she enters 2011 with high hopes.
DeGennaro and sophomore Chelsey Garkowski also return with experience at forward, while freshmen Brigit Falcón and Cassie Denger both look good early. Falcón is a target forward who strikes the ball very well, while Denger is the most prolific scorer among the recruits, having piled up more than 40 goals at Nazareth High School in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Coming into the season Landis is pleased with his team's fitness, and he has tweaked the schedule a bit in an attempt to avoid as many early season two-game weeks as the team had last season. After opening with St. Bonaventure at home, the Bison play their next six on the road before closing out September with a three-game homestand. The middle game of that set is a clash with Penn State at Emmitt Field. The last time the Nittany Lions came to Lewisburg, Bucknell gritted out a scoreless tie against the Big Ten powers.
Like last season, all of the non-league action will be out of the way by the time Patriot League play starts on Oct. 1 at Colgate. In a bit of a scheduling quirk, the Bison play their first four league games on the road, followed by their final three at home against Lehigh, Lafayette and Navy.
After posting a 5-2 record and qualifying as the No. 2 seed, Bucknell dropped a 1-0 decision to Lehigh in the Patriot League semifinals last season. The taste of that setback still lingers with the returning players, and even with the large number of new faces, they clearly have their sights set on bigger and better things in 2011.
