COLUMN: Soccer expectations still met
They came into the 2010 season with expectations higher than any season in program history.
And despite walking off the field for the final time in tears after losing to Marquette, the Central Michigan women’s soccer team lived up to every single one of those expectations this year.
The season came to a close Friday night after losing 1-0 to Marquette in the first round of the 2010 Women’s College Cup in Milwaukee. Wisc. The Golden Eagles are the No. 12 team in the country, and the Chippewas hung tough with them for 90 minutes, but came up just short of advancing to the second round of the tournament for the second straight season.
To break down the season, all you need to do is look at the raw numbers. The Chippewas won their second consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament. They earned at least a share of the regular season crown for the second year in a row. And the team led the MAC in goals against average with 0.57, and in team shutouts with 12.
CMU went 9-0 at home, extending its home unbeaten streak to 24 games. The team finished the season 16-5-1 overall and 10-1 in the conference. The seniors became the winningest class in program history, earning their 53rd career win.
Going beyond the numbers, the team began the season not as well as it would have liked. CMU started 3-0, but then went on a four-game winless streak the first two weeks of September.
Questions surfaced about the maturity level of the team, and fact that it struggled to score goals. But the Chippewas hung tough, fought through the adversity and won 13 of its last 14 games going into the NCAA Tournament.
The young team featured 18 underclassmen, and looked for leadership from its three senior starters. Midfielders Valerie Prause and Jenna Hill, and goalkeeper Shay Mannino shined all year long, and head coach Tom Anagnost credits them for turning the program around.
“They are the face of the program. They’re the reason why we’re here,” Anagnost said after the season finale.
Junior defender Leisel Toth said despite the early exit from the tournament the team has a lot to be proud of.
“We can play with any team in the nation,” she said. “No one knows who Central Michigan is but we’re getting our name out there.”
Toth was the rock of the MAC’S best defense. She started all 21 games and played the most minutes on the team, playing 1,771 minutes out of a possible 1,820. She tallied four goals and three assists from the back line, and was named to the All-MAC first team for the second straight season.
Three other players earned first team All-MAC honors including Prause, sophomore forward Laura Twidle, and sophomore defender Bailey Brandon. The four made up the largest contingent of first-team players from one team.
The team also epitomized the term student-athlete as it posted the top team grade point average in the nation for the sixth consecutive year. Mannino, who holds the MAC career record in shutouts (31) and goals against average (0.70) said the team now expects to be successful every year, and thinks the future is very bright for the young team
“We’re expected to win the MAC every year now, and get to the NCAA Tournament,” she said. “It’s great that we can do it again.”
Although CMU has had more success the past two seasons than ever before, I think its best years lay ahead. The team returns 21 players in 2011, including eight starters. The majority of the team has the experience of two NCAA Tournament appearances under their belt, and will be a force to reckon with, not only in the MAC but nationally as well.
