Soccer Women Focused on NWC Top Spot

August 31, 2009

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – After playing on teams that have averaged nearly 10 victories a season over the past three years, the five seniors on the Whitman College women’s soccer roster have grown accustomed to winning.

Scott Shields

But as those seniors know as well as anyone, building a winning program is only the first step on the road to winning it all.

“We have a strong group of seniors this fall, and they have strong expectations,” veteran coach Scott Shields says.

“Their sights are set on winning a conference title. We have the players to compete at the top of this conference, but it won’t be easy by any means. We need to do everything right to give ourselves a shot at winning it all.”

Whitman was in second place in the Northwest Conference standings midway through the season last fall, but a few injuries proved costly. The Missionaries limped home in third with a 9-6-1 conference mark.

Five players, including four full-time starters, are gone by way of graduation, but Whitman returns an excellent nucleus anchored by two of the best players in the conference, All-NWC First Teamers Corina Gabbert and Courtney Porter.

“We have a good group of returning players, and we’ve brought in a talented recruiting class for a second straight year,” Shields says. “We are a stronger team this year, top to bottom. If we can maintain a high level of maturity and stay focused, this group can be special.”

Corina Gabbert

The University of Puget, the defending NWC champ, is the consensus pick to win another title this fall, according to a preseason coaching poll. Whitworth was tabbed for second with Whitman picked for third.

“There’s no question that UPS is the team to beat, but we played them tough last season,” Shields says. “We expect to give them a good battle again this year.”

Whitman plays its first two non-conference games at home, starting with a battle against Northwest University at 5 p.m. this Friday. The Missionaries then host Northwest Christian University on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Whitman also plays its first three NWC games at home, beginning with a skirmish with Whitworth on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The Whitman offensive attack revolves around Gabbert, a 5-8 senior who earned All-NWC First-Team honors last fall for the second time in as many seasons.

Playing through an injury during the second half of the conference season, Gabbert led Whitman in scoring with 13 goals and one assist. She was second in the NWC in both goals scored and in game-winning goals with seven.

“Corina is one of those special players who can pretty much do anything you ask on the soccer field,” Shields says. “You could put her into any position, except maybe for goalkeeper, and she’d probably earn all-conference honors. She has speed and athleticism; she can manipulate the ball, and she can hit the ball hard. She is very, very good in all phases of the game.”

Amy Hasson (left)

 

Gabbert, who also earned Academic All-District honors last fall, is a “leader on and off the field, and not just a great player,” Shields adds.

“She is a very motivated, dedicated young woman, and she does everything right, both athletically and academically.

"She sets herself up to succeed. She was a team captain last fall as a junior, which is a high honor, and she’s a captain again this fall.”

Gabbert, a three-year starter, was voted to the All-NWC Second Team in her first season.

At the other end of the field, Porter anchors the Missionary defense as an athletic and imposing 6-foot goalkeeper. She posted eight shutouts last fall, which led the NWC for a second consecutive season. She also topped the conference in save percentage and was second in goals against average.

Courtney Porter

“Once in a great while, coaches are lucky enough to have a goalkeeper like Courtney come along,” Shields says. “Her position is the most important one on the field, but even as a first-year player, she was starting games for us. When you are both tall and athletic, it makes it that much tougher for the other teams to score.

“Plus, Courtney has good hands and her communication skills are good. She commands the box back there.”

Porter also has continued to work at raising her level of play. “This summer Courtney took to heart all of our extra training,” Shields says.

“She’s much stronger and quicker, and her confidence in herself as an athlete is much higher. That also helps motivate our younger players, when they see an all-conference player like Courtney work to transform herself and make real improvements in her game.”

Liz Forbes

Liz Forbes, a senior midfielder, is back for her third season as a starter.

“Liz is one of those quiet, no-nonsense players who also happen to be super competitive,” Shields says.

“She’s strong and has a Nordic ski background, so she has an engine that allows her to run all day long. She never takes or asks for a break. She just keeps working. It’s great to have that kind of player on the field.”

Whitman’s other two seniors, DeeDee McCormick and Kendall Shibuya, are kicking off their third seasons for the Missionaries, although both players missed one season along the way.

McCormick, a rugged defender, is a “tremendous story,” Shields says, “in that she didn’t quite make the team in her first year, so she worked harder. She played quite a bit last year as a junior and will be starting for us this fall. DeeDee is a great athlete; fit and fast and very tough.”

Shibuya, a midfielder, has made a surprisingly strong return to soccer after spending all of her junior year on foreign study in Japan.  

“Kendall has been a great surprise for us this fall,” Shields says. “You never know what’s going to happen when a player is away from soccer for an entire year, but she came back and proved herself in a big way. She’s super fit, and she has matured as a player in ways that are great to see.”

DeeDee McCormick

Backing up the seniors is a small junior class – just two players, in fact, in defender Kate Newman and forward Kristen Innes.

“Kate is always one of the fastest players on the field,” Shields says. “She earned All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition in each of her first two seasons, and she continues to get better.

Kendall Shibuya

“Kate is another very dedicated athlete who was able to spend time in the weight room this past summer,” Shields says. “She also played a lot of soccer and has spent a lot of time on the track, running. She really enjoys the training, and it really shows in her condition.”

Innes, who played both basketball and soccer in high school, tried basketball only in her first year at Whitman. She made the switch to soccer last fall and played in 14 games.

“Kristen was behind to start last season, but she got stronger every week,” Shields says. “I wasn’t sure what to expect this fall, but it’s obvious that she continued to work hard during the off-season. You tell Kristen what she needs to work on, and she goes after it.”

Amy Hasson, a physical 5-foot-6 forward, leads the Missionary sophomore class. As a college rookie last fall, she was second on the team in scoring with five goals and three assists.

“Amy is our most physical player,” Shields says. “She’s very physical on the ball and doesn’t mind making contact with other players. She enjoys and thrives in that environment.”

Kate Newman

“Now that Amy has been through the conference one time, she has greater expectations for herself,” Shields says. “She’s extremely motivated individual and loves to compete. I can definitely see her taking a bigger role on our team, in terms of both scoring and leadership.”

Libby Watkins, a sophomore defender, started all 19 of Whitman’s games last fall in her collegiate debut.

“Libby is one of the most coachable players on the roster; she does what her team needs, and she does it well,” Shields says. “She tries to work herself around what the team needs, which is why she’s on the field a lot more than some players.

“Libby has good speed, she can hit the ball a long way, and she’s super-smart on the soccer field. Those qualities are great to have as part of our defense.”

Kristen Innes

Kate Potter, a second sophomore defender, started eight games last fall despite struggling with injuries for much of the season. “Kate is a lot like Libby in that she knows how to play the game,” Shields says. “She’s also very good at moving the ball forward once she has possession. As long as she stays healthy, Kate will be a regular part of our defensive rotation.”

Taylor Chock and Marisol Fonzeca, two sophomore midfielders, are also back for their second seasons.

“Taylor is another player who put in the extra effort in the off-season and over the summer,” Shields says. “She’s come back this fall as an absolutely different player. She always had good technical ability – when a ball comes to her feet, it just says there – but she’s much stronger now and has figured out how to take on tackles.”

“Marisol also understands now what it takes to compete in this conference,” Shields says. “She’s not very big, but she’s strong and super tough. She’s very passionate about the game, and she’s ready to play and compete.”

Claire Westcott, a defender, rejoined the team’s sophomore class this fall and has the talent to contribute, Shields says.

Libby Watkins

“After making the team last fall, Claire decided not to play,” he says. “She talked to me last spring about playing again, but she had to come back this fall and make the team all over again. She did a great job the past few weeks in tryouts, and she made it clear that she’s here for the team now, all the way.”

For the moment, however, Westcott is sidelined by injury. “It will be at least a few weeks before she get on the field again,” Shields says.

Health woes also have another sophomore, Torey Anderson, on the sidelines, possibly for the entire season.

“Torey came to Whitman to ski, but she also is a good soccer player and her plan was to play for us this fall,” Shields says. “The way it looks now, because she’s still recovering from an earlier injury, we probably won’t see her until the very end of the season, if at all.”

Shields, now in his 16th season, welcomes a first-year class of six players, including Megan Watson, a goalkeeper from Granada Hills, Calif.

“Megan is a great kid with a strong pedigree in terms of the coaching she has had in the past,” he says. “She can develop into a very good keeper over the next few years, but she needs to get stronger physically. She can really thrive in the weight room if she takes it seriously.”

Shields has great expectations for two first-year forwards, Emily Berg (Eagle, Idaho) and Stephanie Burk (Fall City, Wash.).

“Emily is having a few injury issues at this point, but she’s a very good player,” he says. “She super quick and very dynamic with the ball.”

Burk, who turned down an NCAA Division I track scholarship to play soccer at Whitman, is an “amazing athlete,” Shields says. “She can do great things with the ball at her feet. She is a high jumper in track, so she also can get up in the air.”

Shields is just as excited about two first-year midfielders, Julianne Masser (Boise, Idaho) and Jaclyn Rudd (Seattle, Wash.).

“Julianne has very good speed and a great work ethic,” he says. “We’re still looking to see where her best fit might be.”

Rudd is already one of the team’s best players when it comes to ball possession, Shields says. “With the ball at her feet, she’s the best of the first-year players and one of top three or four on the team.”

Erin Flannery, a first-year defender from Corvallis, Ore., also starts the season on the injured list. “We recruited Erin all of last year, and we’re hoping to get her back on the field in a few weeks,” Shields says.

“This is a very good first-year class,” he says. “They are solid and deep. They can contribute right from the start.”

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