Women's Soccer Team Places High in Poll

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008 

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – With eight starters returning and a fresh burst of energy from a talented first-year class, the Whitman College women’s soccer team is ready to take aim at one of the top three spots in the Northwest Conference.

"We’re honored that coaches picked us for the top three in the preseason poll," Whitman coach Scott Shields said. "Our conference is tough, so it’s a nice compliment to have."

The poll pegs defending champion Puget Sound to repeat as the NWC titlist this fall. Whitworth filled the runner-up spot with Whitman and George Fox tabbed to round out the first four.

"Puget Sound has been queen of the pitch for a few years now, and Whitworth has been right on its heels," there with them. "To be ranked right behind them says good things about this team and our program."

The Missionaries tied for third in the NWC last fall with a 9-5-2 record (10-7-1 overall). Three of their conference losses came by a single goal. The team seemed to jell toward the second half of the season when it reeled off six straight victories, shutting out five of those opponents.

Lost to graduation from that team are forwards Kristen Berndt, a three-time All-NWC First-Team selection, and Alysse Ginkel, who led Whitman in assists. Despite that loss of firepower (Berndt led the Missionaries in scoring in each of her four seasons), Whitman will be a better team this fall, Shields says.

"We’re absolutely a better team this fall, partly because of a strong first-year class, and partly because all of the returning players dedicated themselves over the summer to being fit and ready," he says. "I don’t remember a time like this, where all of the returning players committed so strongly to a summer work-out program."

"It took us some time to build chemistry last season," Shields adds. "But our practices this fall have been excellent from day one onward. This group is competitive, tough and ready to play. It’s a lot of fun for me as a coach. It’s going to be a good season."

Whitman kicks off its season this weekend with a pair of NCAA Div. III games in Claremont, Calif. Pomona-Pitzer is first up at 4 p.m. Friday followed by the College of Saint Benedict (St. Joseph, Minn.) in neutral-field contest at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Missionaries then host NCAA Div. II Saint Martin’s on Sunday, Sept. 14, in their final tune-up before conference play starts.

Five seniors – three in the midfield and two on the defensive backline – provide good leadership for his 2008 squad, Shields says. "This is a great bunch of seniors, a very motivated and dedicated group."

Defender Sarah Nostdahl earned All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition last fall, while defender Kristen Mittelsteadt and midfielder Alisa Larson-Xu were named to the NCAA Div. III All-West Third Team.

"Alisa transferred here as a sophomore from UC-Santa Cruz and has been a starter ever since she walked onto our field," Shields says. "She’s an all-around player and a critical component to our midfield. She can pretty much play any position or fill any role."

"Sarah and Kristen are the two seniors who really anchor our defense," he says. "Their maturity and experience gives us quality and stability in the back."

Joining Larson-Xu in the midfield are seniors Molly Gordon and Jenn Doane. "Molly is ready to take a step up this fall, play more minutes and help generate more offense. Jenn gives us great speed, fitness and work ethic, and she’s always a danger with the ball at her feet. Like Molly, she’s ready to be a prime-time player for us. We think our senior midfielders can replace some of the scoring we’ve lost to graduation."

Forward Corina Gabbert and goalkeeper Courtney Porter head a talented junior class.

Gabbert, who was Whitman’s second-leading scorer last season with nine goals and two assists, was named to the All-NWC First Team and All-West Region Second Team.

"Corina had a great season even though she still recovering from an injury," Shields says. "She really wasn’t 100 percent until toward the end of the season. Now that she’s healthy and ready to go, she will be fun to watch. She was a dominant player last fall and we expect more of the same this year."

Porter, a 6-foot keeper who made the All-NWC Second Team, posted shutouts in eight of Whitman’s 20 games in 2007.

"Courtney is obviously a key player for us," Shields says. "We wouldn’t be nearly as good if we didn’t have her in the net. She’s developing into a great keeper. She definitely has the potential and ability to be a first-team all-conference player."

Midfielder Liz Forbes and defenders DeeDee McCormick and Kelsi Evans fill out the junior class.

"Liz has made great improvements over this past year," Shields says. "She brings us a lot of versatility. We’re not sure where she’s going to play in the midfield, but she’s definitely going to start. I’m excited about the season Liz is going to have."

McCormick also provides an additional dose of versatility. "We’re not a big roster team, which we like, so having players like DeeDee is important because she can play more than one spot," Shields says.

Evans has continued to improve her game over the past few seasons and helps keep her teammates moving in the right direction, Shields says. "Kelsi is a fantastic teammate. She’s always very upbeat, positive and uplifting. She’s also very determined to get better, which is a great example for her teammates."

A sixth junior, midfielder Kendall Shibuya, will miss the season while studying in Japan. "And we’re going to miss Kendall," Shields says. "She was developing into a good player last season, so we’re looking forward to having her back as a senior."

Defender Kate Newman, forward Kristin Innes and goalkeeper Alice MacLean represent a small sophomore class.

Newman was a starter during her rookie campaign last fall, earning All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition. :Kate is one of the fastest players in the conference," Shields says. "She was a good soccer player last season, but she has the potential to develop into an incredible player."

MacLean returns as one of Whitman’s keepers. "Alice will battle with one of our first-year players, Lauren Brougham, for playing time behind Courtney," Shields says. "Lauren starts the season as our second-team keeper, but Alice is right there with her. Alice is another one of our unselfish players who always puts her team first. I love having Alice on the team. She’s great."

Innes, a sophomore in her first season of college soccer, adds a touch of toughness to the Missionary attack. Innes, who played basketball in her first year at Whitman, could see time at both the forward and midfield spots.

"I’m happy Kristin decided to be a dual-sport athlete," Shields says. "She’s got a great work ethic and plays hard with the ball. She knows how to battle. After she got through her first year of college, she decided that she really missed soccer, and that she could handle two sports."

Amy Hasson, an all-league forward for Lake Washington High School in the Seattle area, leads the first-year class. "Amy is a very good player who is going to play a lot of minutes for us," Shields says. "We’ll see how she does in our conference, but I think she can step into a starting role and not miss a beat. She’s a go-getter, the type of player who will run through a wall if it’s between her and the ball and the net."

Shields looks for Libby Watkins (Portland, Ore.) to fill a gap at the center of his defense.

"Libby can hit the ball a mile, and she’s been improving every day in practice. It will be fun to see her play in games. One of our starters on defense did not return this fall, but I think Libby is going step into that role and do just fine."

Marisol Fonzeca, a center-midfielder from Santa Rosa, Calif., has a "great shot and plays much bigger than her size," Shields says. "You look at her and think the wind could blow her over, but she collides with the biggest players on our team and they go down."

Taylor Chock (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Kate Potter (Portland, Ore.) give Whitman two first-year defenders who can play. "Taylor came to us at the last minute this fall, but we’re glad she did," Shields says. "She is a good player who might also see some time in the midfield. Kate is a very good defender – solid on the ground and good in the air, and she likes to get forward with the ball."

Lauren Brougham, who played her prep soccer in the San Anselmo, Calif., area, is the "first keeper we’ll put in the net if anything happens to Porter," Shields says. "Lauren just needs to get acclimated to the speed of the college game. Once she does that, she can play in this conference."

A sixth first-year player, Elisa Jaramillo (Albuquerque, N.M.), will continue to work with the team this fall but probably won’t see any game action because of health issues. "Elisa is a very good player, and once she gets her health back, she could be battling for a starting role next fall in the midfield."

"This is one of our bigger first-year classes, and it is a good one," Shields says. "They make us better, and for us to take that next step into the NWC top three, we need them to contribute. I’m not a coach that goes to his bench too often, but we won’t lose much when our reserves are playing this fall."

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu