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St. Cloud State University
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Sports
Duluth East trio leads SCSU
By Bobby Hart
Published:
Thursday, September 25, 2003
It's been said that first-year SCSU soccer players Anne Litecky, Trista Cooke and Savannah Swanson play like they've played together before. That may be the understatement of the century, considering the three Duluth East natives have played together since they've been ten years old.
SCSU is just the latest step in their long and eventful soccer careers that began in elementary school summer selects and lead to a highly successful prep team at Duluth East High School. The Duluth East stars' prep careers included three 7AA Championships and three appearances in the State Tournament Semi-Finals.
Hands-on recruiting
Throughout their lengthy soccer careers, the three high school teammates and friends never suspected that they'd be in SCSU Husky uniforms in 2003.
Cooke was the only one that was pretty positive she'd attend after hearing good things about the aviation program, but Swanson and Litecky had other plans.
The two preps stars had UMD and the U of M on their lists, but former Duluth East player and current Husky junior Betsy Pratt did some key recruiting. After a visit containing a weekend of SCSU life with Pratt and last year's team-leading scorer Heidi Westrum, Swanson and Litecky were sold.
Considering that Litecky set a Duluth East school record with 75 goals in four seasons and grew up with Golden Gopher blood, her decision was probably the most unlikely.
"I was kind of surprised, especially about Anne's decision because she had a childhood dream to play at the U of M," Pratt said. "But after talking with her, I found out she was a lot like me in the sense that she wanted something outside of soccer. Our high school program was extremely competitive, so it's nice to go to a college where soccer is competitive but fun."
Pratt acted as a recruitment wire that kept the Duluth East High kids and SCSU head coach Stephanie McGuinness in contact.
"Players are probably the best recruiters because they can relate and they're very honest." McGuinness said.
Winning habits
The Duluth East trio already is a step ahead of most first-year players, considering the stiff competition at Duluth East High School that has a well-toted reputation for producing several successful collegiate careers in women's soccer.
Head coach Shawn Roed and assistant coach Dave Litecky, Anne's father, run a tight program that prepares their soccer players for the next level.
"They come from a winning program so they know what it's like to win and that helps out a lot," McGuinness said. "Duluth East plays the best city teams in the state year after year and that's why they're so good."
Dave Litecky coached his daughter, Cooke and Swanson since they've been in elementary school in soccer and basketball while presently continuing his involvement, so much so that he's become a fixture.
"I look up to him a lot," Anne said. "We'd talk after almost every game and he's helped a lot with my skills. He's a sideline coach for us now."
Coach Litecky tries to make as many SCSU games as he can around his high school coaching schedule, and when he does make the games, his presence is known.
"It's nice to hear him yelling at us from the sidelines. It feels like home," Cooke said.
Different styles
The first-year students are three very different kinds of players on the field, but they have used their past experience to help click at the collegiate level.
"Their attitudes on the field reflect how they play on the field," Pratt said. "They always feed off each other."
Litecky reflects her father's coaching style in such a way that it can be described in one word: "Intense".
In addition to her 75 goal record from Duluth East, she was also first team All-State, three-time Minnesota State high school All tournament team pick, and two-time team MVP. She now leads the Huskies with five goals.
'"Unorthodox' is a great word for her," McGuinness said. "She has moves that she has no clue she's going to do until she gets to the defender, and she probably couldn't repeat them again if she tried."
One of the moves Litecky is most famous for involves her toe flicking the ball over her defenders head, and she also has been known to sneak in a bicycle kick every now and again.
"She's the most unconventional player I've ever played with," Pratt said. "The textbook is thrown out the window. She'll put the ball around or even over players and pulls things off that are incredible. She shocks defenders."
The most recent example of her aggressive play came in last week's game-winning goal over Southwest Minnesota State Saturday. Litecky went for a ball near the goal that looked to be unreachable, but she slid into it, beating a defender and the goaltender.
"That was a great example of her will to win," McGuinness said. "She's very sacrificial of her body, and as a coach you've gotta love that."
If Litecky is the sporadic one of the group, Swanson is probably the opposite.
The two-time All-State Honorable mention captain at Duluth East High School is known for her smart and calm decisions with the ball.
"I've never seen anyone more composed, when she gets the ball you trust her because she's smart with it," Pratt said.
Swanson has been one of McGuinness' biggest surprises this season with her solid play as starting as a left outside mid-fielder, a position she's never played before. The move from her natural position as a defender to mid-fielder has worked out well for the Huskies thus far. Swanson has been able to contribute on offense (one goal), but she is still able to play aggressive defense.
"Whether she gets the ball or the player, she's very aggressive," Litecky said. "If there's a 50-50 ball, out of anyone, she'll be the one to come up with it."
Swanson's airborne game that contains a deadly header is one of her major strong points, and has helped SCSU gain the advantage on corner kicks.
Like Swanson, Cooke is also playing out of her natural position. But in this case the move was a little more drastic.
Cooke was a goal tender up until almost half way through her prep career. The former netminder, and Duluth All-Area player not only survived the change, but has become a dangerous offensive weapon, coming in second on the SCSU roster with three goals (tied with Westrum).
"I've seen her do things that it takes most strikers their whole career to do," McGuinness said. "She's been such a surprise. She's fun to watch because she has such a natural talent."
Although the first-year phenoms have already made a mark with their impressive play and are a huge reason the Huskies are now 5-3-1, they still have a long career full of a lot of learning to do.
"The game is a lot faster and more aggressive and there isn't as many scoring opportunities so you really have to take advantage of the ones you get," Swanson said. "There's no more running up the scores like in high school."
The Husky first-year trio has also yet to begin competition in a tough NCC conference, which starts with a home game against South Dakota State University Oct. 4. It will only be the next challenge in a soccer career that's gone back to elementary school, and like all of them, the Duluth East trio will face it together.
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