For the better part of five seasons, the bulk of the scoring for the Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team has been from two, three, maybe four players.
As head coach Sammy Lane looks at his 2013 roster, he sees a group not with a couple of dominant scorers, but a much larger group of players who can put the ball into the back of the net.
“This year it will be goals by committee,” said Lane, who begins his ninth season as the program’s only head coach. “The past 3 or 4 years, we’ve had players who have led the nation or are in the top 5 in scoring. We will do things a little different this year.”
The Lady Dragons return just three players from last year’s 16-2 team that fell just short of both league and regional crowns. Midfielders Courtney Gahagan and Erinn Penny and defender Avery Gerleman return with the only collegiate experience on the roster.
The number of returning players is a big misleading, though. In essence, the Lady Dragons have nine sophomores with the additions of redshirts Jade Nash, Jen Rogers, Siobhon Wilson, Phoebe Eshen and twin sisters Alyson and Ashley Krier.
Nash, Rogers, Wilson and Eshen are all international players who trailed with the Lady Dragons all through the 2012 season. The Krier sisters, Campus High School products, both redshirted in 2012 after sitting out with injuries.
“They all practiced with us all of last year,” Lane said. “They looked really good and that year has made all the difference. When you look at it, I like the balance. They have taken a good leadership role.”
Lane is looking at changing several things this season, including his offensive formation to utilize his roster of forwards and midfielders to their greatest potential.
On the forward line, Eshen (London, England), Rogers (Liverpool), Monica Lewis (Wichita) and Madison Holmes (Wichita) give Lane more scoring options and more importantly, some depth.
“Its’ going to be nice to be able to run in six or seven at a time like we used to,” Lane said. “Last year was tough not being able to do that.”
At midfield, Gahagan (Wichita) and Penny (Hutchinson) lead a deep and talented group. Last year, Gahagan had five goals and 10 assists), while Penny added two goals and one assist.
Look for Wilson (London, England), the Krier sisters, Melissa Zapata (Giddings, TX) and Erin Pracht (Wichita), April Johnson (Hays) and Melissa Vega (Topeka) to help set a pace of play offensively more to Lane’s liking.
“Most of the good stuff will go through Courtney this season,” Lane said. “We will depend a lot on her and we have some pretty dynamic players who can play outside midfield.”
The back end is probably the greatest concern for Lane as 2013 starts on Sunday with a road game at Kansas City, KS.
Only Gerleman (Wichita) has played at the collegiate level. Thus, Lane will count on her on several different levels.
“We will expect a lot from Avery this year,” Lane said. “We need her to be vocal and be able to help the freshmen stay calm.”
The defense struggled at times during a 3-3 tie against Northwestern Oklahoma State in a scrimmage on Thursday. But Lane thinks this group will grow as a unit and be pretty solid when crunch time comes in October and November.
Joining Gerleman will be freshmen Megan Mellard (Wichita), Nash (Birmingham, England) and Vickie Dukart (Buhler). In goal will be Maize High product Bailey Shupe.
After opening on Sunday, Hutchinson’s first home match will be on Wednesday against Garden City.
SEASON NOTES – Assistant coach Dave Thomas begins his ninth season with the Lady Dragons. Former Wichita Wings head coach LaBaron Hollimon joins the staff this season. … Bailey Shupe is the sister of former Blue Dragon All-Conference defender Logan Shupe. … Madison Holmes is the sister of former Lady Dragon all-conference midfielder Miranda Holmes. … The Lady Dragons have an all-time record of 124-28-2. … The Lady Dragons are 6-2 in season openers, winning six-straight entering play on Sunday.
(By Steve Carpenter, HCC Sports Information Director)