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Soccer ties Morris, finish upbeat year
By Drew Herron
The Huskies went into Friday's game against UM-Morris hungry for a victory that would ensure their first winning season since 1995.
What they got instead was a long fought stalemate that resulted in a 0-0 double overtime tie. Both teams battled in the frigid conditions for over two hours, but neither was able send anyone home away from the elements.
The first half was uneventful compared to the second, but each team had their opportunities. At 16:30 of the first half, Cougars forward Sara Wolf snuck past the Huskies defenders and cut in deep on the net from the right side. Wolf was unable create separation, however, as Huskies sweeper Jessica Wolke quickly caught up and cut off the angle while slowing down the rush by tying her up.
A little over 10 minutes later, the Huskies responded with their best scoring chance of the first half. Forward Jennifer Gill was able to control the ball as she moved around defenders deep in the Cougar zone and unleashed a close range shot on goal that goaltender Kaylee Marone deflected over the cross bar.
Both teams came out faster in the second half. The Huskies caught a break at 38:57 when a Cougars goal was waived off because of off-sides. Husky defenders had been caught off- guard and out of position, but it didn't matter because a UM-Morris forward had gotten two aggressive and failed to stay on sides. Husky forwards Abbey Fredrickson and Heidi Westrum generated a few serious scoring threats, but it just didn't appear to be the Huskies day.
With just under two minutes remaining in regulation Fredrickson stole the ball around midfield, carrying it into the Cougars' zone, and dished it to Westrum. Westrum moved and drew Marone out before feeding it back to Fredrickson, whose shot missed just wide to the right.
Neither team mounted a serious offensive threat in the first overtime, but the second was a different story. It looked like the Huskies had won it at 7:03 of the second overtime, but a goal scored by Westrum was waived off. Husky goalkeeper Stephanie Brendel came up with some big saves in the waning minutes of the game, making a few clutch saves.
The drama boiled to a high point when, with 15 seconds remaining, two UM-Morris forwards broke deep into the Huskies zone. Defender Jessica Cella played a great angle on Wolf, who was forced to try to pass to teammate Jessica Rada, who was breaking to the net on her left side. The dangerous pass rolled through the Husky box, but the pass was led too far and Rada couldn't get a handle on it as the final seconds ticked away.
Despite being winless in their final five matches, the Huskies have legitimate reasons to look forward to next season. The have one of the youngest teams in the NCC and are losing only one starter, senior Jessica Cella. The inexperience has been replaced by a core of players who have come into their own, and the final result is a young team that has a lot of depth.
"We're getting more quality players and we're relatively young," head coach Stephanie McGuinness said. "We have a very positive future ahead of us because we've only played one or two years."
"Once you play one year, you understand the level of play, and you also are more familiar with your team. There's a lot to be said about having a year under your belt and just the confidence you get," McGuinness continued. "They can only get better, our objective is to keep them healthy and strengthen them up."
Freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Brendel finished the season second in the NCC in saves with 116, an average per game of 7.73. Brendel is young, but didn't play like it. McGuinness believes that Brendel is already one of the premiere keepers in the conference, and as she and the defensive core around her matures, things should fall into place.
In addition to Brendel, McGuinness is also impressed with the development of two first-year players who saw some playing time, Lyndsey Andreen and Katie Moch.
"Katie started the last two games at center mid. In the beginning of the year she was a little nervous, she wasn't quite ready to play in the middle of the field at this level." McGuinness said. "Towards the end, she did a really good job,"
"She's a very talented player who's very coach-able with a great work ethic," McGuinness said. "And Lyndsey Andreen's the same way. She's a really hard worker and she's really smart with the ball."
SCSU won't have to look far for leadership for next year's team. Two of the three captains are returning in juniors Grace Marinucci and Jenny Ganser, as well as a pair of sophomores who are mainstays on the field.
"Betsy Pratt and Heidi Westrum are both sophomores right now who lead by example. They're both very hard workers and they're both very talented players. Those two players have pretty much played every minute of every game for the last two years," McGuinness said. "It will be nice to have them step up as juniors and feel more comfortable leading the team on and off the field."
Westrum finished the season with a team leading eight goals and two assists for 18 points, placing her seventh in the conference in goals, and fourth in conference in shots with 54.
In addition to Westrum, the other part of the Huskies dynamic scoring duo will be back next season. Fredrickson will be a junior next year, and finished second on the team in total points with 12 and first in assists (6). McGuinness has been pleased with what she's seen this season by Fredrickson.
"Abbey Fredrickson improved a lot as a player. She's very fast and we play a possession-style of soccer. Once she realizes that she's not always going to get past the defender, she needs to stop, look for her teammate and make that pass and run off the pass. Basically, she's slowing herself down a little and using her head more," McGuinness noted.
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