North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Eyes NCAA Tournament In 2001
7/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
July 30, 2001
The 2001 edition of the NC State women's soccer team is poised to build on the success that it achieved in 2000. With a top 25-ranked recruiting class of seven newcomers complimenting 19 returning lettermen, the squad will have the luxury of depth on its side.
Fourth-year Head Coach Laura Kerrigan is looking to lead the Wolfpack back into the top 20 again this season. The Wolfpack program has captured eight NCAA quarterfinal appearances, made two trips to the NCAA Final Four and earned a national runner-up trophy in 1988. Kerrigan, one of the on-field leaders of the `88 squad, is confident that the 2001 team can get back to that level.
"Last year, we made a big step in the right direction," Kerrigan said. "We started out the season pretty mediocre with two upsets in the first weeks of our season. About halfway through the season, we had an awakening of sorts."
"We got a big boost of confidence with the Maryland win and all of a sudden we started playing like the top-20 team that we know we can be," said Kerrigan. "We beat Duke, tied Clemson and Florida State, all top-10 or top 20 programs. That really set the stage for us, because we were so close to getting an NCAA bid and it really could have gone either way. Since we were mostly freshmen and sophomores last season, that will be really big for us heading into 2001. We know the level that we can play at and our expectations are a lot higher."
Thirteen juniors and one senior all should play a big role in the Wolfpack's success this season. The abundance of upperclassmen is a welcome sight to the NC State faithful, especially those who witnessed the 1999 campaign that saw many of those same players forced into action as freshmen.
"We lost a couple of players from last year's team," said Kerrigan. "Shannon Tully was a player that logged a lot of time for us and scored some great goals for us last season. However, we are returning all of our starters and we expect some of our freshmen to battle for starting positions as well."
"We will have more depth this season, which is key when you are playing 20 games in a two and a half month period," Kerrigan said. "Maturity will also play a big role for us this season. With as many underclassmen as we had last season, I think that our inexperience showed early on in the upsets."
Because of the tremendous amount of upperclassmen, Kerrigan expects the Wolfpack's leadership to pay off in 2001.
Coming off a successful 10-7-3 campaign in 2000, the Wolfpack's offensive attack will be spearheaded by 2000 second-team All-ACC honoree Katherine Warman.
A native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Warman was also named to the ACC's All-Freshmen team and the All-Southeast Region's second team by soccerbuzz.com. Warman will be paired with sophomore Lindsey Underwood (Princess Anne, Maryland), the team's leading scorer last season (6 goals, 2 assists) and junior Rachel Durr (Kingwood, Texas) who led the team with four assists.
"I think Lindsey has come so far since she stepped on the field for us a year ago," stated Kerrigan. "She improved so much with her play in the spring. Having her step up and be that target forward for us this season will be key."
"We are really going to try to utilize Katherine and Rachel more on the flank this season," Kerrigan said. "Katherine played for the Canadian team this summer and really gained some valuable experience. We would really like to get both Katherine and Rachel much more involved in our attack."
NC State may have a secret weapon this fall, welcoming junior Adrienne Barnes back to the soccer scene. Barnes, who captured third-team all-state honors in 1998 at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, displays a burst of speed that Kerrigan thinks will make the Wolfpack's attack more dangerous.
"Entering college, Adrienne decided that she wanted to concentrate on her academics and forego Division I soccer, but has now decided that she can do both," Kerrigan said. "She scored a couple of amazing goals for us this spring and showed a lot of promise. She was able to step up and earn a starting spot for us in the front during the spring season."
Adding depth up front for the Wolfpack will be Lynsey Harrington (Dunblane, Scotland) and Jordan Allison (Greensboro, North Carolina).
"Lynsey played in most of our games last season and should really provide some support for us up front, as will Jordan."
"We also have a couple of freshman who are extremely versatile and may find themselves plaing a key role for us either up front or in the midfield," Kerrigan said. "Annika Schmidt (Welver, Germany) could play anywhere for us. Lydia Bojcun (Hamilton Square, New Jersey) is an extremely athletic player, and could play in the midfield or up front. She is a proven goal-scorer who has the ability to take over a game. Her experience in the youth national pool will also be a great asset."
Nicole Blume (Springfield, Virginia) is also extremely versatile.
"Nicole is a feisty player," said Kerrigan. "She is a very skilled central midfielder with a good understanding of the game. She will definitely raise the level of tenacity in practice next season. We have so many weapons, so the preseason will be a key time for us to decide where to play them to get the most our of our team."
Schmidt, a member of the German Under-18 national team, will be a force in the front and middle for years to come. Bojcun tallied 74 goals and 42 assists in her high school career, earning a spot on the Associated Press all-New Jersey second-team her senior year. Bojcun was also a member of the Under-15 national pool in 1997, the Under-16 pool in 1998 and the adidas Eite Soccer Program in 2000. Recently, Bojcun was also selected to the Region I Olympic Development Team for 2001-2002. Blume was selected to the regional and state teams in the Olympic Development Program in 1998, 1999 and 2000. She was named all-state as a senior, to go with her selection as the 2000 Patriot District Player of the Year.
"We have a lot of talent that can play in the middle for us and give us much-needed depth," said Kerrigan. "Kelly Blaggie (Clearwater, Florida) will be key for us this season because of her experience and senior leadership. We will rely on her as a leader and co-captain of this team."
Carmen Israel (Recklinghausen, Germany) will be a key member of the Wolfpack's midfield corps the season.
"Carmen was really strong for us last season," Kerrigan said. "Both of her goals were game-winners and she really showed that she can control our game from up front or in the midfield. She is a great teammate and can really contribute for us this season."
"Lindsey Rosen (Fairfax, Virginia) is not afraid to mix it up and can win balls for us," said Kerrigan. "Melissa Pressley (Cary, North Carolina) scored the game winning goal for us against College of Charleston and has shown that she has the speed to score from the flank. Amy Bary (The Woodlands, Texas) played well for us this spring, so we are looking for good things out of her as well."
Adding to the Wolfpack's depth in the midfield are juniors Jenny Pearce (Kingwood, Texas), Kelly Jordan (Gambrills, Maryland) and Rachel Donnelly (Cazenovia, New York).
"Jenny and Kelly could play literally any position for us on the field," said Kerrigan. "Jenny did a great job coming back last season from a knee injury and Kelly could really be a threat for us, with her tremendous speed. Rachel got a big goal for us last year against UNC Wilmington, so we know she can score."
In 2000, the Wolfpack's calling card was its defense.
The Wolfpack posted 10 shutouts, including two stretches where it went three games without yielding a goal to the opposition. Leading the way in 2001 will be juniors Erin Bushey (Bilgerville, Pennsylvania), Lauren Bendahan (Springfield, Virginia), Colette Seville (Wenonah, New Jersey) and sophomore Jaci Harper (Murrysville, Pennsylvania).
"We have four returning players on defense who have started almost every game in their two years here," Kerrigan said. "Erin missed some time in 1999 with an injury, but has been solid for us otherwise. Colette has also played will back there for us. Jaci also started every game for us in the back as a freshman, so we are expecting good things from her this season." Sophomore Tara Knauss (Wilmington, North Carolina), to contribute more in 2001 and help bolster the defense.
"Tara stepped into several tough games for us last season and played well," said Kerrigan. Challenging for a starting spot will be two freshman defenders, Marly Josephson (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Elizabeth Pardue (Greensboro, North Carolina). "Marly is a solid, strong defender," Kerrigan said. "She is great in the air and has a knack for winning balls back there. She also serves the ball out of the back to the forwards very well. Elizabeth is also a solid performer in the back. She really excelled in high school and we look for her to carry her game to the next level."
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest keys to the NC State team this season will be junior goalkeeper Gretchen Lear, who posted a 1.01 goals against average last season and captured ACC Player of the Week honors following a 3-1 victory over No. 11 Duke and a scoreless tie with No. 5 Clemson. The Springfield, Virginia native made several key saves in nearly every match last season to thwart opposing strikers.
"Having a goalkeeper like Gretchen Lear is a tremendous confidence boost," said Kerrigan. "One of the turning points for us last season was when Gretchen came back from a separated shoulder."
Lear was injured just prior to the Wolfpack's second game and missed most of the first half of the season, before returning the scene with a shutout against Charlotte in late September.
"When Gretchen came back the way she did, sick and injured, and posted a shutout in her first game, that gave our defense a tremendous lift," Kerrigan said. "The fact that they knew she was playing at 75 or 80 percent made us dig deeper and play harder as a team."
Kerrigan expects incoming freshman goalkeeper Juliana Gomez (Miami Springs, Florida) to not only learn under Lear, but to fight for some time as well.
Highlighting the 2001 schedule for Kerrigan's Wolfpack is a quality non-conference slate that includes Ivy League contender Brown, 2000 NCAA Tournament participant UNC Greensboro, and Big Ten foe Minnesota.
"We've got a couple of big tournaments that we are going to play in," Kerrigan said. "We are going to play in the JMU tournament, where we will face Rutgers and James Madison. We are also going to play in Brown's tournament. Brown was a program that was in a similar situation as ours last season because they could have easily gotten a bid to the tournament as well. We are continuing our series with UNC Greensboro, a team that was in the NCAA Tournament last season."
The non-conference competition should provide a stern test, but can only prepare the Wolfpack marginally with what it will face in conference play.
"North Carolina won the NCAA Championship," said Kerrigan. "Clemson was ranked No. 2 at one point during the season. UVA was a top-10 program all year long. Wake Forest and Duke are perennially top-10 and top-20 programs. Florida State was in the top 20 all year," Kerrigan stated concerning the Wolfpack's ACC opponents.
"Every team in the ACC was ranked in the top 20 at least once during the season," Kerrigan said. "There is no other conference that can claim that. Every game will be a battle next season. Any team has the talent to win the league, because our conference is that tough"
Although the ACC's tough RPI rankings make the conference a standard-setter for the nation, Kerrigan is confident that the 2001 Wolfpack squad will be ready for any challenge it faces on the field.
