Players Mentioned
2014 Women's Soccer Preview - Midfield/Forwards
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 goalkeeping position and this morning, we took an in-depth look at the Pirates' stout defensive unit. Our season preview concludes with an overview of the variety of options available for The Hall in the midfield and atop an overhauled formation.
418.
That is how many times the six members of the class of 2014 took the field for the Pirates over their four seasons in blue & white. Among them was the tandem of Ashley Clarke and Katie Ritter, two of the most prolific players in program history who combined for 10 goals and eight assists last fall en route to earning All-BIG EAST recognition.
Their absence means increased roles for a combination of newcomers and returning players who previously may not have been asked to shoulder the lion's share of attacking responsibilities. After spending several months in the spring implementing a new tactical style of play and elevating the level of preseason training since his team returned earlier this month though, new head coach Rick Stainton believes the Pirates have the pieces in place to put consistent pressure on the opposing goal.
"No doubt that the graduating senior class was one of the most accomplished and successful in Seton Hall history," said Stainton who as an assistant in 2011, helped lead a team that prominently featured the recently graduated group to the second postseason victory in program history. "We have made it a point of emphasis that goal scoring will be a collective team effort and we have worked on our attack to provide numbers around the ball which will create opportunities for us. The approach, and the results, show that on any given day, anyone is capable of scoring for us. We are looking for a well-balanced attack which will make it difficult on our opponents to identify who our true "scoring threat" would be."
The shake-up of the lineup has seen some familiar faces slide out of the back and into more advanced positions.
Junior co-captain D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) spent the majority of her first two campaigns adeptly anchoring part of The Hall's last line of defense. The Washingtonville product showed flashes of her attacking ability, pushing forward to record an assist in each season. As one of the Pirates' more dangerous presences on the ball, she has quickly adapted to her new post in the midfield - adding a goal in the team's final exhibition against Wagner on Sunday.
"D'Yonna has this athletic, technical attacking presence to her," explained Stainton. "As a back, she would make these long, dangerous, attacking runs that would create opportunities for us, but the more I watched her, I thought it would be more beneficial to have her higher up on the field and provide us with more opportunities. She is very difficult to stop when she is on the dribble because she is deceptive, fast and technical."
Also moving up from a defensive position where she logged over 1,500 minutes of action a year ago will be senior Kristina Meier (Paramus, N.J.). Meier is among the most technically sound players on the Pirates' current roster and with over 45 starts to her credit, also stands as the most experienced. A consistent and versatile force who boasts three career goals, it is Meier's demeanor that Stainton credits with helping to make her so effective.
"Tina has the most composure I have ever seen from an athlete," Stainton said. "She controls her emotions better than anyone I have ever met - nothing seems to rattle her. Because of her experience, she has a very calming effect out there. As the most experienced player on the roster, we hope that she can help guide this program in reaching greater heights this season. She has battled through the rigors all while performing at extremely high levels for long periods of time. She is a great role model for our program and we look for her to teach the younger players about doing what's right for themselves to become the best contributor to our team as they can."
Among the top returning scorers for The Hall is sophomore Frankie Maier (Oradell, N.J.) who will look to build off a freshman campaign in which she appeared in all 18 contests. A creative force who relishes the opportunity to have the ball at her feet, Maier played a particularly key role in two Seton Hall wins last year, scoring in a shutout win over Army and assisting on both goals in a 2-1 overtime victory against Marist.
Maier appears poised to carry that form into the new season - she assisted on the first two goals in the 3-0 triumph against the Seahawks - and will be relied upon to keep the Pirates' offensive machine running efficiently.
"I consider Frankie our engine," Stainton added. "The team seems to gain rhythm and tempo through her play. She always wants to be on the ball and has learned to become much more effective and efficient. In return, she has become much more dangerous. She penetrates space very well on the dribble and is a great distributor who will get our attackers in on net. She is a creator and risk taker which is everything we look for in an attacking presence."
Also ranking among the top returning scorers from last fall are sophomore Sarah Cortes (Paramus, N.J.) and senior Angie Shehaj (East Brunswick, N.J.). Like Maier, Cortes appeared in every match during her debut season and finished with six points including a game-winning goal against Providence and a three-assist performance in a win over Villanova that earned her BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors.
One of those helpers against the Wildcats came on a headed goal by Shehaj, who has made more than 45 appearances over the last three years. The duo will be joined up top by junior Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) who capped an impressive preseason with the game-winning goal against Wagner, as well as seniors Mikayla Hickey (Salem, N.H.) and Kristin Kosch (Mahwah, N.J.).
"No two players on our roster have identical traits, which I believe is a great thing," Stainton said. "This holds true with the players who can play in the forward position. Each one of those players, regardless if it is Amanda, Angie, Sarah Cortes, Kristin Kosch, Mikayla- brings something unique and different. These different traits provide us with different options and depth. As we all know the game provides us with different environments, and given our flexibility, we can call upon any of these players pending the situation."
Further supporting the attack in the midfield will be senior Rachel Friedman (Bridgewater, N.J.) who will combine with Meier and Riley to provide a veteran presence to help guide a trio of talented newcomers in Lauren Hall (Bridgewater, N.J.), Katie Landes (Stony Point, N.Y.) and Jackie Saint John (Ridgefield, N.J.).
Hall, Landes and Saint John are each heralded prep players with extensive club experience at the highest level and have come on and shown that they are ready to make an immediate impact - most explicitly evidenced by Landes' strike from distance in the exhibition opener at Central Connecticut State.
"We are very pleased with our incoming class and what they have already contributed to our program," added the Pirates' head man. "We are very excited about what the future holds for all of them. We have high expectations for them and they have seemed to embrace that. The entire class is competitive and it's contagious. "
"Katie is a tireless worker who is extremely versatile," he continued. "We can play her in the midfield, on the flanks, and in the back. She is a tenacious defender and very composed on the ball. Jackie, too, is versatile and extremely technical. She is a dangerous playmaker who can contribute in the midfield by maintaining possession with confidence or she can play on the wing and beat defenders down the flank to serve balls in the box or beat them for a powerful shot. Lauren patrols the midfield and sets tempo for us. She has great vision and is composed under pressure. She finds space to receive the ball and links us up. She is also great at changing the point of attack for us."
The faces may have changed but with an abundance of players eager to push the pace of play and a new team-oriented approach, it appears that the Pirates' attack is primed to take steps forward in 2014.
Check back tomorrow on SHUPirates.com for a full preview of the season opener at Marist.
