During his tenure at Houghton College, Coach David Lewis has led many teams that have competed at the regional and national level. Heading into the 2015 season opener the women's soccer team has again set their goals high.
Coach Lewis shared some thoughts on last season's accomplishments and how this year's team is taking shape.
Reflections on 2014 From day one, a primary focus last season was to make progressive improvement throughout the season. It took a while but we did see better play develop. Highlights included a 3-0 home victory over a very good University of Rochester team and reaching the Final Four at the NCCAA-1 National Tournament.
Offseason Preparation With only five weeks of off-season training allowed, players have to develop their own personal disciplines to improve their game. Hopefully, they have worked on the improvement of their touch on the ball in combination with fitness training.
Key Personnel Losses Stephany Ellison's ability to consistently score will be a void that we will need to address. We are working on an improved full-team approach to goal scoring rather than singling out a specific goal scorer.
Key Returning Players Our midfield should have depth with
Sarah Gabriele (Mahwah, NJ, Eastern Christian),
Darlene Eckhardt (Eden, NY, Eden),
Abigail Schmidt (Holland, NY, Holland Central) and
Jennifer Zacchigna (East Aurora, NY, East Aurora) leading the way.
Our defenders are also experienced, led by senior goalkeeper,
Shawna Sprout (Portville, NY, Portville Central) and backs,
Emma Webb (Houghton, NY, Fillmore Central) and
Esther Webb (Houghton, NY, Fillmore Central), along with
Alexis Lamb (Newark Valley, NY, Home School) and
Bethany Kuiken (Pompton Plains, NJ, Eastern Christian).
Bailey Shattell (Syracuse, NY, Faith Heritage) and
Jessica McDowell (Macedon, NY, Gananda) are displaying the ability to generate offense as strikers.
Key Additions Meagan Barry (Amherst, NY, Williamsville North) looks strong as a defender and she can play any of our defensive positions.
Brielle Kwarta (Pittsford, NY, Pittsford Sutherland) is very technically strong at midfield. Transfer
Torri Sperl (Saugerties, NY, Saugerties) fits well with our style of play and will add to our attack, as will freshman
Alexis Hahn-Kline (Beavertown, PA, Juniata).
Elizabeth Groff (Jasper, NY, Jasper-Troupsburg) is doing well at goalkeeper and should give us some minutes in net.
Team Goals We desire to qualify for the Empire 8 conference tournament and also to make a return trip to the NCCAA-1 National Tournament in Florida.
Team Strengths Good work ethic and a good balance of new as well as experienced players.
Areas to Overcome I don't foresee it to be a "weakness," but we do need to develop consistent offense.
Barometer GamesSeveral NCAA tournament teams are on the schedule: Christopher Newport University, SUNY Geneseo and conference foes Ithaca and Nazareth. The University of Rochester is also always good, and Stevens Tech is a challenge on their field.
What does this team need to do to make a statement in the Empire 8 and NCCAA? To play with confidence, work together as a team and to play up to their full potential. They have what it takes – it's just a matter of putting it all together and doing it.
