University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Soccer Looks Forward to 2003 Season
8/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
The 2003 version of the Huskies must do something no other team in the history of Connecticut Women’s Soccer has done – defend their BIG EAST Tournament Championship crown. The task is a large one, having lost seven starters to graduation last season. But this young team is eager to fill in the vacancies left by the departed players, which included BIG EAST Goaltender of the Year Maria Yatrakis and four players honored with BIG EAST First or Second Team placements (Naima Montacer, Sarah Popper, Salla Ranta and Yatrakis). Popper was later named an All-American and drafted by WUSA’s Boston Breakers in the fourth round. Rounding out the group of seven graduates was Lauren Naida, Academic All-American Kate Foley and Megan Almanzo.
Though the roster is a young one, boasting only one true senior, two transfer upperclassmen and seven juniors as opposed to the 21 sophomores and freshmen, there was a lot of competition in the spring season between players hoping to fill in the holes. "We’re a young team that needs to fill in vacancies, a good spring season helped the inexperienced players ease into their positions on the team," says UConn’s 23-year head coach Len Tsantiris.
Goaltending
After losing Yatrakis, Tsantiris turned to this season’s only senior, Erin Rice and sophomore Megan Jessee to step in between the posts in spring competition. "The goalkeeping was solid against good competition. They faced challenges and handled them well," says Tsantiris. Joining Rice and Jessee in net will be freshman Erin Ferguson.
Rice, who earned the starting job in her sophomore season without ever starting as a freshman, brings the most expereince to the goaltending staff. As a junior, she was expected to battle for the starting position with Yatrakis, but was limited to only two games due to injury. Jessee appeared in four games in the 2002 season, allowing only one goal. Ferguson joins the Huskies from River Hill High School in Maryland, where she shut out her opponents in all six games of the 2001 Maryland State Championship Tournament to lead her team and earn the Most Valuable Player honor for the tournament. Ferguson recorded 10 shutouts and a save percentage of .954 as a senior. Overall, the experience and talent in the position is expected to overcome the loss of the BIG EAST Goaltender of the Year.
Forwards
The forward line remains in good shape, as junior Kristen Graczyk and sophomore Brittany Barakat return to lead the offense. Graczyk has led the point scorers in both of her years at UConn, tallying 24 as a rookie and 36 in her sophomore year. After only two years, she ranks 20th all-time in career points scored with 60 and is on pace to move into the top 10. Barakat, a BIG EAST All-Rookie Team member, will also return on the front line. Barakat ranked third last season in scoring with 24 points, including four game-winning goals. The return of Jessica Gjertsen, a redshirt junior, will also add some punch to the top line. After transferring to UConn as a sophomore, Gjertsen contributed 15 points and was on pace for another successful season in 2002 before she suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the third game, but managed six points before her departure. Also returning is sophomore Kristine Lundberg, who saw time in 12 games in her rookie year. Lundberg brought playing experience from a 2nd Division Norwegian Club Team. A redshirt freshman, Dominique Diadoo increased her playing experience in the spring season to help prepare for a successful 2003 regular season. Incoming freshman Lauren Lattanzio comes from Southington High School where she owns the record for career goals with 83. She was also honored as an All-State selection twice and a member of the All-New England team as a senior.
Midfield
Some fine-tuning will be needed in the midfield after losing All-American Popper and BIG EAST second team player Ranta. A very versatile player, junior Zahra Jalalian will be looked upon for some leadership. Jalalian started as a forward her freshman year and was moved to the backfield mid-season. Her speed makes her dangerous at any position and she’ll be an important addition to the midfield line. Sophomores Jennifer Sullivan and Kristi Lefebvre had a good spring season and are expected to help the scoring effort. Kathleen Frank returns from last years squad, having seen time in 16 contests last season. She filled in as an outside midfielder and forward throughout the year. Also returning is Elisa Pirinen, who started in four games as a freshman and saw substantial minutes in a total of 20 games. She netted two goals for the Huskies, including the game-winner against BIG EAST Northeast opponent St. John’s. Laura Waters will return to action after an ACL injury. Her solid skills will help in the midfield. Gina Merchant, a redshirt junior, joined the Huskies last season from Cuesta junior college. Merchant appeared in UConn’s exhibition win over Penn State and one early-season game before redshirting for the remainder of the season. She rejoined the team on the field during the spring and is ready to compete in the regular season. Lara Batey will be looked on to step up after gaining some helpful experience in the off-season. Another redshirt, Natalie Hopp has recovered from injury and will play her first regular season with the Huskies in 2003. Three newcomers will join the UConn midfield this season and all have impressive playing credentials at the high school level, as well as boasting some regional and national playing experience. Meghan Schnur is expected to contribute immediately as a freshman. This highly decorated student-athlete was listed on Soccer America’s ‘Top 25 Recruits’ for the 2003 season and is a member of the U-19 U.S. National Team. A two-time All-State and All-County selection, freshman Courtney Sands also participated in the
Defense
The back line will require the most rebuilding after defenders Foley, Montacer and Naida were lost to graduation. Sophomore Alisse Kosloski earned a substantial amount of playing time last season, appearing in all 25 games and will be the only returning defender with championship experience. Junior Karlyn Miselis returns, having played in ten games in her first season with the Huskies and participated in five of UConn’s 12 shutouts. Miselis picked up more playing time during the spring season, starting in every contest for the Huskies. Redshirt sophomore Kim Noivadhana and junior Lani Fortier return with the team this season, and have some experience to add to the back field. Two transfer students will add some age to the back line. Kristin Fisher, a graduate student from the University of Florida and Jen Zieky, a senior from Texas, have chosen to join the Huskies to finish their college soccer careers. In addition, the incoming freshman class brings a good mix of talent to replenish the Huskies’ competitive edge. Freshman newcomers Nikki Cross, Meghan Plaster and Alyssa Plakas will try to rebuild the UConn backfield with young talent. Tsantiris says of the defensive lineup, "There’s going to be some competition for positions in the back. We’ve got some experienced returning players and newcomers with great athletic ability and talent."
Though comparatively inexperienced, this young squad is poised to defend their BIG EAST title. "The spring season was a success for us. We took a good look at the talent we have and where we’ll need people to step up," says Tsantiris, "We’ve got to now carry over that success and competitiveness to the regular season."
