Women's Soccer Part 3: Detroit

Aug. 15, 2005

The 2005 Detroit Titan women's soccer team on paper looks, to some, drastically different than the squad that captured the 2004 Horizon League Championship and became the first league team in over a decade to win a NCAA Tournament game with their 3-2 win over Michigan last November. Gone are four year starters Judith Atwood (53 career points), Alisson Dube (school record holder in saves, shutouts, minutes, second all-time in the league with 24 shutouts) and Mandi Jasky (sixth all-time in assists, 12th in points) along with fellow senior Shelly Piccirillo (6 goals, 5 assists). That's the bad news. The good news for13th year head coach Mike Lupenec and his Titans is that the cupboard is not bare as Detroit returns three-time All-League selection and 2005 Horizon League Tournament MVP Allison Epple in the back line and the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year in midfielder Mary Parker who led the league in goals (16) and points (37) in 2004. Epple and Parker are just two of the eight returning starters whom the Titans welcome back to campus when preseason practice gets underway on Aug. 12.

Goalkeeper
Lupenec knew that the day would come when Dube would graduate and in preparation for this, he brought in Kate Fortenberry last season to study and learn under Dube and prepare for this season when she would be needed to step up and fill the shoes of perhaps the best goalie in school history. Fortenberry earned All-State honors her final two prep seasons at Flushing (MI) High School and brings a new dimension to the position with her agility and outstanding hands. Backing up Fortenberry will be fellow red-shirt freshman Jessica Gasior who made the team following open tryouts and was impressive during the spring exhibition season and is ready to step up if called upon.

Defense
Joining Epple in the back line are junior Allie Bullard and sophomore Stacy Armstrong. Bullard started all 23 games last season and helped anchor a back line that posted six shutouts, including a 1-0 win in the league championship. Armstrong was plagued by a variety of injuries but still started 20 of the 21 games she appeared in. The challenge for the Titans is to find a replacement for Jasky who was part of 24 shutouts over four years and holds the lead all-time in Detroit history with 82 games played and started, a record she shares with Dube. Hoping to fill that void are a trio of freshmen who all come from storied high school programs. Blair Gilleland, Lauren Moss and Melanie Slusher are the likely candidates to vie for the opening left by Jasky's departure. Gilleland started her career at Troy Athens (MI) High School in goal and has made the change to the defender spot easily and with the take no prisoners attitude the Lupenec looks for in defenders. Moss may be the most lauded recruit this season after being named to the All-State Dream Team the last two seasons to go along with All-State honors in grades nine and ten. She was also an All-Catholic honoree as a senior. As a sophomore she helped Bishop Foley (MI) High to a State Championship. Slusher was a Titan at Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson High School, where she picked up three varsity letters to go along with All-Conference and All-District awards as a senior after helping her squad to an 18-1-1 overall record.

Midfield


Leading the way in the middle third of the pitch will once again be Parker and sophomore Liz Hardy. Hardy, tabbed as a Second-Team All-League and All-Newcomer selection last season led all freshmen in the league with her 15 points (5 goals/5 assists) will once again team with Parker to provide the Titans with a one-two punch from the center of the midfield.

Parker had one of the best seasons in recent memory in the league with her 16 goals and 37 total points that brought her a second selection to the All-League First Team as well as a second selection to the All-Tournament Team. Parker set single game records with her five goals, 12 point performance against Cleveland State. Joining Hardy and Parker will be newcomer Nicole Gipson.

Gipson was the 2004 Michigan State Cup MVP with her Vardar III club team and was a four year starter at Sterling Heights (MI) Stevenson High School. She was a team captain in addition to being named All-County and All-Metro East. She is also a five year ODP player.

The outside mid position may be where the Titans maybe the deepest for the first time in many seasons as a pair of newcomers join a three of returnees. Leading the core of veterans is senior Jessy Barrett. Barrett, who has been a starter through out her career, will help to anchor this deep group. Last season she picked up three assists in 23 games.

Junior Alex Moraca returns for her third season at Detroit and will look to put together an injury-free season after battling through injuries the last two campaigns. When healthy she can be a threat not only to score but with her passes. Sophomore Megan Canty took on a starting role in the NCAA Tournament after injuries limited the Titan depth in addition to posting six points (2 goals/2 assists) in her first season.

Newcomers Trina Kochanski and Shelley Marick join the group as well. Kochanski was a four time State Cup Champion with her Vardar III club team and picked up All-State honors as a sophomore and junior along with posting a 4.0 grade point average. Marick, who was a Scholar-Athlete all four seasons at Lake Orion (MI) High School was a four-year letter winner in addition to winning a pair of State District Championships and was named to the Academic All-State team four times.

Forward
The forward position was left with two voids following the graduation of Atwood and Piccirillo. The duo combined for nine goals and nine assists for 27 of the Titans 139 total points. But, much like other openings on the field, key recruits and seasoned veterans return to again possess a potent threat to find the back of the net.

Leading the way is 2004 Second Team All-League and All-Tournament selection Kathy Banjavcic. A two-year starter, Banjavcic moved all over the field last season playing both defender and forward for Lupenec and ended the season with 13 points on six goals and an assist. The senior from Windsor, Ontario scored the game winning goal against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.

Joining Banjavcic up front will be Canty from time to time along with two newcomers in Emily Kiely and Rachel Stesney.

Kiely, who hails from Ontario like Banjavcic, has been called by Lupenec "one of, if not the fastest players in Detroit Soccer history". She is a three-time State Cup MVP with the Vardar III club program along with taking home the 2002 and 2003 WECSSAA MVP award during her prep seasons. She was also a 2003 All-City First team selection in addition to playing on the 2000 Provincial and Regional teams for Ontario. She carried a 3.8 grade point average at St. Anne's High School.

Fellow newcomer Stesney was a three-time All-State selection at Athens High School, the same school that produced five other current Titans. As a junior and a senior she was named to the All-County and All-Region teams after being the Redhawks captain in helping them to an OAA Championship. She was listed among the Top-25 players in the state of Michigan before the start of her senior season.

After advancing the to the NCAA Tournament's second round in 2004, the Titans have their sights set even higher in 2005 when the season kicks off against DePaul at the Boilermaker Challenge Cup hosted by Purdue on Aug. 26 in West Lafayette, IN. The home slate gets underway on Sept. 13th when the Eagles of Eastern Michigan come to Titan Field.

Story Provided by Pat Moore, Detroit Sports Information