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Women’s Soccer Back in Action, Begins Practice 8/11/2005 The Vanderbilt women’s soccer team retakes the field this week with a lot of excitement about the coming season. Head coach Ronnie Coveleskie Hill, back for her fifth season at Vanderbilt, said that her team has rededicated itself to see results this season after falling just short of an NCAA birth last year going 7-7-5. “I think there’s a tremendous amount of excitement from the girls that are returning right now as well as our new additions to the team,” Hill said. “I think that we took a very big step last year as a group in that we began to establish a winning mentality.” Twenty-two players, including 16 returning lettermen and seven returning starters, are back in Nashville and hard at work in the weight room and on the field with the same mission — making the NCAA tournament. Leading the team will be seniors Ashley Duffy (Ashburn, Vir.), Meghan Habig (Sheridan, Ind.), Kelci Hegg (Charlotte, NC) and Lauren Mitchell (Millersville, Md.). Part of the plan to change the resilience and effort that characterized last year’s squad into real results this season is a new, more aggressive offensive scheme. Last season the Commodores were 4-0 when they scored at least two goals in regulation. A renewed emphasis on offense should not detract anything from a very talented, veteran defensive unit. The squad is anchored by junior goalkeeper Tyler Griffin (Charlotte, NC), All-SEC First Team a year ago, as well as junior defender Monica Buff (Lilburn, Ga.) who was voted All-Region Third Team by Soccer Buzz Magazine as well as the SEC All-tournament team. Griffin and Buff are scarcely the only two decorated returnees to the 2005 Commodore team. Habig, who led the team in goals and points last year with seven and 15 respectively, was a Second Team All-SEC selection and sophomores Meredith Kohn (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Sarah Dennis (Germantown, Tenn.) were members of the All-SEC Freshmen Team. Dennis also joined Buff on the SEC All-Tournament squad. Also returning for the Commodores will be junior Lea Lafield (Dallas, Texas) who led the SEC in assists in conference play and was second on the team in points with 11 and Mitchell who was second on the team in both goals and assists (four and two respectively). The new faces on the team this year are five freshmen and Virginia transfer, sophomore defender Brett Burns(Minnetonka, Minn.). The incoming class, which was ranked No. 6 in the Central region and No. 21 nationally by Soccer Buzz includes Parade Magazine All-American Katie Schulz (Peachtree City, Ga.) and her McIntosh High School teammate and Georgia State Player of the Year Jessica Lenze (Peachtree City, Ga.). |
