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Preview: New era begins for Lady Hawk Soccer
INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH JENNIFER
COLLEY
ROME, Ga. – Developing teamwork is essential for teams to achieve success.
That theory is especially true this fall for the Shorter University women’s soccer program as the Lady Hawks, under the direction of first-year head coach Jennifer Colley, begin a new season knowing that the team concept is more important than ever.
“We have to build team chemistry,” Colley said, noting that the Lady Hawks will be without last year’s top three offensive weapons. “We need to focus on doing the little things right and playing with pride.
“We’re not going to stress over things we don’t have control of. We have to focus on what we’re in control of and let things fall into place.”
The Lady Hawks could not control the departure of a trio of players who wound up carving their names in the school’s record book – Pauline Van Der Henst, Candace Edwards and Mallory Barnes, all who earned All-Southern States Athletic Conference honors in 2009.
Van Der Henst closed out her career as the program’s all-time goal scorer; Edwards scored a Shorter single-season record 16 goals last year and combined with Van Der Henst to account for 24 of the team’s 33 goals; and Barnes departed as the program’s all-time leader in assists.
“We don’t have the firepower we had last year,” said Colley. “Now it has to be a total team effort. This has to be a team thing.”
13 players return from the 2009 squad that finished the season with an 8-9-2 record. Those players coupled with the addition of a recruiting class Colley feels is one of the best the program has ever had, could mean that the Lady Hawks are on the right path.
On the defensive side of the field, Shorter boasts a solid foundation of experienced veterans on which to build.
Back to anchor the team in goal is sophomore keeper Taylor Hays of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., who as a freshman in 2009 gained a wealth of experience. She posted some strong statistics, including 71 saves, which were good enough for the second-best single-season total in school history.
“Taylor understands she is now expected to play like a junior or a senior,” Colley said. “That is the result of her playing so much last year.”
In front of her are six defenders who have been major contributors during their careers: seniors Megan White of Fayetteville and Brittany Kossow of Cartersville; juniors Mary Kate Lollar of Appling, Adrian Hicks of Cartersville and Kacie Farrer of Rome; and sophomore Samantha Stephens of Powder Springs.
Lollar, one of three team captains this fall, and Hicks were named to the SSAC All-Academic team in 2009.
The Lady Hawks also have a strong nucleus at midfield in the presence of seniors and tri-captains Lynde Pas of Rome and Rachel Wood of England, as well as sophomore Emily Hanson of Blue Ridge.
Wood proved she has offensive ability having scored a pair of goals and assists last year – she reeled off 31 shots with 15 of those on goal – while Pas was an NAIA Scholar-Athlete and an SSAC All-Academic pick and will also be a team captain this year.
Up front, a new trio of veteran forwards will have to pick up the offensive void left by graduation. Kayla Bell of Rome, an SSAC All-Academic team selection, and sophomores Alex Yancey of Acworth and Camilla Hellstrom of Sweden all saw limited action last season for the Lady Hawks, but are capable of stepping up according to Colley.
“Having these players gives me confidence,” Colley said about the returning players. “We talked a lot during the spring about building our core. They became more comfortable with each other and I saw people step into leadership roles.”
Included during that important spring session was the arrival of transfer Brandi Greenwald of Kingston, who joined the team prior to the 2009 season.
A product of Darlington School, the junior forward is a proven goal-scorer and valuable playmaker having started at SSAC member Brewton-Parker College in 2008 where she led the team with 15 goals, added three assists and was named to the All-SSAC second team as a freshman.
Colley is excited to welcome the entrance of 10 freshmen to the 2010 roster.
Eager to break into the lineup at forward will be Kelli Davis of Peachtree City, who played on Starr’s Mill High’s state championship squad this past season, and former Darlington standout Constanza Ospina of Rome, who attended Kennesaw State University last year but did not play.
Adding to the team’s midfield group are three players who combine versatility with a tireless work ethic: Carleigh Butcher of Loganville, Brehisy Zungia of Duluth and Jessica Wright of Kennesaw.
Shorter’s already stingy defense will become even tougher with the addition of newcomers Kylie Janusek of Cartersville, Kelly Crawford of Marietta, Blair Fine of Lawrenceville and Samantha Mercer of Marietta. Ready to help Hays in goal is former Calhoun High standout Jacy Jobe.
“The entire team is versatile, which gives us a lot of options depending on our formations,” said Colley. “Every position is up for grabs.”
The primary goal of the preseason for the Lady Hawks will be finding the correct combinations. Shorter holds its first team practice on August 6 and will host two scrimmages, Aug. 14 at home against Gordon College and Aug. 24 at the University of the South.
“We’ve got eight days to shake things out and see who is successful,” Colley pointed out. The Lady Hawks open the season by visiting SSAC West power Auburn-Montgomery on Aug. 28.
Joining Colley’s coaching staff this year is assistant coach Danielle dos Santos, who played at Central Florida and was the team’s leading scorer in 2008, and former Lady Hawks’ captains Shelly Ringer and Renee Glenfield, who will serve as the team chaplains and help on the sidelines as well.
Colley said that the Lady Hawks, who are aligned in the new SSAC East Division along with perennial favorite and two-time defending national champion Lee University, will once again seek to reach a goal it has yet to accomplish. 10 wins.
“We saw that as a challenge but a realistic goal last year,” the coach said. “We just came up short. That is still a good benchmark and it’s doable. It still gets back to doing the little things right.
“I’m very excited. It’s been a long year, but I’m excited to see how they’ll do.”
