After a successful trip to Europe, the women’s soccer team is pumped and ready to start its 2008 campaign with a bang. The team embarked on its European mission ready to prove that it could compete with countries where soccer is entrenched in the culture. The Jeffs did just that, winning each of their three games abroad. The European tour not only added to the players’ confidence, but also provided an invaluable team-bonding experience.
“We played well, had some really useful training sessions, and scored 12 goals to go 3-0 against our European competitors,” said quad-captain Alanna Darling ’09. “Just as importantly, we had some extra time to bond as a team … I think we grew closer in those nine days than we could have imagined, strengthening our commitment to each other as people and players.”
This fall the Jeffs will look to erase the memory of an unsatisfactory 2007 season. The team finished with a record of 5-6-4 (5-2-2 in the NESCAC) and, after reaching the NCAA quarterfinals in 2006, ended its 2007 season with a loss to Middlebury College in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
“I think that we were all a little disappointed with our performance last season,” said quad-captain Kate Bentley ’09. “After finishing in the Elite Eight of NCAAs two years ago, we all had high expectations going into last season.”
Many of last season’s problems can be attributed to an inconsistent offense. But the blame does not just lay with the strikers. In soccer, offense typically starts with the defenders, runs through the midfielders and finishes with the strikers. In order to be a successful goal-scoring team this season, Amherst will need to work on the connections among all players on the field.
Quad-captain Natalie Ferraiolo ’09 noted some factors that will help generate a consistent offense. “Working on our mentality in front of the net will be very important,” she said. “We need to be able to score consistently and have the confidence to convert whatever opportunity we get. Also, moving off the ball is something we can improve on from last season. If we are more dynamic on the field, we will be much more of an offensive threat and much harder to defend.”
Though the Jeffs lose 2008 graduates Katie Coffey and Heather Nowak, they are confident in the ability of both veterans and first-years to make up for the losses. Darling returns to the team as the only member of the 2007 squad to be named to the 2007 All-NESCAC First Team. She was also placed on both the NEWISA and NSCAA All-New England First Teams. Other notable returns include last season’s leading goal-scorer Meg Murphy ’10 and the entire 2007 defensive lineup. The team will also welcome to its ranks several first-years whom they hope will provide the team with more depth.
The Jeffs have high hopes for this season and are confident that they can achieve their goals. “In the end, we definitely want to make it to the Final Four of NCAAs,” said Bentley. “Even though this is our final goal, we do need to look at each individual goal along the way that we need to get done in order to finally achieve our end results. Right now, our goal is to beat The College of New Jersey in our first game of the season.”