Boston College Athletics
Women's Soccer Set To Take The Field
July 24, 2001 | Women's Soccer
July 24, 2001
Eleven seconds. The Boston College women's soccer team was essentially eleven seconds away from its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance when the 2000 season took a sharp U-turn.
Leading 2-1 at home to West Virginia in the second to last game of the regular season, the Mountaineers tied the score with 11 seconds remaining in regulation and went on to win the game in overtime. Although the Eagles later advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament before falling to No. 1 Notre Dame, BC's fate was left up to the NCAA selection committee.
On selection Sunday, three BIG EAST teams were invited to play in the NCAA Tournament: Notre Dame, Connecticut and West Virginia. The Eagles' ticket was taken from them by the Mountaineers with 11 seconds to go in that last regular-season game.
Head Coach Alison Foley is expecting big things from her 2001 squad. Included in those expectations is another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
"We have an incredible amount of depth on our roster this year," Foley says. "We should be an exciting team. There won't be any weaknesses on the field. In any given game, anyone could step up and he the star of the game. We won't have one or two go-to players, we'll have an entire team of them."
With the loss of such four-year defensive stars as All-American back Sarah Powell, back Katherine Murphy and goalkeeper Courtney Schaeffer, some might expect Foley to be a little concerned with her team's ability to keep the other team off the scoreboard. But Foley sees the issue differently.
"We will be young and inexperienced in the backfield," Foley says. "But we have young players who excelled in the spring season and a freshman class that is full of potential stars. They will all be fighting for starting roles and playing time, which will push them harder to play better."
Joining the team in 2001 is one of the nation's top ten recruiting classes for the second-straight season. Players like Erin Docherty, Laina Ceddia, Lindsey Fairweather and Danielle Servedio will join the squad and be expected to step right in to see a lot of playing time.
Coupled with the senior leadership from the team's oldest players, Foley expects the team to be pushed from the very start of the season.
"Our three captains - Rachel Parri, Meghan Moore and Lindsey Marshall - are all serious athletes," Foley says. "Be it on the field, in off-season workouts or in the weight room, these three women work at the highest level. They have set an example for the rest of the team to follow and their work ethic and leadership has become contagious."
IN GOAL
The graduation of four-year starter Courtney Scheaffer has opened the door for a healthy competition in goal. Schaeffer was a mainstay, starting all but two games in her career. But last season as a freshman, Meredith Crotty saw three halves of action and earned a win in her first career start against Central Connecticut. Anna Shapell joins the Eagles out of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and will also have the opportunity to compete for time in goal.
"Meredith had a great spring season," Foley says. "She got a lot of playing experience and she made 15 saves in the scrimmage against the Boston Breakers, the Women's United Soccer Association franchise. She has demonstrated the confidence we need in net and the team is comfortable with her. We know she is comfortable with the starting role going into this season.
"Anna is a hard worker and has a great training mentality. Her work rate is infectious and she should push Meredith in a healthy competition for playing time."
AT BACK
For the last four seasons, All-America Sarah Powell has been roaming the backfield as one of the nation's premiere stoppers. Joining her as a four-year starter was Katherine Murphy who provided steady, smart play during her entire career. With their graduation, Foley has a talented group remaining and a crop of fresh faces to stop the opposing attack.
Foley has two stalwarts return in 2001 as senior left back Rachel Parri and junior right back Kate MacDonald will anchor the outside. Last season, Parri started all 21 games at back and became a creator on offense. She routinely carried the ball out of the backfield to spur a rush. MacDonald has a strong defensive mindset who usually finds herself matched up against the opposing team's top player.
"Rachel is a dangerous threat on the attack out of the backfield. She's a strong defender who will help lead the younger players," Foley says.
"Kate is the most athletic player on the team. She is one of the best man-markers in the BIG EAST. She is great in the air and can also help set up the offense."
Other returning players who will vie for time on the outside are senior Meghan Buckley and sophomore YeJin Kim. Both players saw limited time in 2000, but played well in the spring with the increased time.
At center back, freshman Erin Docherty has the potential to be the next Eagle superstar in the backfield. A strong player out of Allentown, Pa., Foley is counting on her to fill the shoes left by Powell. In the fall of 2000, she attended the Youth Soccer Association national camp.
"Erin has the potential to be the next great player to come out of BC. She has wonderful field sense and can adapt quickly to the play," Foley says.
At stopper, another freshman - Lindsey Fairweather - will have the opportunity to step in right away and make an impact. A newcomer from Kingston, Mass., Fairweather set the Silver Lake Regional scoring mark, but will move from offense to defense at the Heights.
"Lindsey can get really high and will win a lot of balls for us. She'll be dangerous offensively and she is very athletic."
Two veterans, Gen Richardson and Katherine Bodde, will compete with Fairweather for the stopper position headed into the season. Richardson, a two-sport athlete at BC who spends the winter on the ice with the women's hockey team, joined the soccer team for the first time in 2000. She saw action in 10 games and provided a physical presence in the backfield. Bodde came on strong in the spring and will add depth as the season approaches.
MIDFIELD
Foley has two of the strongest midfielders in the league returning in 2001. Sarah Rahko, the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 2000, and junior Colleen Danaher step back into the familiar roles of transitioning and setting up the game.
Rahko was one of the best freshmen in the nation in 2000. She was the Eagles' second-leading scorer with 29 points on eight goals and 13 assists. Foley inserted her into the starting lineup from game one and she remained there all season. She garnered many accolades last season, including a place on the Northeast regional All-America squad.
"Sarah could play in the pros right now. She has wonderful vision at center midfield and the best technical ability," Foley says. "She finds the forwards so easily and has developed the ability to beat people off the dribble."
Danaher also returns at the other center midfield position. Last season, she started all 21 games and registered 18 points off seven goals and four assists. Foley points to her style of play as one of the team's strengths.
"Colleen is the steadiest player on the team, " Foley says. "She plays a simple game and keeps the team together. She's a key part of the offensive transition."
Another player who will see time in center midfield is newcomer Danielle Servedio. A freshman from South Huntington, N.Y., she is a former member of the United State's junior national pool. She hopes to bring that experience to the field at the Heights.
"Danielle is another Sarah Rahko-type player. She is very sound in her ability and can create for the rest of the team."
On the outside, senior Lindsey Marshall returns on the left. She started all 21 games last season, scoring one goal and adding six assists. One of the fastest players on the team, she has an excellent serve and adds energy to the attack.
"Lindsey is one of our captains this year. She leads the team by example and will really help the younger kids this season. She gets out there and makes good things happen with her speed and accuaracy."
Freshman Kristin Goddard could see time behind Marshall on the left. As a high school senior from Northboro, Mass. and Marian High, Goddard was the voted the most valuable player in Eastern Massachusetts last year.
On the right side, a competition has heated up between sophomore Lauren Vanni and freshman Laina Ceddia. Vanni completed the spring session very strong and opened the eyes of the coaches quickly. Ceddia, a newcomer from Belmont, Mass., was a two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American and was the 2000 NSCAA/adidas Massachusetts Player of the Year.
"Lauren had a great spring and played very strong," Foley says. "She gained a lot of experience against some tough opponents. She came to understand the position and really impressed us.
"Laina is so fast. She will not only be the fastest player on the team, but one of the fastest in the BIG EAST. She can get behind defenses quickly and surprise teams with her abilities."
FORWARD
At forward, Foley returns her entire attack from a year ago. Leading the squad is the team's leading scorer in 2000, Meghan Moore. Starting every game at BC since her freshman year, Moore tallied 11 goals and eight assists last season for 30 points on the attack. She earned first team All-BIG EAST honors was a regional All-America selection.
"Meghan is an athlete-and-a-half," Foley says. "She has the most powerful shot on the team and proved to us last year that she can score. She works hard and the rest of the team follows her lead."
Also returning is Kate Halloran who was the team's third-leading scorer last season. She knocked in 10 goals and added two assists, while seeing action in each of the team's 21 games. Foley is impressed with her progression since arriving in Chestnut Hill and has the seen the results on the field.
"Kate has drastically improved since her freshman year," Foley says. "She is the most dimensional forward on the team and can beat you in combination with another player, but is also just as dangerous one-on-one."
Two other key players come back in 2001, both of whom saw limited time last season due to injury and health.
Senior Morgan Page, one of the team's leading scorers in each of her first two years, is a dangerous player on the field who has scored 36 goals in her career so far. Hampered by injuries last season, the staff is expecting her to return to the form of her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Sophomore Maureen Jenkins also comes back this season. Last year, the staff had to use Jenkins sparingly due to medical condition. Over the winter, she worked with doctors to correct the problem and should be ready for a full campaign in 2001.
"Mo can create havoc for other teams when she's on the field," Foley says. "It seems like she is everywhere all at once and it's very difficult for the other team to mark her. If she can stay healthy, she should have a great year."
Goddard could also see some time in the front is Foley needs more depth.
SCHEDULE
The Eagles' schedule this season will go a long way in leading the team back to the NCAA tournament and a fight for the BIG EAST title.
BC will play the its first three games away from home, but comes back to Newton for a three-game stand against Hartford (Sept. 12), New Hampshire (Sept. 15) and Dartmouth (Sept. 19). Among the first three games are two in the Connecticut Tournament against Georgia and Ohio State (Sept. 7 and 9).
The BIG EAST portion of the schedule kicks off on Friday, Sept. 21 at Providence, the first of three-straight league games on the road.
Once the Eagles get through September, Foley and the team will be at home for six games in a row with competition against teams like Connecticut (Oct. 7) and Harvard(Oct. 10). The last four games of the schedule alternate back and forth between home and away.
"This season, we will be helped by our schedule," Foley says. "We will play most of our toughest opponents at home. The kids respond well to the fans and atmosphere have really taken care of business on the Newton Field in the last two years."
On the pitch at the Newton Campus Soccer Field, the women have posted an amazing 15-2 record since the construction of the field in 1999.
"We start the season with two teams who we aren't that familiar with, but both Georgia and Ohio State are strong. Those two games will test us and let the team know where it stands.
"Once we finish the tournament, we'll play Hartford, Dartmouth, Boston University, Harvard and UConn - all Top 25 teams - at home."
"We think that with the players and experience we have coming back, we should be able to earn a spot in the Top 25 this season. The schedule will go a long way in helping us achieve that goal.
"Last year, we played well but only took care of the teams we needed to beat. We didn't really have a big win like we did in 1999. We understand that to be considered one of the best, you need to play well against everybody and score some big wins as the season goes on."
Senior leadership, coupled with the insurgence of a highly-rated freshman class, should help this team to reach its goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament.
"We have a lot of experience on this team and the women remember what it was like to not hear Boston College called at last year's NCAA Selection Show. They are hungry to get back to the tournament and will be out to prove they should be there this year."
