Emporia State soccer coach Jim Schneiderhahn got a pleasant surprise when his players reported to practice this week. Unlike years past, the Hornets were in shape and ready to get the season under way.
This was a big difference from last year, when a team returned that had not won a game in 2007, and motivation was an issue for some.
With seven new players — including five freshmen and two junior college transfers — and several others leaving the program, the Hornets’ roster is full of enthusiastic players excited about the season.
“A lot of our freshmen are very good, and we kind of weren’t expecting it, because last year we had some girls who really weren’t into practice,” sophomore defender Tessa Pettyjohn said. “All our freshmen who are here now are really into it. Everyone is really into practice and we’re all intense. We’re hoping that helps us with the season this year, that everyone is here and wants to be here.”
That’s not to say that last year was all doom and gloom for the Hornets. They did win four games, which is something after you go an entire season without winning any, and their record could have been even better than 4-15-1.
The Hornets lost two games in overtime and another five by only one goal. Those numbers can be attributed mostly to two things. The Hornets struggled to score, averaging only 0.69 goals per game, and the team’s poor conditioning also hurt them in close games.
“Definitely we’re expecting to win more than we did last year,” Pettyjohn said. “Each game we want to improve by finishing, because last year we lost a lot of games in the final 20 minutes, so we want to go hard and finish the last 20 minutes hard to be able to win games.”
Conditioning should not be as big an issue because of the work the players did during the summer, which showed some of the Hornets’ top players the commitment of everyone on the team.
“Summer stuff is hard to do on your own, and I just don’t think many people came in as fit as they should have been,” junior midfielder Lauren Cathey said. “We learned that lesson from last year, and we’re picking that up.”
Instead of just finding players who want to play, Schneiderhahn’s even had players who have found a way to gain an extra year of eligibility. Seniors Raquel White and Tina Commons are seniors for a second time this season, both gaining extra years.
White is in grad school and was awarded a medical redshirt so she could play one more year. She’s one player who Schneiderhahn is trying to figure out where she fits best.
For most of White’s career, she was a defender; however, last season she moved to midfielder and even saw some time at forward. Midfield is her likely destination this year, but she could once again see some time at forward.
“She creates tremendous havoc up there,” Schneiderhahn said.
The Hornets haven’t had much created up front at all the last few years, but that could change this year. Sophomore forward Alison Germany, who tied for the team lead with four goals last year, played injured most of her freshman season and is healthy this year.
Schneiderhahn is also expecting big things from freshman forward Ashley Hill, who has impressed everyone with her goal-scoring ability in practice.
“I think we have personnel that can finish,” Schneiderhahn said. “Ashley Hill has done an excellent job early on, and I’ve seen her for the better part of the last two years now and knew of her.”
Sophomore Sarah Anderson, who moved to forward at the end of last season, is also expected to provide some goal-scoring punch. She had two goals last season.
In the midfield, the Hornets will be lead by Cathey, who battled a knee injury last year and is healthy this year. Sarah Whiteside, a juco transfer from Barton County, has also been impressive during practice.
Pettyjohn, sophomore Jessica Decker and junior Kylee McCullough all return as starters on defense.
The Hornets lost their starting goalie, Jennifer Stillmock, because of family reasons. Katrina Goscha, a transfer from Murray State, is the leading candidate to replace Stillmock.
As for the Hornets’ other departures, they left on their own will, and the team is ready to move on.
“I think that’s just the inevitable part of change,” Schneiderhahn said. “When I got here, there was a lot of things that we had to fix, and it’s nobody’s fault. Those are things that happen. The girls that left, they worked hard, but decided that this wasn’t for them.
“I think we brought in some other people who know what they’re getting themselves into and have bought into what we’re trying to do.”