WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Picked to finish fourth in the Northwest Conference in a preseason poll, the Whitman College women’s soccer team is setting its sights at least that high this fall. Led by senior captains Kim Boese (Edmonds, Wash.; Meadowdale HS) and All-NWC midfielder Katey Schmitz (Medina, Wash.; Bellevue HS), the squad is both well-balanced and focused.
Whitman head coach Scott Shields, now in his 11th season, is excited about his team. “Top to bottom,” he says, “this is a great team. We have 21 solid players out here.”
Whitman finished its schedule last fall with a winning season at 10-9. The Missionaries were 6-8 in the always tough Northwest Conference, losing five league games by a single goal.
A handful of quality players graduated from last year’s team, but depth remains a team strength. Still, Boese, who plays defense, and Schmitz are the team’s lone seniors. “Kim and Katey will be fine,” Shields says. “They have put forth great effort and commitment to the program the last four years, and they are focused on continuing the winning tradition they started as freshmen.”
Schmitz, who earned First Team All-NWC honors as a freshman, has accumulated 15 goals and six assists in her first three seasons. Boese, a two-starter on defense, has career totals of three goals and three assists.
“But they will need help. The onus is really on the junior class this year. We have had great class progression each year over the last few years, and that needs to continue.”
“I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with the upperclassmen.”
Annie Owens (Bozeman, Mont.; The Taft School/Watertown, Conn.), the team’s primary goalkeeper, is one of those juniors. “Annie has gotten better and better each year,” Shields says. “She needs to be at that all-conference level this year.”
In front of Owens is a trio of juniors who plan to keep the ball as far from their goalkeeper as possible: Mckenzie Hoffman (Sammamish, Wash.; Eastlake HS), Kara Mackenzie (Spokane, Wash.; Lewis & Clark HS) and Lauren DeYoung (Portland Ore.; Jesuit HS). “We are looking to those three to take leadership roles on the field this season – and to improve their stats,” Shields says.
A year ago, the three midfielders combined for 24 points on ten goals and four assists. Earning All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition, Hoffman registered 18 of those points by herself, notching eight goals. Hoffman also had eight goals as a freshman, when she netted All-NWC Second Team honors. DeYoung contributed seven goals and three assists during her freshman season.
On defense, junior Hillary Chisholm (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Lake City HS) leads the way. “Hillary reads the play as it develops better than anyone else on our team,” Shields says. Last year, Chisholm managed to accumulate four points on two assists and a goal, despite spending most of her time in the backfield.
Sophomore Erin Frame (Issaquah, Wash.; Issaquah HS) will start alongside Chisholm on the defensive front. A year ago Frame played in 18 games, 13 as a starter, and managed two assists.
Juniors Jennifer Toy (Walnut Creek, Calif.; Northgate HS) and Emily Marshall (Bellevue, Wash.; Newport HS) add more returning pop to the offense. Playing her first season of collegiate soccer last fall, Toy was the team's third-leading scorer with six goals and one assist. Marshall has two goals and eight assists in her two previous seasons.
Midfielder Jennifer Telfer (Bellingham, Wash.; Squalicum HS) is another junior Shields hopes to see step up in 2004. “She has been injured the last two years,” Shields says. “She had a toe injury as a freshman, and then had to deal with illness last year. So she has not played much. I am looking for her to be a major impact player this year."
The forward position, while not filled with veteran players, may be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Sophomore forward Sammie Arthur (Tiburon, Calif.; Branson School) returns after a freshman season that netted her All-NWC First Team honors.
Last year Arthur found the back of the net a team-high 11 times, and tallied three assists for a total of 25 points, ninth best in the conference. Her 14 conference points, including six goals, was good enough for seventh best among the NWC elite.
Of Arthur’s 11 goals last season, four were game-winners, including three decisive boots in overtime.
A newcomer to the team this year, Kristen Berndt (North Bend, Wash.; Mount Si HS) should ease some of the scoring burden for Arthur. “Kristen is a quality freshman,” Shields says. “She will contribute greatly as an attacker.”
Berndt is one of only four freshmen on the team this year. Despite the relatively small class size, Shields sounds enthusiastic about his newcomers. “I am very excited about the tradition and commitment of the incoming class,” he says.
The Missionaries open the season at home on Wednesday, Sept. 1, as the team plays host to Albertson College in a 5 p.m. showdown at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
Whitman travels to the Bulldog-Athena Classic at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif., over Labor Day weekend. At the tournament, the Missionaries play host Redlands in a noon battle on Saturday, and then take on Chapman University in a 10 a.m. game on Sunday.
“Those two games will be tough,” Shields says. “Those are two of the top California teams.” Chapman has played in the national tournament the last six years running, and Redlands is consistently atop its conference.
Over the past four seasons, Chapman has gone 56-19-7. Last year Chapman finished 10-2 and was ranked third in the West Region. Redlands finished the 2003 campaign ranked fourth in the region at 9-2-2 overall.
Whitman opens its conference season at home on Wednesday, Sept. 15, hosting Whitworth at 5 p.m. “The conference overall has gotten better,” Shields says. “I think Puget Sound and Willamette are the teams to beat, but everyone will be tough. Lewis & Clark, on their old-school athletic turf, will be a major disadvantage for us.”
Lewis & Clark is fielding a women’s soccer team for the first time this fall, giving the Northwest Conference a total of nine teams in that sport.