2014 Women's Soccer Preview - Back Line
8/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Entering the program's first year under the direction of head coach Rick Stainton, the 2014 Seton Hall women's soccer team will make its official debut in an away contest at Marist on Friday, August 22. As part of the lead-up to kick-off, SHUPirates.com will take an in-depth look at this year's squad before previewing the season-opening matchup with the Red Foxes.
Yesterday, we began with a breakdown of the three goalkeepers that have been pushing for the #1 spot. This morning, we take a look at the defensive core that will look to build upon an impressive collective performance a season ago.
"When you believe in the process, success follows."
That is the mantra that first-year head coach Rick Stainton has been reiterating in the weeks leading up to the 2014 season. A former Seton Hall assistant who is coming off a year in which he helped lead the Fairleigh Dickinson women's program to landmark success, Stainton assumes the helm of a Pirates' team that saw five starters and seven key contributors graduate in May.
It will indeed be a process to reshape the identity of a squad looking to establish itself as a perennial contender within a loaded BIG EAST Conference. At the center of that progression however will be an experienced group at the back that played an integral role in making The Hall's defensive unit one of the toughest in the league a season ago.
Due in large part to the efforts of a back line contingent that frequently featured then-sophomores Melissa Blevins (Laurel Springs, N.J.) and D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) alongside Third Team All-BIG EAST performer Cathy Chukuka (Marlboro, N.J.) and veteran Kristina Meier (Paramus, N.J.), Seton Hall allowed a total of nine goals in nine league matches.
The Pirates only conceded more than one goal on two occasions in conference play and finished the year as one of three squads in the BIG EAST that did not surrender more than two goals in any one league contest. The team eventually completed the season with a 5-11-2 overall record that included a 3-6-0 mark within the league which left The Hall one point shy of qualifying for the conference tournament.
Five of the Pirates' six defeats against BIG EAST competition came by the slimmest of margins however and the defensive consistency was a force that kept the team in contention each time out.
That reliability has carried over into the infancy of the 2014 campaign as Seton Hall yielded just one goal in 180 minutes of exhibition action against Northeast Conference foes Central Connecticut State and Wagner, outscoring the opposition by an aggregate of 4-to-1.
Even with all four primary defenders returning though, part of the reformation process has seen Meier and Riley step into midfield roles as the Pirates look to adopt a different style of play. This shift has opened the door for some new faces who have proven capable of upholding the defensive standard.
"We have much depth and experience with the backs," said Stainton. "What this has allowed us to do is look at individual player traits and identify positions for them that would best suit the team and how we play. I enjoy the fact that many of our players are very versatile. We envision our backline being a key component to our success this year and part of that will be using different players who will match up best for some of our different opponents."
Throughout the brief exhibition season, junior Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and graduate student Alyssa Stipcak (Mt. Airy, Md.) have been among the returning players assuming larger roles in front of goal. Hansinger made a career-high 12 appearances with four starts as a sophomore and has responded well to being charged with helping to patrol the center of the defensive third.
A further sign of her progression and development, Stainton announced that Hansinger will share captain's duties with Riley for the upcoming season.
Stipcak, entering her fourth season of competition after graduating from the university in three years, effectively anchored the left wing as the Pirates blanked Wagner on Sunday and adds another veteran presence to a back line that has also received an infusion of youth.
"The current backline has shown much success during this preseason, and we've made adjustments and changes that never allowed the level of play to drop," added Stainton. "What was also impressive was the fact that when substitutions were made to the backline, we never lost any rhythm or coordination. We stayed in-sync with each other which allows us to defend well and be balanced."
Lining up alongside Hansinger in the middle against the Seahawks was freshman Andrea Palermo (Caledon, Ontario) who put her versatility and ability to win the ball on full display in an impressive performance. After coming on as a first half substitute, fellow newcomer Morgan LaDuca (Toms River, N.J.) deftly handled right back duties and even put the exclamation mark on the 3-0 shutout with a rocket of a free kick from just outside the area.
"Andrea and Morgan have not only met our expectations thus far, they have exceeded them," lauded Stainton. "While recruiting them, we knew how talented they were, we also knew they would make an immediate impact, but what has been very pleasing to us is the degree to which they positively affect the game. Teams will take notice to them as they play both sides of the ball very well. Not only can they defend, they are confident in the attack. They both are eager to do more and develop even further and reflect the ideal pedigree for what we want Seton Hall women's soccer to represent."
Palermo and LaDuca will be part of a rotation that will also prominently feature sophomores Sarah Fiorino (Glen Rock, N.J.) and Meg Larsen (Toms River, N.J.) who have also shown marked improvement during the preseason and will add yet more experience to a unit replete with individuals primed to contribute to what ultimately amounts to a team effort.
"We are very deep defensively," Stainton continued. "Experience is very valuable in any aspect, and we plan to utilize those experiences in many different ways. With experience comes "know how." Our belief is that these experienced players will know how to work with each other, and with others, in an effort to make us organized and disciplined in the way we play and approach opponents."
Check back on SHUPirates.com for a glimpse at the Pirates' contingent of midfielders and forwards that will power a revamped attack this fall.
