Hutchinson Community College head women’s soccer coach Sammy Lane as carefully followed a carefully executed plan in building this program from scratch starting in 2005.
Win a Jayhawk Conference championship – check.
Win a Region VI championship – check
Getting to a national tournament is next in Lane master plan.
So far he’s 0-2 in attempts to put down that third check. Now Lane and the Region VI champion Lady Dragons have something they have not had in District B Tournament appearances in 2007 and2010 – home field advantage.
2011 NJCAA DISTRICT B WOMEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
At USD 308 Athletic Complex, Hutchinson, Kan.
Semifinals – Friday, November 4
1 p.m. – Hutchinson (17-2) vs. Laramie County (14-4-2)
3:30 p.m. – Butler (17-3-1) vs. North Idaho (14-1-1)
Championship – Saturday, November 5
1 p.m. – Semifinal winners, winner advances to NJCAA National Tournament
Admission: $5 daily
Live Videostream: Blue Dragon Sports Network
Live Stats: Blue Dragon Sports Network
Third-ranked Hutchinson (17-2) will play No. 13 Laramie County (14-3-2) on Friday in the first semifinal of the NJCAA District B women’s soccer tournament at the USD 308 Athletic Complex on 23rd and Cleveland. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. No. 8 North Idaho (14-1-1) will meet Butler (17-3-1) in the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m.
The semifinals winners play at 1 p.m. on Saturday and that winner goes to the NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship Nov. 17-20 in Melbourne, Fla.
All three District B Games will be videostreamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at www.bluedragonsports.com.
Officially, Hutchinson’s home record will show two losses in the 2011 regular season. Both losses came as a result of an NJCAA ruling that cost the Lady Dragons victories over Allen and Hesston College because of an ineligible player caused by a paperwork snafu.
On the field, Hutchinson has not lost at the USD 308 Athletic Complex since 2007. That’s a record of 38-0-1.
When HCC defeated Butler 1-0 last Sunday in the Region VI championship game, the Lady Dragons earned the right to be the District B host. The District B host rotates between Region VI, Region IX and Region XVIII every year and 2011 was the Kansas championship’s turn to play host.
Now the Lady Dragons play a very familiar District B Tournament foe on Friday – Laramie County.
The Golden Eagles have twice stopped the Lady Dragons on their quest for the program’s first national tournament appearance. In 2007, Laramie County scored with just 38 seconds left in double overtime to defeat Hutchinson 2-1 in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Then last season on Laramie County’s home field in Cheyenne, Wyo., the Golden Eagles halted the Hutchinson march in a 1-0 victory.
HUTCHINSON LADY DRAGONS
The 2011 Lady Dragons enter the District B Tournament has the program’s highest-scoring team in its seven-year history. HCC has 134 goals, 108 assists and 376 points, all program records.
Hutchinson has put together those gaudy numbers with a dynamic group of forwards and midfielders who have the ability to use precision passing or the blast away from distance to score.
Offensively, the Lady Dragons are led by freshman Melissa Hetherington, who entering the tournament is No. 2 in points and is tied for first the nation goals. Hetherington has a team record 35 goals and 84 points to go with 14 assists. She scored the game-winning goals in both the Region VI semifinals and championship game.
But the Lady Dragons are more than Hetherington with four players at 51 points or more this season.
Sophomore Madison Joyce has rolled up 18 goals and 15 assists this season. Sophomore Pearl Slattery became the fifth Lady Dragon to score 20 goals in a season to go with 15 assists.
And then there is two-time Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Year Alicia Robinson, who has 12 goals and a nation-leading 27 assists in 2011.
HCC has 10 players with at least five goals.
Defensively, it has been another stellar year. After surrendering two goals in the season opener against Cloud County, Hutchinson gave up just five goals in the next 18 games, including two against Johnson County in the Region VI semifinals. Hutchinson has 14 shutouts this season.
HCC’s back line of freshman goalkeeper Eunice Figueroa, sophomores Rebekah Ramstack – the 2011 Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year – Logan Shupe, Lindsie Mainz, Polly New, freshman Jamie Smith and sophomore midfielder Miranda Holmes, have been stellar this season. Opposing teams have only gotten off 94 shots with 34 going on goal.
Figueroa (13-1) has five shutouts, and goals-against average of 0.46
LARAMIE COUNTY GOLDEN EAGLES
Laramie County under head coach Jim Gardner has become a perennial power in NJCAA Women’s soccer. Last season the Golden Eagles rode that 1-0 District B championship win over Hutchinson into a sixth-place national finish.
Once again, playing one of the nation’s best schedules, Laramie County (14-3-2) owns big wins over Iowa Western, Butler and Monroe College in overtime. LCCC is 1-1 against the field. The Eagles defeated Butler 1-0 in early September and lost to North Idaho 1-0 in late October.
Monica Lubin is Laramie County’s top scorer with 20 goals and 45 assists. Shino Kunizawa has 17 goals and 45 points. Kunizawa has a team-high nine assists, while Vanessa Alexander had eight goals and seven assists.
Laramie County has two quality goalkeepers in Aissa Pedrosa Lopez (0.70 GAA) and Marissa Schultz (0.87 GAA).
NORTH IDAHO CARDINALS
North Idaho comes into the tournament as the Region XVIII champion and having defeated Laramie County 1-0 just a few weeks ago.
The Cardinals have posted nine shutouts this season. Goalkeeper Lauren Gibson has a 0.37 goals-against-average and Allysa Howell is at 0.55 goals-against.
Aubree Mercier has tallied 18 goals and 40 points to lead North Idaho offensively in 2011. Anna Valentine had 15 goals and 35 points. Carissa Christensen has 11 goals and seven assists. Tia Sharp has six assists and Anna Valentine had five assists.
BUTLER GRIZZLIES
Butler shared the Jayhawk Conference championship with Hutchinson this season and has some quality victories in building a 17-3-1 record.
Butler has two 1-0 wins over nationally ranked Iowa Western and Laramie County and a 1-1 tie with Division I power Richland. The Grizzlies allowed only three goals over their first 11 games and have 13 shutouts in 2011.
The Grizzlies have a talented group up front with four players at 15 or more goals. Carla Daniels has a team-high 17 goals. Alyssa Miller has 16 goals while Aisling Dyer and Natausha Sanchez have 15 goals each. Stephanie Bonilla has 14 assists with Sanchez and Perla Hernandez had 11 and 10 assists, respectively.
Melanie Nuessen is Butler’s top goalkeeper with a 0.36 goals-against average.
(By Steve Carpenter/HCC Sports Information Director)