2010 Kalamazoo College Women's Soccer Season Preview

Head Coach Bryan Goyings’ Kalamazoo College Women’s Soccer team came within inches of an MIAA Tournament championship last year.  After an impressive stretch run that included a 1-0 victory over arch rival Hope, and a penalty kick shootout victory over conference powerhouse Calvin, the Hornets fell just short against Albion, losing 1-0 on penalty kicks in the 2009 MIAA Tournament Championship game at Mackenzie Field.

 “Last year it was great to have that success,” said head coach Bryan Goyings. “It left the team very hungry for the 2010 campaign.”

The 2010 team hopes to have that same opportunity again this year, only with a different result.  The Hornets return their core group of players for the 2010 season, a year following their second place finish in the MIAA Tournament.  Having lost only three seniors to graduation, expectations are once again high for now full-time head coach Bryan Goyings.

“Every year, after you lose a strong group of leaders, it is always interesting to see who will step into that role. We have a number of players who are capable of excelling in those leadership positions,” said Goyings.

The Hornets return seven of their eight leading scorers from a year ago, with Jackie Short and C.J. McCarthy ready to propel the offense. Short (Troy/Troy Athens), an All-MIAA Second Team selection from the 2009 season who battled injury and sickness at the beginning of the year,  returns for her sophomore campaign as last year’s leading scorer for the Hornets, coming off a year in which she scored nine goals and dished out a pair of assists.  C.J. McCarthy (Ada/ Forest Hills Eastern), also an All-MIAA Second Team selection, had an impressive freshman campaign as well, scoring seven goals and assisting on two more.  Maya Smolcic was the team’s lone All-MIAA First Team selection last year. Smolcic (Troy/Troy), another one of the sophomores for Coach Goyings, was extremely impressive in conference play, netting two goals, and assisting on three more, which solidified her position as an All-MIAA First Team selection.

“It is great to have C.J., Jackie, and Maya returning with a year of experience under their belts. But now they aren’t going to surprise anyone. I’m confident they will rise to the challenge. Scoring goals is one of the hardest parts of the game,” said Coach Goyings.  “It is reassuring to know we have such a large part of our offense returning.” 

Julia Schroeder (Livonia/Livonia Stevenson), Emily Gray (Clarkston/Notre Dame Prep), and Stephanie Verbeek (Birmingham/Detroit Country Day), all return as other viable threats for the Hornets’ offensive attack.  Schroeder, a junior, has scored eleven goals through her first two seasons with the Hornets, and Gray and Verbeek each scored goals last year as well.

The defense for the Hornets also returns some key leaders on the back side of the pitch.  Replacing Anja Burk, an All-MIAA Second Team selection that was lost to graduation, will be difficult, but Coach Goyings has some savvy, experienced defenders in his backfield.  Senior captain Chelsea Smith along with fellow senior Eva Schmidt will secure the area in front of sophomore goal keeper Courtney McCoy. Smith (Commerce Township/Walled Lake Northern) is now a two year captain for the Hornets with a ton of experience, and Schmidt (Harbor Springs/Harbor Springs) brings her own wealth of experience to the table, having started all 19 games last year for “K”.

“Eva and Chelsea have both been three year starters defensively, and you can’t teach that kind of experience. I will certainly look for them to anchor the defense. In the MIAA Tournament, we did not allow a goal and they were a major reason why,” said Goyings.

Junior Rachel Pitzer, sophomore Megan Burns, and junior Jenn Gateley will also be key defenders in the 2010 season for the Hornets.  Pitzer (Brighton/Brighton), who transitioned from midfielder to defender a year ago, came into her own as a defender as the season progressed, as Megan Burns (Novi/Novi) saw action in all 19 games for the Hornets, playing a key role defensively.  Gateley (Livonia/Livonia Stevenson) had an injury claim the last quarter of her season, and she looks to rebound and play a large part in 2010.

Sophomore keeper Courtney McCoy returns for her second season between the pipes.  McCoy (Rockford/Forest Hills Central) had a goals against average of just 1.30, recording five shutouts for the Hornets.

“Courtney improved exponentially from day one to the tournament final,” said Goyings. “Along with Eva (Schmidt) and Chelsea (Smith), Courtney was one of the main reasons for those three shutouts in the conference tournament. I look for this improvement to continue, but she will also be pushed by freshman goal keeper Amanda Mancini (Berkeley/Bishop Foley).”

The Hornets also welcome eight freshmen who will be competing for spots on the roster.

 “We have a strong group of incoming players looking to fill roles on our team. It is always exciting to welcome players and see what roles they can fill,” said coach Goyings.

The Hornets face a tough non-conference schedule, squaring off against perennial powerhouses Augustana, Otterbein, and Chicago, before an always difficult MIAA schedule.

“Our success at the end of last year was great and it would be easy to focus on getting back there,” said Goyings. “I think it is very important we challenge ourselves with our non-conference schedule in order to figure some things out for the conference slate. We will set our goals high, but soccer is a fickle game, and if the ball bounces the other way in the conference tournament, we are eliminated in the first round. With that said, we know we will be able to achieve our goals with our best effort.”

The Hornets open play on August 27th, with a scrimmage at Bethel (Ind.), before regular season play begins on the 4th of September, a home contest against Elmhurst.

(Story courtesy Mike McCann '12)