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Printer-Friendly ModeWomen, ranked 23, look to take GLIAC
September 10, 2007 —
After spending years notably absent from the standings, SVSU's women's soccer team is now ranked 23 nationally by the NSCAA, after defeating formerly ranked Quincy.
Being ranked nationally is an honor for any team. But for the Cards, it also serves as a wake-up call: the team is in fact good. They can perform with the best. Now, it seems, is the time for this team to play to their potential in the conference they've tried to win for years now, after beating nationally ranked Quincy in double overtime on Sept. 2.
To do that, they'll have to defeat division rivals Grand Valley and Mercyhurst, the teams that have dominated the conference for the last three seasons. And they'll also have to avenge a heartbreaking loss to Northern Michigan this year - the Wildcats defeated the team last year 1-0 at SVSU after the Cards rolled over Northwood 9-1 a few days earlier.
Can they do it?
Maybe.
One thing's for certain, however: Coach Drago Dumbovic needs veteran performances out of his not-so-veteran players. The team consists of 17 freshmen and sophomores, with only four seniors taking to the pitch this year, one of which is a goalkeeper, Stacy LaLond. Dumbovic worked with an even younger team last year, however - so perhaps this is well-trodden territory.
LaLond and fellow seniors Katie Hess, Mara Dedomenicis, and Jaimie Sweezea can contribute the leadership necessary in order to take the GLIAC, but they can't do all the work. Thankfully, the team's offensive core remains largely intact: Tammie Edmunds, Kim Oberski and the talented Stephanie Roy, all returning juniors, are still playing havoc with the defenses of other teams, in spite of the loss of forward Kelly Pruitt, who graduated last year.
As is the case with most sports, a look at the stats reveals what a team is doing right, and what could be improved upon.
With the women, one thing stands out - they're taking all kinds of shots, out shooting opponents (including Division I Detroit Mercy) at a ratio of nearly 1.5:1, but the team's rate of conversion is poor - even offensive standout Stephanie Roy (who has netted three of the team's 10 goals so far this season) has only found the net around 20 percent of the time.
If the team is going to buckle down and beat the GLIAC's juggernauts, it's going to have to make the shots it gets against those tough defenses count.
While conversion is a problem for any team, in a conference as competitive as the GLIAC, it's something to take into consideration. Is the team taking high-percentage shots, or are the forwards content to launch prayers from the 20-yard box? What about the set pieces? Is there an understanding between the players and the coach as to how to approach each situation? Set piece plays are often underused in college soccer, but if you watch just one professional game, you'll see how elaborate something as seemingly ordinary as a free kick can become - all the deception and counter-deception, the jersey-pulling, the innocuous yelling...when goals are hard to come by, soccer becomes a thinking man's (and women's) game.
One can hope that goals won't be hard to come by this season for the women. But so far, there's no indication that might come to pass: the games against Drury and Quincy were both low-scoring contests, and while the win over Southern Indiana was a massacre, the team can rest assured the game against GVSU won't be such a slobberknocker.
This week, SVSU hosts Gannon and Mercyhurst, opening the GLIAC season. We'll all see if the team's young players can earn a higher spot on that national ladder.