Aug. 30, 2007
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A mixture of experienced veterans and talented newcomers make up the 2007 Vanderbilt women’s soccer team.
The Commodores have a nice blend of steady upperclassmen and an incoming freshman class that was tabbed the best in the Southeastern Conference and in the Central Region by Soccer Buzz.
“It is a very exciting time,” said Coveleskie. “Not only do we have a talented group of returners but we have added a talented group of incoming freshman. The biggest challenge for me as a coach will be to find the right chemistry and combination on the field to help us win games.”
Seniors Amy Baumann, Sarah Dennis, Brette Healy, Meredith Kohn and Audrey Nonemaker are expected to lead the way in 2007. They each bring their own unique talents, but it is their combined enthusiasm that impresses Coveleskie.
“It is very difficult to separate our seniors,” Coveleskie said. “I have seen the group of five come together and they have seized the role of being leaders and they started it on Jan. 1, 2007. They all possess different strengths and they all put those strengths together to create a great unity to be able to teach the younger players. It will take all five as a unit to lead us.”
Two goals stand out for the Commodores, the first is to not only make the NCAA Tournament, but to also advance once there. The past two seasons, VU has made the tournament, but fell in penalty kick shootouts to end the year.
“We believe as a group that it is our time to establish Vanderbilt as a consistent tournament participant and a team that can make a run once in,” said Coveleskie.
With that in mind, the coaches and players have set the bar high for the year.
“Our goal as a group is to make it to the Sweet 16,” said Coveleskie. “Let’s reestablish and gain some respect for Vanderbilt soccer nationally. Let’s make sure we take care of business on the field day in and day out. We won’t dwell on the fact that we are young and inexperienced, but we will focus on the fact that we are good soccer players and I think that is what will pull us through.”
The other goal that stands out is to become more of an aggressive offensive ball club. Last season the team set a new school record with seven ties, while relying on a stellar defense that produced 10 shutouts on the year.
Coach Coveleskie saw the successful run that the Commodore baseball team had in the spring and believes the soccer team could incorporate some of the basic tenets this year.
“We watched the Vanderbilt baseball team last spring, and we saw how aggressive they were offensively and I thought we should use that approach as well. I want people in the stands to watch our team and say that they are risk-takers and an aggressive team. We will take some chances to try to win the game, rather than just play in the game. It should be far more exciting than we have been in the past.”
Offensively the Commodores brought in players with aggressive mentalities and will expect them to combine with an experienced group led by Baumann, Dennis and junior Amy Wilcox.
Baumann is one of the hardest workers on the team and led the Commodores in scoring last year en route to All-SEC honors and will be expected to build upon her 2006 success.
Sarah Dennis played in 62 games, with 49 starts and has scored 10 goals with eight assists in her career. She has a strong right leg and is a very dangerous to deal with in one on one situations.
Amy Wilcox has 42 games of experience with three goals and seven assists in her first two seasons and provides athleticism from the left side.
Newcomers Molly Kinsella, a Top 150 national recruit, and Hannah Gonzales, a Top 75 recruit, are also expected to contribute on the offensive side.
“I think Molly has the ability to come in and surprise people,” said Coveleskie. “She is a bit unorthodox, but she has the ability to score goals and a blue collar work ethic. She never stops and is fearless.”
“Hannah has an attacking mentality with great speed and has the ability to disrupt the defense. She should add a little fire to our attack.”
One player that would have been counted on to help the attack was sophomore Nicole Lukens who scored four goals with an assist in 2006. She suffered a season ending injury, however, and will receive a medical-redshirt along with freshman Catherine Wearn.
Junior Katie Schulz, an All-SEC and All-Central region performer a year ago, will anchor the midfield with more of a role offensively this year after serving in a more defensive oriented role in her first two seasons.
“I think you are going to see Katie touching the ball as much as possible this year in the midfield and she will be a major contributor to our attack,” said Coveleskie.
Seniors Meredith Kohn and Audrey Nonemaker will be counted on to provide leadership on the defensive side as the Commodores break in a new goalkeeper this season.
Freshman Rachel Bachtel, a Top 50 national recruit, will take over for two-time All-American Tyler Griffin in goal. She has the full confidence of a coaching staff that believes she will be an impact player from day one.
“Rachel is one of the top five goalkeepers in the country coming in as a freshman,” said Coveleskie. “She is incredibly talented both athletically and skillfully. She will make an immediate impact on our program. She has a great work ethic I really do believe that by the time she leaves Vanderbilt she could break records that were just set by Tyler.”
Freshmen Megan Eddings and Mary Rachel (M.R.) Reynolds will also be expected to make contributions this season.
“Both Megan and M.R. are very experienced center-backs and come from successful programs with winning traditions,” Coveleskie said.
The Commodores have a solid early season schedule, one that Coveleskie believes they have to have some success in prior to the conference slate.
“It is imperative to do well in the non-conference portion of our schedule. We know and understand the value of having quality results early in the season. It is very difficult to pull yourself out of a hole during conference games, knowing how hard those games will be. We have to start off very strong. In order to talk the talk of being an aggressive team, we have to walk the walk.”
With a roster split with battle tested veterans and impact newcomers, the excitement for the 2007 season is there for Vanderbilt soccer.
“As a coach I have never been more excited than I am this year,” said Coveleskie. “I am feeding off the energy of our returning players. They feel like we have built a valuable foundation that will be shared with the newcomers and they really believe it is time to make a move both in the SEC and the NCAA tournaments. That’s half the battle. If your team feels like it is time to win then you just sit back and allow their positive energy to flow.”
