Aug. 25, 2005
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Briefly
The Loyola Marymount women's soccer team opens its season at Sullivan Field this weekend, hosting Indiana and Florida State. The opener on Friday is at 4:00pm, and Sunday's match-up is at 1:00pm. This marks the first time the Lions will take the field following the tragic death of Jessica Hanson in a car accident. LMU finished the 2004 season with a 10-7-3 record and returns nine starters from a year ago.
HANSON FAMILY FUND
All proceeds from Friday's game against Indiana will be donated the Hanson Family Fund. Donations can also be mailed directly to:
The Hanson Family Fund Holy Family Church
c/o Theresa Shaw
1501 Fremont Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030
ABOUT INDIANA
The Hoosiers finished the 2004 season with a 9-7-3 record and finished in sixth place in the Big Ten. They return nine starters from that team. They won both of their exhibition games with shutouts- a 5-0 win over Memphis and a 2-0 victory over Valparaiso.
ABOUT FLORIDA STATE
The Seminoles have a new head coach leading them into the 2005 season. Mark Krikorian moves from the WUSA and the US Under-19 National Team to Florida State. The Seminoles were 12-5-3 a year ago but lose seven starters from that squad. FSU will open its season on Friday against USC.
2005 SEASON OUTLOOK
Five days before the 2005 Lions were to take the field for the very first time, the team met with tragedy. Senior Jessica Hanson died in a car accident on the way to her final vacation before practice was to start. Shocked and saddened, the Lions must now pick up the pieces and learn how to play without one of their leaders and the heart of the team.
"We've been talking about it and dealing with it," said Head Coach Gregg Murphy. "It's going to be a very, very difficult time for us, but it could be a time where we become even stronger for Jessica."
This year the Lions will play with twelve- 11 on the field and one cheering them on from above.
"We've talked about the best way to honor her and we've come up with a saying-`What would Jessica want?' We want to be a model team in her honor," Murphy continued.
The four pillars of that team are:
1. Having fun
2. Being a great person
3. Being the best teammate that we can be to each other
4. Being very competitive and being the best team that we can be
The Lions have veteran leaders and plenty of experience for the 2005 season. If they can be Jessica's model team, there is no doubt that they will find success on and off the field.
Offense
The Lions return their top 11 point scorers from 2004, including All- WCC first team selection senior Lori Sims (8g, 6a). Joining Sims up front is senior Kelly Lewandowski (5g, 1a). Despite the experience in the front, the Lions look to improve their scoring percentage and hope to score more goals with fewer chances.
"Offense is where we're looking to be better. We worked on it a lot last spring, and we are trying to create more quality opportunities to score goals," said Murphy.
Sims comes off an outstanding junior season where she was in the top four of every offensive category in the West Coast Conference. She is an incredibly dangerous player who is capable of scoring a lot of goals for the Lions. Lewandowski adds size to the front line, and is one of LMU's all-time leading goal scorers.
Also looking to score goals for the Lions are several sophomores who gained experience a year ago. Katie Osborne (3g, 1a) has tremendous pace and change of pace, and Jamie Bell (4a) adds athleticism and versatility to the attack. Jaime Krickl has shown great potential and a nose for finding the goal, and Vanessa Rojas moves from defense to the offense to add another target forward. Wende Blasquez will add depth to the Lion offense.
Shannon Omahen is a freshman who could do some damage in her rookie season. She is very athletic, and can make plays out of nothing.
Midfield
The Lions' midfield is also very experienced and should create several scoring opportunities this fall. Juniors Tana Smothermon and Whitney Temple have been key members of the midfield for the last two years and will anchor a strong midfield corps.
Smothermon is good on the ball as an attacking midfielder. A two- year starter, she scored two goals and had three assists last season. Temple will anchor the midfield in the back, and will use her blue collar work ethic to connect the team.
Sophomore Stefanie Baduria missed most of the 2004 season with an injury, but looks to make up for it in 2005. One of the most dangerous central midfielders off the dribble, she will find players to put into scoring opportunities.
Versatile Bell could see time in the midfield as well as up front. Jessica Johns (3a) and Amanda Bolado (1 g, 1a) gained good experience as freshmen and will add depth to the Lion midfield.
A trio of newcomers look to get some playing time this season. Laura Quintero joined the Lions in the spring and brings composure and great vision to the team. Michelle Kanama and Lauren Shanklin were high school teammates and look to get some solid minutes this fall.
Defense
An organized defense has always been the trademark of Murphy's LMU teams and this year should be no different. The Lions return three of their four starting defenders from a year ago. The defense allowed just over four shots per game a year ago, and helped post eight shutouts.
"As long as we can be as organized as we've always been defensively, and improve our one-on-one mentality, we'll be setting ourselves up for the WCC Championship that we want to win," said Murphy.
Sara Aldama leads the group in her second year as captain. A two-year starter, Aldama brings maturity and composure to the backline.
Jennifer Horn and Alicia Lloyd both started all 20 games last season and will continue to stop opposing offenses for another year.
A new face in the defense is senior Kellie Schroeder. After three years as a forward, Schroeder moved to defense in the spring and played well enough to solidify her spot in the back.
Providing defensive support will be Brandi Young, Amy Sauer, and freshman Amanda Lernor.
Joslyn Slovek looks to take over the full time goalkeeping duties. She started five games as a freshman a year ago and posted two shutouts. A strong spring showing gives the coaches optimism that she will continue LMU's tradition of stymieing opposing teams.
Adding depth to the goalkeeper position are two freshmen- Allyssa Clark and Amanda Parsons.
Schedule
As always, LMU's challenging non-conference schedule should prepare the Lions for their tough West Coast Conference lineup. The schedule includes two of last season's College Cup teams, and seven postseason teams. The Lions play eight non-conference home games which should provide the team with valuable experience heading into the WCC. Sullivan Field has proven to be quite a home field advantage as the Lions have picked up 22 victories at home in the last three years.
"Our goal is to be the best that we can be in September and that will prepare us for October and November. We want to have a team and a year that Jessica would be proud of, and with her help, by `playing with twelve,' we're confident in our chances," concluded Murphy.
GAMETRACKER
Follow the Lions all season with GameTracker for Women's Soccer. During any LMU home game, you can get the up-to-the-minute score, as well as updated game stats and a play by play. For more information, go to www.LMULions.com.
