University Chronicle

Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Prince Rajbhandari Goalkeeper Elizabeth Kelly has made a name for herself with her play in front of the net, earning NCC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.

Media Credit: Prince Rajbhandari Lisa Drossart, of the Huskies, keeps ahead of the competition to maintain control of the ball. The women's soccer team defeated South Dakota 1-0 Sunday afternoon at Husky stadium on the strength of freshman Gabrielle Najera's first career goal in the 82nd minute. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Coyotes.

Elizabeth Kelly: reigning NCC freshmen of the year, back-to-back NCC defensive player of the week and brick wall goalkeeper for the Huskies, doesn't care about the hardware she is racking up.

"I just want to win," Kelly said.

Others, however, are taking notice. Head coach Stephanie McGuinness said Kelly deserves the honors that are coming her way.

"She has just an unbelievable work ethic, we never have to get on her about working hard," McGuinness said.

Coaches must nominate players to receive NCC weekly awards, and coach McGuinness has felt strongly that Kelly was more than qualified two weeks running. Kelly accrued 19 saves in two games. The first was a double overtime shutout tie with Concordia Saint Paul, and a stand out performance in a 1-0 loss to Bemidji State.

"The saves she was making were score-saving ones, their were some really good shots coming at her," McGuinness said. "She showed a lot of athleticism making those saves."

Kelly stays pretty low-key about her performances.

"I was just doing what I'm supposed to," she said.

There is nothing low-key about her on the field presence.

"I'm a shouter," she said timidly. "I really project my voice and try to direct my defenders."

"She can always be heard," defender Sarah Wuotila said. "We can count on her to direct us."

The Huskies play a 2-4-4 diamond backdrop. This means the back four create a diamond of defenders to help Kelly stop the opposing offense.

Kelly gives a lot of credit to her defensive teammates, including sweeper Kaitlyn Powell.

"She is awesome. Without these girls I couldn't be as effective," Kelly said

"She is really vocal, we always know what she is looking for us to do," Powell said.

Kelly, or 'E' as she is called by her teammates, said of the nickname, "It was the only nickname my mom approved of."

Kelly first started playing around fourth grade, and hasn't put it down since. She played both for her high school in Omaha, Neb. as well as a club team from her hometown. She was captain of both her high school team and her club team. Even though her high school soccer coach went on to coach at division rival UNO, Kelly decided that leaving her hometown was a better idea.

"I really just wanted to move on," she said, "I told the coach that I wanted to get out and try new things, and SCSU just really seemed to fit me and my goals as a student and a player."

Coach McGuinness said, "I like to think that I had something to do with a player like E coming to St. Cloud, I recruited her pretty heavily."

When Kelly isn't on the field winning awards and making outstanding plays, she still hangs out with the team.

Powell said, "We all are pretty tight off the field too."

Wuotila agreed, "Its hard to play well on the field if you don't get along off it."

Kelly is a communications sciences and disorders major as well as a biology major. She is a sophomore, and described by McGuinness as a very committed student, "she has a lot of very tough classes and she is very devoted."

With three career NCC player-of-the-week awards, the NCC freshmen of the year, and nearly three full seasons left Kelly will doubtlessly be filling her trophy cabinet with some more hardware before her time at SCSU is done. None of that really seems to phase her, because she is always focused on the most important part of a team sport.

"I just want to do my part, I just want to win."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools