North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Soccer Builds On Success
5/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
May 19, 2001
By Jerry Moore, Technician Assistant Sports Editor
Lost in the frenzy that swirled around the success of N.C. State football last fall, another pleasant surprise emerged on the landscape of Wolfpack athletics.
Buried beneath headlines about Chuck Amato, freshman passing records and a bowl-game victory, Laura Kerrigan quietly led the women's soccer team to its best season since 1995.
The Pack finished its 2000 campaign at 10-7-3 overall and 2-2-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the toughest leagues in the country.
State was regionally ranked by Soccer Buzz Magazine for most of the season, finishing at No. 9 in the Southeast. The Pack even made an appearance in Soccer America's national poll, checking in at No. 15 late in the season.
"We accomplished a lot last year," Kerrigan said. "We started out as a mediocre team, but by the second half of the season, we had become a very, very strong team."
The team failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, however, which left Kerrigan and her team with a strong desire to put an end to the drought.
"Next year, we're really looking forward to being in the top 20 every week and securing that berth to the NCAAs," she said. "We were so close last year, it could have gone either way.
"Now the players have a taste for it, and none of them liked the feeling of sitting in that room watching the television screen and not seeing our name called. We got a taste of success, and now we want more of it."
Katherine Warman, a freshman last year, was named second-team All-ACC. She became the first State player to capture all-conference honors since 1996. She was also named to the first ever ACC All-Freshman team.
Goalkeeper Gretchen Lear had the best save percentage in the ACC (.875) and was named conference Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 24.
Erin Bushey, Laura Scott and Lindsey Underwood also had strong seasons for the Pack.
"Lindsey has come a long way since her first days here," Kerrigan said. "Katherine has made huge strides, and now she really has a presence on the field."
In the off-season, State added five recruits to bolster its offensive firepower and defense.
Nicole Blume, a midfielder, comes to State from Springfield, Va., where she attended the same high school as Lear. Blume, the 2000 Patriot District Player of the Year, was selected to the regional and state teams in the Olympic Development Program for the last three years.
"Nicole is a feisty midfielder who could also play up front for us," Kerrigan said. "It was exciting to get her."
Lydia Bojcun led The Hun of Princeton High School in Trenton, N.J., with 28 goals and 21 assists over two seasons. She has gained experience on the national level, playing in the under-15 and under-16 U.S. National Pools and the adidas Elite Soccer Program.
Juliana Gomez, a goalkeeper from Miami Springs, Fla., had an impressive 15-0-3 record as a senior last fall at Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School. She posted 14 shutouts in her final season, in addition to 12 in her junior campaign.
Gomez was a member of the Olympic Development Program in 1997 and 1998. She was also named first-team all-county in 1999 by the Miami Herald, as well as garnering all-conference honors in 1998 and 1999.
"She should provide depth at the goalkeeper position," Kerrigan said of Gomez. "We're really pleased with the way Gretchen [Lear] has been playing, but you need two strong keepers at this level."
Marly Josephson, a defender, led Charlotte Catholic High School to a 20-1 record in 2000. She was named to the all-conference team three times, all-region twice and received all-state honors from the Charlotte Observer in 2000.
"She's a very tough defender," Kerrigan said of Josephson. "She plays a lot like Erin Bushey. She's good in the air and tackles well too."
Annika Schmidt, who played on the former club team of current State midfielder Carmen Israel, rounds out Kerrigan's recruiting class. Schmidt played on the German National Team at the under-16, under-18 and under-21 levels.
"She's come up through the ranks doing very well for her country," Kerrigan said of Schmidt. "She can play pretty much anywhere."
The Pack's sideline will also sport a new face next fall. Kevin Long, former women's head coach and sports information director at Randolph-Macon, will join Kerrigan's staff as an assistant.
"He's really found his place with this team," Kerrigan said of Long. "The players respect him for the coach that he is, and he's quickly become a big part of our team."
Kerrigan and her squad will need all the help they can get, as they will again play a taxing ACC schedule. Of the Pack's seven conference matches, six come against teams from last year's NCAA Tournament.
Among the season's highlights will be a home match against Duke on Oct. 24. The Pack handed the Blue Devils a 3-1 loss in Durham last season.
State won't have a shot at defending national champion North Carolina until the final match of the regular season, scheduled for Nov. 1 in Chapel Hill.
After getting a whiff of success last fall and armed with a strong incoming class, Kerrigan and her team can't wait for the dawn of the 2001 season.
"Everything went really well this spring," Kerrigan said. "We worked on fortifying our attack. That was something that we made some huge strides with. We've tried to work on putting more pressure on the opponent up front.
"That, combined with next year's recruiting class, will make this a very tough team to beat."
