FSU Soccer Opens Practice On
Thursday
The Seminoles return six starters and 14 letterwinners from last year’s
College Cup team.
8/15/07
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The quest for a third straight College Cup
appearance begins Thursday, August 16 as the Florida State women’s
soccer team opens practice at 9 am at the Seminole Soccer Complex.
Twenty-eight student-athletes, including 14 newcomers, will take to the
field on Thursday under the direction of third year head coach Mark
Krikorian.
Florida State returns six of 11 starters and 14 of 24 letterwinners for
the upcoming season. Included among the six returning starters are all
four of FSU’s starting backline from a season ago. The quartet of Katrin
Schmidt, Libby Gianeskis, Sarah Wagenfuhr and Becky Edwards guided the
Seminoles to its finest defensive season in school history setting
single-season records for shutouts (14), GAA (0.67) and the fewest goals
allowed with 18.
The Seminoles list just four seniors on the roster in 2007 marking the
smallest senior class since 2003 and 2005 when Florida State listed two
seniors on its roster. Ironically, in both those seasons FSU advanced to
the College Cup. This year’s senior class includes Gianeskis,
forward/midfielder Holly Peltzer, defender Melissa Samokishyn and
midfielder Kirsten van de Ven.
Florida State set a school record in 2007 welcoming 14 newcomers which
include 11 freshmen and three transfers. It is the biggest group of new
faces on a Seminole roster since 1999 when FSU added 11 players. The new
batch of players also came highly regarded earning the school’s highest
ranking in program history. The Seminoles were recognized by Soccer Buzz
with the nation’s second best recruiting class in 2007, while grabbing
the top spot in the Southeast Region. Both rankings are the highest
garnered in the program’s 13-year history.
“Certainly the foundation of our team will be our backline and our team
defending, which has been a cornerstone since I’ve arrived at Florida
State,” said Krikorian. “The defense has the potential to be a really
big strength for us as we replace many talented players from last year’s
squad. Graduation hit us pretty hard with the loss of Ali Mims, India
Trotter, Kelly Rowland and many others. We are going to be a very new,
very different team. But I also think it’s going to be a very exciting
team. Our expectations are very high on having an outstanding season.”
The Seminoles will get their first taste of live action when they travel
to the east coast of Florida on Friday, August 24 to face Jacksonville
University in an exhibition match at 1:00 pm. That quest for a third
straight College Cup appearance begins in Portland, Ore., on September 1
as Florida State opens the 2007 regular season schedule on the road
against the Portland Pilots.
Here is a listing of the practice dates and times during the preseason:
Thursday, August 16 – Morning Session: 9:00 am; Afternoon Session: 5:00
pm
Friday, August 17 – Morning Session: 9:00 am; Afternoon Session: 5:00 pm
Saturday, August 18 – Morning Session: 9:00 am; Afternoon Session: 5:00
pm (Scrimmage)
Monday, August 20 – Morning Session: 9:00 am; Afternoon Session: 5:00 pm
(Scrimmage)
Tuesday, August 21 – Morning Session: 9:00 am; Afternoon Session: 5:00
pm
Wednesday, August 22 – Morning Session: 10:00 am; Afternoon Session:
5:00 pm
Thursday, August 23 – Morning Session: 9:00 am; Afternoon Session: 5:00
pm
Friday, August 24 – Exhibition Match at Jacksonville, 1:00 pm
For a more inside look at this year’s Florida State women’s soccer team,
Seminoles.com presents the 2007 Season Outlook.
Preseason Picks
* For the second consecutive year, Florida State was the coaches’ pick
to finish second in the ACC Preseason Poll as the Seminoles garnered one
first-place vote for 104 points in 2007. The Seminoles have now been
picked to finish in the top four of the ACC in five of the last six
seasons. It marks the third time in the program’s 13-year history that
FSU has been slated to finish in second place. The 104 points
accumulated by the Seminoles ties a school-record set a season ago.
* For the second consecutive season and for the third time in four
years, the Florida State women’s soccer team will begin the preseason
ranked in the top 10. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America
(NSCAA) and Soccer Buzz announced their preseason national rankings on
Tuesday, August 14 placing the Seminoles among the nation’s elite. The
NSCAA ranked FSU at No. 6, while Soccer Buzz placed the Garnet and Gold
at No. 8.
The Attack
* The Garnet and Gold will look to replace three of their top four
scorers from a season ago. The 10 letterwinners lost after last season
accounted for 56.3% (72 of the 128 total points) of the total scoring in
2006. Junior midfielder Mami Yamaguchi is the top returning scorer on
the team as she ranked third in scoring last year with 16 points (6
goals, 4 assists).
* Of the seven Seminoles who started at the front in 2006, three return
combining for 11 starts. Mami Yamaguchi and Kirsten van de Ven each
started four games at the forward position, while senior Holly Peltzer
registered three starts last year.
* The Seminoles will be without the services of Selin Kuralay, Kelly
Rowland and India Trotter in 2007. The trio combined for 75 starts a
year ago. Kuralay and Trotter ranked one, two on the team in goals
scored, points and shots on goal. Kuralay led the Florida State offense
the past two seasons with a combined 29 goals, 70 points, 202 shots and
11 game-winning goals.
* Florida State registered the seventh highest scoring season in school
history last year posting 128 points on 44 goals and 40 assists. Six of
those seven seasons have occurred this century. In two seasons under
head coach Mark Krikorian, the Seminoles are averaging just over 54
goals and 49 assists.
The Midfield
* Mami Yamaguchi is the most experienced returning midfielder in 2007
with 22 starts at that position last year and 24 as a freshman in 2005.
Yamaguchi was named to the Southeast All-Region third team by Soccer
Buzz in 2006.
* Along with Mami Yamaguchi, Kirsten van de Ven (14) and Onnie Trusty
(5) are the only other returning Seminoles with more than one start at
the midfield spot.
* When comparing positions on this year’s roster, the midfield has the
most depth with nine student-athletes listed to play at that position in
2007. Six of those student-athletes are new to the team including four
freshmen and a pair of transfers in Erika Sutton (San Diego State) and
Lauren Switzer (UCLA).
The Backline
* If there is a more experienced position on this year’s Florida State
team, look no further than the backline. Katrin Schmidt, Libby Gianeskis,
Sarah Wagenfuhr and Becky Edwards combined to start 96 games defending
the Seminole goal last season.
* Sarah Wagenfuhr begins the season on the watch list for the MAC
Hermann Trophy, presented at the end of the year to the nation’s top
collegiate soccer player. Wagenfuhr becomes the fifth Seminole in four
years to be named to the watch list of this prestigious award.
* Becky Edwards returns for her sophomore campaign a year after she led
the team in assists (8) and game-winning assists (5). Edwards became the
fifth Seminole freshman to lead the team in assists and the first since
Leah Gallegos tallied seven in 2002. Her five game-winning assists also
tied the school record set by three other players.
* Katrin Schmidt led the backline in scoring a season ago with five
goals and three assists. She enters the 2006 season as the second
leading returning scorer. Schmidt recorded the school’s first-ever hat
trick in the NCAA Tournament last year scoring three first half goals in
FSU’s 6-0 win over Jacksonville in the first round.
Krikorian on the attack, midfield and backline: “It’s very rare at any
level that a team is able to keep its entire backline intact. We feel
very fortunate to be able to have our back four returning. The other
part of the equation is that all four of those student-athletes are very
versatile. So if something happens elsewhere on the field, we know we
will have the players available to fill those spots. A lot of our
returning players are going to increase their roles on this year’s team
assuming more responsibility and taking on more of a leadership role. My
expectations for these players will be very high. I think they are going
to come in from day one and establish themselves as important and vital
to our team’s success.”
Goalkeeping
* With the departure of Ali Mims, the biggest question entering the 2007
season is who will get the nod as the Seminoles’ starting goalkeeper.
Mims started all 26 games a season ago posting a record of 18-4-4. The
senior keeper set single-season school records for shutouts (11) and GAA
(0.65) last year.
* Florida State lists four goalkeepers on this year’s roster, with the
quartet combining for only four career starts at the collegiate level.
Kate Milstead, a sophomore transfer from Penn State, owns all four of
those starts as she moved into the Nittany Lion starting line-up for the
final three games of the 2006 season. She appeared in a total of five
games last year posting a record of 4-1-0.
* A pair of sophomore’s in Kimmy Diaz and Becky Thompson are back for
year two in a Seminole uniform. Both appeared in two games last year
with Thompson leading the way in minutes played at 31:36, while Diaz
registered 28:49 in goal. The two net minders did not give up a goal in
2006.
* Freshman Erin McNulty comes to Florida State via Winnipeg, Manitoba
with a wealth of international playing experience. She participated as a
full-time member of the U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-18 Canadian National
Team. McNulty started in goal for the U-20 team at the CONCACAF
qualifying tournament in Veracruz, Mexico in 2006.
Krikorian on the goalkeepers: “When you have four keepers that have
diverse backgrounds, it gives you a lot of different options. Each of
them is coming to FSU with different qualities that will make them
successful. But it will definitely be a competition for playing time. It
was very clear for the past two years that Ali Mims was our first
keeper. This year there is a little more competition. Kimmy Diaz and
Becky Thompson, who were on the team last year, have a year of college
under their belt and have racked up the minutes this summer on their
W-League teams. Kate Milstead, who came to Florida State last spring
from Penn State, played a lot of minutes during our spring season. She
has been training and working at camps this summer. Erin McNulty has
been participating in the W-League in Ottawa this past summer and has
been playing and training at a very high level. I think all four of them
will come in sharp and ready to compete for playing time this year.”
Newcomers
* For the third straight year, the Seminole roster will include
international players as Sanna Talonen (Finland) and Erin McNulty
(Canada) join the squad in 2007.
* This year’s class features three transfer students who come to Florida
State with prior playing experience from their previous schools. The
three transfers include Kate Milstead (Penn State), Erika Sutton (San
Diego State) and Lauren Switzer (UCLA).
* Five of FSU’s recruits were ranked among the top 150 in America by
Soccer Buzz Magazine. Those student-athletes include Amanda DaCosta,
Marissa Kazbour, Casey Lademann, Margo McAuley and Jessica Price. Erin
McNulty was listed among the top international recruits in 2007 by
Soccer Buzz as well.
Krikorian on the newcomers: "We feel as though we have a good recruiting
class and are very comfortable with the players coming in for the
upcoming season. We know we lost some very good players from last year,
but we also think with the class coming in that they will develop into
very good players over the course of time. Our staff is very pleased
with the kids that will be joining us at Florida State in 2007.
The Schedule
* Twelve teams on the 2007 schedule recorded 10 or more wins a season
ago. Nine schools earned a bid to participate in the 2006 NCAA
Tournament, while six of those teams played into the third round of the
tournament.
* For the second straight year and for the eighth time in FSU’s 13
seasons, the Seminoles will play against the defending national champs
as they host the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, September 27. The
Seminoles will face three schools in 2007 that have captured a national
title (North Carolina – 18 titles; Portland – 2; Florida – 1).
* Florida State will open the 2007 season on the road at Portland. It
marks the sixth time in 13 years that the Seminoles will open the season
away from the friendly confines of the Seminole Soccer Complex. FSU is
2-3 when beginning the season on the road in five prior contests. The
Seminoles welcomed the Pilots to Tallahassee to open the 2006 slate.
Krikorian on the schedule: “We are really excited about the '07
schedule. We have a collection of other teams, never mind the ACC
schedule, that are going to be very challenging for us. We are
interested in playing the best teams that are available. Starting out in
Portland will be a tough task for us, but we are looking forward to it.
The ACC schedule has the chance to make or break a season. We need to be
on top of our game, stay healthy and get some positive results in league
play that will provide our team with the appropriate preparation if we
are fortunate enough to play in the NCAA Tournament. With such a strong
conference and a great collection of teams, we know that we will be
challenged every time out."
Leadership
* Florida State’s four seniors have combined to play in 205 games, 33 of
which occurred in the NCAA Tournament. All four seniors have played in
at least one College Cup match over the last two years.
* Junior defender Sarah Wagenfuhr was named team captain for the
upcoming season. Wagenfuhr has started 48 games in her first two seasons
as a Seminole. She was named a watch list candidate for the MAC Hermann
Trophy in 2007, an award given to the top collegiate player in the
nation.
* Of the 14 letterwinners returning for the Seminoles in 2007, eight
started at least one game a season ago. Six of the eight started at
least 18 or more games, while Katrin Schmidt is the only returner to
have started in all 26 games last year.
Krikorian on the leadership of this year’s team: “Leadership is always
an important aspect. If you have the right people in the right places to
lead, then your opportunity for success is greatly increased. Sarah
Wagenfuhr, who is the captain in 2007, will do a very good job in
helping to guide this team forward. We know we will be a young team. We
also recognize that we have a lot of student-athletes with a lot of
character and a lot of positive personality that will help lead us in a
very good direction.”
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