Women's Soccer Preview, Part 1: Cleveland State

Aug. 17, 2007

You can't blame fourth year Cleveland State women's soccer coach Derek Falor for being optimistic heading into the 2007 season.

After three tough seasons of building the Viking program from scratch, CSU enters the season with the deepest and most experienced lineup of its short history, allowing Falor to be optimistic for a quantum leap in improvement on the field this fall.

Eight starters return from last year's team that posted a 3-17 mark not to mention that the Vikings will be bolstered by the return of junior forward Jennifer Wieand, who was one of the top offensive players on the team in 2005 but missed the 2006 campaign with a torn ACL in her right knee. Add to that mix the addition of seven newcomers and transfers and CSU is afforded unprecedented depth at just about every position on the field.

"The difference in depth between this year and our first three seasons is that in most cases, we won't be relying on freshmen to come into the program this year and start immediately," Falor said. "In the past, most of our incoming freshmen had to start out of necessity. Now, they will be afforded the opportunity to come into the program and adjust to the speed and pace of collegiate soccer with a little less urgency surrounding their development. In turn this should allow them to contribute to the program accordingly as the season progresses.

"Our overall depth will help to make us a better team because there will be heated competition in practice for playing time; something we've rarely if ever had before. Everybody who plays this year will have earned their spot on the field," Falor added.

The strength of the Vikings lies in its senior, and pseudo-senior class, the eight remaining members of the initial recruiting class in 2004. Seniors Shayna Back, Heather Clapacs, Amber Rasmussen and Samantha Casey and juniors Abbie Kakias, Maggie Pugliese and Wieand have each been around since the program's inception.

"We will realy heavily on the eight players who have been with this program from the beginning to be the cornerstone of the team this year. They will provide the leadership and guidance for our new players that is needed in order for us to improve and meet this year's goals. " Falor said.

A Change In Goal
The Vikings will feature a new starter in the goal this year as freshmans Kelly Zinkiewich and redshirt freshman Shannon Saunders challenge for the spot in the preseason.

Zinkiewich, a native of Oakville, Ontario, posted a 16-0 record in net for her club team, allowing just five goals.

Saunders benefited greatly from a redshirt season in 2006 and an extended opportunity to play during the spring 2007 practice season.

"The competition for playing time during the preseason should be interesting as we are going to push these two very hard. I'm intrigued to see how things turn out and who will step forward as our starting keeper" Falor said. "Kelly probably has a broader base of playing experience and Shannon may still be a year away."

Depth To Benefit An Already Strong Defense
The most stable unit on the squad this season should be on defense where three starters return and as many as eight players could routinely see action.

The group is led by juniors Maggie Pugliese and Natalie Wilson and sophomore Danielle Ultican, who combined to make 50 (of the possible 60) starts a year ago. They will be joined by junior Amber Rasmussen, sophomore Jocelyn Keefer, redshirt freshman Nekita Shay, transfers Emily Arpidone (Virginia Commonwealth) and Jessica McCloy (Eastern Kentucky) as well as freshman Nicole Howard.

"One of the biggest problems that we have had in every season so far has been lack of depth on defense," Falor said. "We would be fine at the start of the year, but once we got into the season and injuries hit us, we would have to shuffle players around to make adjustments and lose our continuity. That shouldn't be the case this year because I will be comfortable playing any one of our top group of defenders."

Pugliese, who played well in her return to the lineup last fall after missing the entire 2005 season following knee surgery, is a likely starter at outside defender on the right side. A two-year starter, her tenacious playing style has made her one of the top one-on-one defenders on the team.

Wilson, who is expected to start as the left outside defender, battled back from an injury plagued freshman season to start 17 of the 19 matches that she played in last year.

Ultican's athleticism and versatility allowed her to make an immediate impact during her freshman season. She settled in as one of the starting central defenders during spring practice and should be one of the squad's defensive mainstays this fall.

McCloy, who transferred to CSU last January after a year and a half at Eastern Kentucky, is the leading candidate to claim the final starting spot on defense. Despite being limited by a leg injury during her time at EKU, she was impressive during spring workouts at CSU.

Rasmussen is the most experienced among the reserve candidates, starting 56 of the 58 career matches that she has played in, though most of that playing time has come at either forward or midfield. She made a quick adjustment when she moved into a defensive role last year, providing critical minutes on the outside.

Jocelyn Keefer moves to the defense after playing exclusively at midfield and forward as a freshman. Her aggressiveness and competitive spirit should be ideal for earning playing on the back line.

A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Arpidone returned to the Cleveland area last January and immediately impressed the coaching staff with her technical ability, tactical understanding, and her ability to impact a game both with and without the ball.

Howard, A first team all-state choice in high school and the only true-freshman of the group, should open fall camp as a reserve at wing defender. Although with the amount of talent she brings to this group, her minutes should steadily grow as the season progresses.

Shay has raised her athletic profile and tactical understanding of the college game since redshirting during the 2006 campaign. That improvement combined with her great work ethic should enable her to challenge for some minutes this season.

Experience Good, Depth An Issue At Midfield
After being the strongest position on the field last fall, the midfield group will be challenged by a lack of depth to equal those accomplishments this season.

Led by three-year starter Heather Clapacs, the lion's share of playing time should be garnered by senior Sam Casey, sophomores Allie Riczo and Sarah Baker and freshman Marley Greiner.

"This is going to be a solid group of midfielders," Falor said. "Although we don't have quite the same kind of depth we had in 2006, we do still have a stable of players who are capable of controlling tempo in possession as well as creating opportunities for our forwards. I'm confident that we'll be much better in creating transitional scoring opportunities than we've been in the past."

Clapacs, a three-time honorable mention All-Ohio choice, returns as the anchor of the midfield. A starter in a school-record 57 matches during her career, she also holds the mark for career shots (89). She started every match last year, and ranked second on the squad with three assists.

Riczo, who moves to the midfield full time after splitting her time between midfield and defense last year, compliments Clapacs well with her physical style of play. A starter in 19 of the 20 contests last year, she led all defenders with seven shots on goal.

Greiner, a native of Burnaby, British Columbia, has won at every level of soccer that she has played, including earning team MVP honors as apart of an 11-1-1 team that claimed the provincial title last year. Her ability to set up teammates with quality weighted passes to feet should help to create scoring opportunities for the talented Viking forwards.

Baker will attempt to bounce back after being limited to reserve action in just 10 contests a year ago. A skilled and feisty midfielder who is adept at using her speed and aggressiveness to win balls, her high energy level when she is on the field helps to elevate the play of her teammates.

Casey who has been a steadying force in central midfield over the course of the last three seasons should figure into the rotation as well. She brings a sense of maturity to the team that has been previously lacking as well as an ability to switch the point of attack with a variety of services.

If depth does become a problem, look for Falor to call upon the services of Amber Rasmussen or any one of the forwards to help solidify this central midfield grouping.

Forward Thinking: Score More And Score Often
The biggest reason for Falor's optimism for the upcoming season comes up top where three of the most experienced and dangerous offensive performers should allow the Vikings to significantly improve on their goal-scoring opportunities this year.

The trio of senior Shayna Back and redshirt juniors Jennifer Wieand and Abbie Kakias will form the starting lineup with sophomore Jesssica Keefer and freshmen Sylvia Olsby and Chrissy Lazarevich coming together as the second unit. Sophomore Nina Scheidegger could also provide some minutes as wing forward as the season wears on.

"I flat out am as excited about this positional group as I have been about any group in a long time. We can finally throw speed, power, creativity, and depth at our opponents. We expect big things from this group as we won games in the spring due to the attacking prowess of Back, Kakias, and Wieand. I know we will have those same results this fall. This is the group of players who will produce many high quality wins this year."

After playing on defense in each of her first two seasons, Back flourished after moving to forward last year, setting school records for goals (six) and points (14). Despite not having scored a point in her first 34 games at CSU, she opened her junior campaign by scoring two goals in the first 16 minutes in the 6-0 win over Delaware State. She also scored both goals in a 2-1 win over IPFW later in the year.

Wieand returns to the lineup after missing the entire 2006 season following knee surgery and will definitely bolster the offense. A deceptive attacker both with and without the ball, she is eager to regain the distinction as being the top offensive performer on the team, a title she owned as both a freshman and sophomore.

Kakias has been the jack of all trades for the Vikings over the least two seasons, playing just about every position on the field and excelling at each spot. Known for her ability to create long offensive runs with the ball, she moved to forward full time during spring practice and the Viking offense immediately jumped to life. With her creative skills as a catalyst, look for the CSU's offensive opportunities to multiply this season.

Jessica Keefer moves up top after seeing the all of her playing time as a freshman in the defense. Although she may still see time in the back, her athleticism and versatility make her a good fit to play as one of the wing forwards.

Olsby, who was one of the top offensive performers in the Pacific Northwest before being sidelined for her senior campaign with a knee injury, will be afforded the time she needs to come into the Viking program and adjust to the speed of the college game. A three-time all-league choice in high school, her tactical abilities will fit in well with CSU's possession-oriented offensive scheme.

Lazarevich will make her bid for playing time after being one of the top goal scorers in the greater Cleveland area during her high school career at Normandy. She owns the size and speed necessary to thrive at the position,

A Balanced Schedule Awaits
The 18-match regular-season schedule has been modified a little bit this year as Falor has opted to load the non-conference slate with teams that feature similar playing styles to the Horizon League.

The regular season opens when the Vikings face St. Bonaventure (Aug. 31) and DePaul (Sept. 2) as part of the CSU Fall Classic, the first Viking-hosted tournament in program history.

With the exception of a weekend swing that features contests at Temple (Sept. 7) and Delaware State (Sept. 9), Cleveland State stays close to home for the most part, playing five home and five road contests during the non-conference slate.

"We've filled the schedule so that we will be playing teams with similar offensive and defensive styles that we will see when we start League play," Falor said. "We've also tried to schedule teams with similar resources and roster sizes so that we don't automatically go into a game at a disadvantage."

The addition of Valparaiso to the Horizon League brings the women's soccer membership to nine. The eight-match regular season slate kicks off on Sept. 30 with a home contest vs. Green Bay. CSU then plays road matches at Loyola (Oct. 5), Wright State (Oct. 7), Youngstown State (Oct. 12) and Milwaukee (Oct. 19) before returning home to close the regular season with games vs. Valparaiso (Oct. 21), Detroit (Oct 26) and Butler (Oct. 29).

"The Horizon League schedule should be a challenging one," Falor said. "One bright spot is that the teams who normally finish in the second half of the standings will all be coming to Cleveland to play so we will be able to make a significant move up the standings if we win our home matches."

Story provided by CSU Office of Sports Information