CSR (2006 Women's Soccer Outlook)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR August 27, 2006

2006 WOMEN'S SOCCER OUTLOOK - written by Colin McWhertor '08
(Editor's Note: Second in a series of seven fall sports previews)

The Calvin College women’s soccer team looks to defend its MIAA title and return to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row in 2006. After capturing an MIAA co-championship in 2005 with a record of 15-1-0, 16-3-2 overall, Calvin received the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where it lost to nationally-ranked Ohio Wesleyan in penalty kicks. It was Calvin’s first trip to the national tournament since 1998.

Calvin graduated only two starters from last year’s squad and comes in as one of the favorites in the MIAA under Coach Mark Recker, heading into his sixth season. Six seniors come back for the fall along with four other starters from last season.

“We have a lot of faith in our seniors,” said Recker. “They have been playing together for a long time and work together well.”

Two seniors in particular, forwards Jill Capel (Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian HS) and Sarah Weesies (Kalamazoo, MI/Kalamazoo Christian HS) excite Recker the most. Capel is currently third on the Calvin career list for goals (60) and points (157) while Weesies is fifth on the Calvin career list in goals (56) and fourth in points (156). “Obviously I have a lot of faith in both of them,” he said. “They both compete and they love the game. To play at the level that they have for three years is incredible, they both benefit from one another in that regard.”

Capel won the MIAA scoring title last year and captured league MVP honors by scoring 21 goals and notching 13 assists for 55 points. Weesies was right behind her teammate with 20 goals and 12 assists for 52 points, good for second in the league.

Two seniors return on defense in Tricia DeVries (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) and Laura Rooks (Holland, MI/Holland Christian HS) to anchor what was a solid unit last season. Rooks also played some time at midfield last year. A third senior, Leah Scholten (Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian HS) will see time on defense too after missing the majority of 2005 with a knee injury.

“Both Tricia and Laura know what is expected of them,” Recker commented. “Tricia has started the previous three years and Laura really took over with strong play last year. Leah is playing summer ball and the knee is fine so far, but we have options on where she will fit in.”

Fifth-year senior Noelle Berghuis (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) will attempt to comeback after two lost seasons to knee injuries. Berghuis played midfield in her previous years but that could change this year if she is able to comeback healthy.

Calvin returns a host of sophomores from what was a great recruiting class last season. Included in the group are three starters from 2005. Forward Elizabeth Ribbens (Tinley Park, IL/Victor J. Andrew HS) was the third leading scorer on the team with eight goals and nine assists. Two others, Ashley Bolen (Urbana, IL/Urbana HS) and Juliana Litts (Alexandria, VA/Thomas Jefferson HS) played most of their time on defense, both seeing time at sweeper.

“Those three really did a nice job as freshmen last season,” said Recker. “I pushed Elizabeth hard and she grew substantially in her game. Jules and Ashley had an incredible responsibility and they handled it without a problem; that was a lot to ask of them as freshmen, but they did great.”

Other sophomores returning from last season include midfielder Michelle Koele (Denver, CO/Denver Christian HS) who finished fourth on the team in scoring with eight goals and four assists despite not having a spot in the starting lineup; forward Jessica Vegter (Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian HS) who tallied five goals last season; midfielder Jessica Wybenga (Rockville, MD/Chapelgate Christian HS); midfielder Elise Willett (Grand Junction, CO/Fruita Monument HS), who led the team with a 64.7 on goal percentage; and Liz VanRees (Muskegon/Western Michigan Christian HS).

“Michelle Koele did really well for us last year off the bench,” remarked Recker. “We are excited for her potential; she is a great athlete and an incredible asset. Overall our sophomores make us a deep team, and strong depth is a great thing to have.”

The lone junior on this year’s team is Kate Otten, (Sheboygan, WI/Sheboygan County Christian HS) who was a starter last season at midfield and forward.

Recker believes he has another good recruiting class coming in. “It is not as big as last year, but it is spread out well over all positions with quality players, very balanced,” he said. He knows for certain that he has a freshman goal keeper coming in and a few mid-fielders. The highlight of the class is forward Natalie Veurink, a graduate of Western Michigan Christian who possesses a scoring touch. Recker expects Veurink to add another dimension up front to Capel and Weesies.

The MIAA schedule shapes up differently in 2006 as the league adopts an end of season tournament for the first time. The tournament will have the top eight teams play each other acting like an extension on the season. A first round win is worth three points, a semi-final win is worth six points and winning the final is worth nine points. In the case of a game being decided by penalty kicks, the points will be divided in a two-third to one-third ration between the winner and loser. A win in the regular season is still worth three points and a tie worth one.

“The new format will add some complexity to the regular season,” said Recker on the new set-up. “We’ve (the MIAA) created an environment for competitiveness and the tournament experience will be good for our teams.”
As a result of adding the tournament, each team in the MIAA will only play each other league team one time during the regular season, making each game more important to gain seeding for the tournament. Calvin has scheduled two MIAA teams, Albion and St, Mary’s, for non-conference games before the MIAA season starts September 23 at home against Kalamazoo.

“We thought it would be a good idea to have Albion and St, Mary’s on the schedule to give the women a feel of MIAA soccer,” said Recker. “The games won’t count in the league standings but it will help in preparation.”
Calvin opens its season on September first with a two day tournament at Illinois Wesleyan where they will face Elmhurst on day one and the host Titans on day two.

Other non-conference matches include the first home match, versus Ohio Wesleyan, on September eighth, and a trip to Penn State-Behrend the weekend of September 15th where Calvin will play Thomas More and Westminster on back-to-back days, a tournament that will test Recker’s team.

“That will be a tough two days,” he said. “We have to travel out there and then play two games in a short time against strong regional competition. We wanted to add some more regional games though because those rankings are so important.”

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sun Aug 27 16:41:40 2006