WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Replacing seven starters lost to graduation sounds like a daunting task, but head coach Scott Shields remains optimistic as the Whitman College women’s soccer team gears up for its fall season.
"There’s no doubt we have some huge holes to fill," Shields says. "Our team all of a sudden became much younger."
On the plus side, the Missionaries return a number of key players, including all-conference talents Sammie Arthur, Kristen Berndt and Erin Frame, and a number of emerging young veterans. The first-year class is a good one, led by one of the most talented players Shields has ever welcomed into the fold. With any luck at all, Shields hopes to see his retooling squad stay in the top half of the Northwest Conference.
Whitman posted a 10-6-3 record last fall, which included an 8-5-3 mark and fourth-place finish in conference play. The Missionaries, who finished just a game out of second place, battled undefeated NWC champ Puget Sound to a 0-0 overtime time and then fell by a 1-0 margin in a late-season rematch with the Loggers.
Puget Sound, despite suffering considerable graduation losses of its own, is favored to win a fifth straight NWC title this fall, according to a preseason poll of coaches. Whitman was picked to place fourth, finishing just a single point behind third-place Whitworth in the tally of votes.
"Our expectation is that we can compensate for the losses to graduation, and that we’re going to be better than last year," Shields says. "But there are no guarantees in our conference, even if we had everyone coming back. There are no weak teams in the NWC. All of the teams are good."
Whitman’s offense is in good hands with the return of Arthur and Berndt, a pair of scrappy, hard-nosed players with a nose for the back of the net. Arthur, a senior, has 25 goals and six assists in her first three seasons, two of which ended with all-conference honors. Berndt, a junior who was named to the All-NWC First Team last fall, has 19 goals and eight assists in her two seasons.
Arthur, who has played primarily at forward, takes a step back this fall to help anchor Whitman’s midfield. "Sammie prefers to play in the midfield, and the way she plays, she’s still going to get a lot of scoring opportunities," Shields says. "She’s one of our most determined, committed players – an extremely tough competitor. She hates to lose at anything."
Berndt is coming off a strong sophomore campaign that was compromised a bit by off-season surgery to both shins. "Kristen played well last fall, although she was still getting back into soccer shape," Shields says. "She’s stronger this season and it’s always fun to watch her play. She’s not fancy or flashy, but she’s strong and she runs past people. She just beats people and scores. That’s what she does best."
Shields plans to team Berndt with senior Betsy Neel and first-year forward Corina Gabbert as his primary attack players.
Neel, who may shift between the forward and midfield spots, had two goals and one assist in each of the past two seasons. She appeared in 35 games, although her playing time was limited as she waited in line behind older players. "Betsy is big and strong and technically very solid," Shields says. "I’m excited that she will get to play more this fall. She’s earned it."
Gabbert, who played at Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Ore., also honed her skills with a strong soccer club program. "Corina is a very talented, exciting athlete," Shields says. "She brings a good balance of soccer skills. She has good speed, she can play with her back to the goal, and can take on defenders one on one. She’s one of the best players we’ve ever brought into the program, and it will be fun watching other teams have to deal with Corina in addition to the other scoring threats we have on this team."
Frame, a three-year starter at defender, earned All-NWC Second Team honors a year ago. "Erin was a team captain last season, and she’s been one of our best defenders for a few years now," Shields says. "She holds our defense together."
Two more seniors, Vanessa Warner and Lindsay Wymer, also return as savvy defensive starters. "The two of them bring a lot of athleticism, speed and experience to the defense," Shields says. "We depend on them."
Erica Goad, a sophomore, inherits the full-time goalkeeper duties after sharing time last fall with a graduated senior. Goad was in goal, making 10 saves, last October when the Missionaries battled Puget Sound to 0-0 overtime tie. "Erica made a couple of game-saving stops to preserve that tie," Shields says. "She’s a very good keeper. She definitely has the potential to be an all-conference player."
Courtney Porter, a rangy 6-foot-1 keeper, will serve as Goad’s backup this fall. She is the younger brother of Ryan Porter, a defender on the men’s team who graduated last spring. "We’re fortunate to have such a strong first-year keeper in the program," Shields says.
Others expected to start for the Missionaries this fall include sophomore midfielders Kristin Mittelsteadt and Jennifer Doane.
Mittelsteadt played in all 19 Whitman games, starting two, last season. She scored one goal and assisted on two others. "Kristen got a lot of good playing time as her first season moved along," Shields says. "She’s a solid player."
Doane played in nine games in her first season, scoring one goal. "Jennifer is a very good player who didn’t get a lot of playing time last season," Shields says. "She worked hard on her conditioning this summer, and she’s ready to go."
Shields had senior Megan McConnville pegged as a starter until a late summer knee injury disrupted those plans. "We hope to have Megan healthy and cleared to play by October 1," Shields says. "Megan has played behind older players the past few years, so it’s too bad this injury had to happen."
Other possible starters in the midfield are returning sophomore Molly Gordon and Alisa Larson-Xu, a sophomore transfer who played last year at the University of California-Santa Cruz. "Molly is another good athlete who didn’t get to play a lot last season while she waited in line behind the more experienced seniors," Shields says. "Alisa is a great pick-up for our team. She pretty much worked her way into a starting spot last season at UC-Santa Cruz, and she may do the same thing here."
Sarah Nostdal, a sophomore from nearby Walla Walla High School, and Elle Burstein, a first-year player from Palo Alto, Calif., are in the hunt for major minutes on the defensive front. "Sarah was in the same boat as Molly Gordon last fall – a good athlete waiting for time behind veteran players," Shields says. "We’re also pleased to have Elle as part of our defense. She’s a strong player with good soccer skills, and she’s been blowing the socks off of our fitness tests."
Adding to Whitman’s experience are senior defender Sahalie Hashim and junior Alysse Ginkel, a transfer who played her first two seasons at Walla Walla Community College. Midfielder Kendall Shibuya and defender Kelsi Evans, two first-year players, round out the Missionary roster.
"We don’t have a long roster, but everyone can play," Shields says. "The roster is solid from top to bottom. Depth will be a strong point for us this season."
The Missionaries, who have split a pair of early scrimmages, kick off their season on Thursday when they host Northwest Nazarene, an NAIA school. The game starts at 7 p.m. at the Whitman Athletic Fields.
Whitman then wraps up its non-conference slate when it hosts North Idaho College in a 1 p.m. game next Sunday.
Whitman also begins its NWC season at home, playing Willamette on Saturday, Sept. 16, and George Fox on Sunday, Sept. 17.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information,
(509) 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu