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Lead Gun - Georgia State's Sarah Bennett Will Be Aiming To Bring A Title Back To Panthersville in 2011

That long sigh of relief you may have heard from CAA country probably came from a set of coaches who could breathe a little easier with some of the pressure alleviated for this upcoming season. The reason? The CAA’s conference tournament is being expanded from four teams to six effective the 2011 season. Unlike many other mid-majors who go forward with bloated and unnecessary league tournament at the end of the season, the CAA actual merits having six teams in the postseason.

Some might consider the Colonial the long lost twin of the Big West, in that its ruthlessly competitive and entertaining on a year-by-year basis with loads of unpredictability and full of teams with upset potential against more fancied opposition. Just ask UConn or Texas last season who fell to the might of Hofstra and James Madison respectively in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Such competitiveness combined with a small conference tournament robbed some very deserving teams of postseason play though, and the new format should curb some of that while also tossing a lifeline to the beleaguered bottom half of the league who still have miles to go to catch up to their peers further up the table.

The top of the league figures to be as unpredictable as ever this year. Hofstra was the class of the conference in 2010 but take massive losses and will likely be scrapping in mid-table as a result. CAA Tournament winners James Madison aren’t hit as hard but still take some blows, meaning it could be another battle royal for the league title and the chance to cause some poor big side some real headaches in the Big Dance come November.

(Teams listed in order of final 2010 RPI ranking.)

The British Invasion that has taken hold of HOFSTRA in recent years paid dividends last season as Barnsley native Simon Riddiough and no fewer than four English players helped lead the Pride to one of their best seasons in program history. Of course, it certainly didn’t look like that’d be the case after Hofstra’s first match of 2010, a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Boston College.

It deflated a little of the momentum that had been building in Hempstead, New York before the beginning of the 2010 season. Having avoided a losing season in every year since 1996, the Pride had come over from the America East and, ironically, have enjoyed more success in a much more difficult conference. Program matriarch JoAnne Russell brought home Hofstra’s first major trophies near the end of her fruitful reign, winning back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004 before bowing out by sending the Pride to their first NCAA Tournament with triumph in the CAA Tournament in 2005.

Up stepped Riddiough, at the time Hofstra’s Associate Head Coach and a Pride alum, into the role, tasked with continuing the run of success in Hempstead. After a bit of a down season in Riddiough’s first season at the head of the program as the transition took place, Hofstra roared back to life in 2007, finishing a point behind William & Mary at the top of the standings before winning their second CAA Tournament in three years. The Pride had been beaten comprehensively by West Virginia in their first NCAA Tournament appearance a few seasons prior but were determined to not endure a repeat and stunned Ohio State in the first round. Riddiough’s team almost pulled another stunner a few days later, pushing much fancied Penn State to extra time before falling, 2-1.

Hofstra would see their bubble burst a year later, being right on the cutline for an at-large bid despite finishing fifth in the league. In one of the wildest CAA Tournaments in recent memory, Hofstra and the #6 seeded Northeastern reached the final, but the Pride would fall in extra time and end up being one of the last teams out of the field of sixty-four. The year after would see the Pride suffer a nightmare end to their season, blowing the title on the last day in a brutal 4-0 loss to Northeastern and then seeing their NCAA Tournament hopes go up in smoke with a tough loss against UNC Wilmington.

It meant that Hofstra would be hungry and out for a little redemption in 2010, but the heavy defeat in the opener was another blow to the Pride’s psyche. They could hardly have responded better to the adversity, winning their remaining six non-conference games, including wins at Purdue and Columbia and back at home against Princeton. It’s in the league where Hofstra would really shine though. Riddiough’s team took down title challengers James Madison on the road in their first conference match and wouldn’t look back.

By the time Hofstra came back home for a three match homestand to finish out the regular season, there was really no doubt as to where the title was headed with Hofstra 8-0-0 in the league. The only question really was if the Pride would be able to run the table and possibly set themselves up for potential regional hosting duties in the NCAA Tournament. The answer to the first question was a decided ‘yes’ as Riddiough’s charges won their final three regular season matches, becoming the first team to put together a 100% record in league play since William & Mary did it in 1999. Hofstra’s feat was arguably more impressive as well, seeing as how they did it with three more matches in the league.

The Pride would brush aside Georgia State in the CAA Tournament semi-finals but would go through something of a mini-nightmare in the final, being reduced to ten a little after the hour mark and being put down 2-0 seconds later as James Madison converted from the penalty spot. The score would stay that way, and Hofstra missed out on a double but would still be dancing for the first time since 2007.

Sent up to Newton, Hofstra would shoot down UConn with an early goal, setting up a chance for the Pride to redeem themselves against the team that had so thoroughly crushed them months earlier. Despite, a valiant effort and an ugly war in the trenches that resulted in nearly twice as many fouls as shots from both sides, Boston College’s talent proved to be too much, and the Pride went down to the Eagles for the second time in 2010, this time by a 3-1 scoreline.

After a brief flirtation with the vacant Clemson job, dividends from such a phenomenal season, Riddiough stayed put and will be looking to pull off the rare feat of defending the CAA title with the Pride this season. If he does so, he’ll likely be on the shortlist for National Coach of the Year, as Hofstra are absolutely devastated by graduation and other losses this season. The Pride were a relatively stable group last year with essentially the same eleven players starting, including seven players starting every match and the preferred first choice XI starting at least eighteen matches. Hofstra also wielded a relatively short bench, with essentially five reserves being used extensively throughout the season.

While that continuity was undoubtedly a boon for Riddiough’s team at the time, six of those eleven starters are gone, and not just any starters either. Reigning CAA Player of the Year Tiffany Yovino will be still involved with the Pride, but as an assistant to Riddiough, instead of running the show on offense. Yovino, who had played as a defensive midfielder in previous seasons for the Pride was entrusted with more offensive duties in the midfield and turned in an amazing senior season with twelve goals and a pair of assists. Perhaps most impressively, Yovino saved her best form for the league campaign, tallying a blistering ten goals for Hofstra in CAA action. The brilliant season earned Yovino all the major individual honors in the CAA, Third Team All-America distinction, and the unique honor of having her jersey retired by the university, only the second player to enjoy such a landmark at Hofstra after Sue Weber.

Hofstra’s offense really was about a dynamic duo last year though, with Yovino teaming up with Salma Tarik to make it rain goals in Hempstead. Unfortunately for Riddiough, Tarik is also among the departees. After beginning her career at Cal State Northridge, the Egyptian international Tarik transferred out East and saw her career take off and was set for stardom after ten goals in nineteen matches as a junior. A center forward with some amazing technical skill, Tarik met the heightened expectations her junior season brought with twelve goals as a senior, including five strikes in league play.

The million dollar question is where the offense is going to come from without both Tarik and Yovino in 2011. The top candidate is right winger Laura Greene, a burner who saw her goalscoring total catch up to her assists last season with six goals and seven assists, including a promising ten points in league play. It remains to be seen whether she can function effectively as an out-and-out option up front for the Pride. The team also loses the other winger in Hofstra’s 4-3-3 last year, Kayla Pifer. Pifer’s was never a real prolific goalscorer, but her energy down the flanks will be missed. London’s Ruby Staplehurst and Amber Stobbs will both have to likely step into major roles up front, and both showed promise off the bench last year, each scoring a pair of goals in CAA play. Sophomore Krysti Rodriguez could also play a part after being one of the team’s top subs last season.

The midfield returns a little more experience than the other areas of the pitch for Hofstra and could be the strength of the team this year. Courtney Breen is a nice midfield hammer for the Pride and helped balance out the midfield to allow Yovino to get more involved in the offense. Breen is also quite the weapon on set pieces thanks to her strength in the air. Considering the questions on offense, Breen’s aerial superiority might be a big factor in scoring goals for Hofstra this season.

Brittany Butts has served as more of a ‘link’ midfielder between Breen and Yovino in recent seasons but may be tasked with getting more involved with the offense this season after Yovino’s departure. Additionally, Danielle Murino could be thrust back into midfield after seeing much of her time in defense as a sophomore. Murino is an asset going forward as well and could be a solution at forward as well. Depth could come from Nicki Choffel, who has missed the last two seasons with ACL injuries. Murino was mentioned as a midfield possibility, but it’s also very possible that she stays at full-back given the litany of losses the team feels. Sam Scolarici is the best of a very under the radar recruiting class and could also be a contender for immediate minutes.

Left-back Dana Bergstrom was a standout performer on defense who ripped up opposing defenses on the flank going forward and led the team with ten assists in 2010. But she departs, as does center-back Amy Turner who left Hofstra early to pursue a professional career back home in England. Center-back Brooke Bendernagel stepped up into a starting role last season and acquitted herself fairly well, even though she was sent off in the CAA Tournament final against James Madison. She’s likely going to be thrust into a leadership role in the back with so much upheaval.

Sophomore Tara Kerns was a key reserve defensively last year and will likely be pushed into the starting lineup after the wave of losses on the backline. Also apt to be involved is seldom used reserve Britt Farriella and St. John’s transfer Kerry Cummings, who could be used as a center-back or defensive midfielder. Like the offense, this unit really has more questions than answers and Riddiough may have to do some positional rejiggering to put a functional defense on the field.

There’s change in goal as well. Krista Thorn was one of college soccer’s best stories last season, coming in as a starter in goal after playing two seasons on Hofstra’s softball team after transferring from Iona’s soccer team a few years ago. Thorn was more than adequate in goal and earned the starting role in nineteen of the Pride’s matches last season. She’s gone now though, meaning the role likely falls to her understudy last season, English sophomore Emily Morphitis.

It’s not like Morphitis is totally green though, she played in nineteen matches with three starts and played in the second half in almost every one of Hofstra’s matches. Morphitis was good enough to be the CAA’s All-Rookie Team goalkeeper, and her experience and potential make this position a strength for the Pride this year. Depth comes from sophomore Kylie Shuster, who was looking like a potential starter before injuring her knee in the Spring of 2010 and freshmen Julia Kantor and Lucy Gillett.

Nobody’s doubting Riddiough’s coaching skills or Hofstra’s viability as a program after some impressive seasons in Hempstead and last year’s wonderful ride to the CAA title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But it would be miraculous for the Pride to reach such heights this year with a gutted squad and relatively little depth. Hofstra lost a ton of production and experience and the freshman replacements look like unknown commodities.

Couple that with being in a notoriously difficult league to string together consistent title successes in, and Hofstra look like they’ll be in tough for 2011. You wouldn’t expect them to fall off a cliff and into the nether realms of the conference, but they might be one of the team’s breathing easier about the conference tournament being expanded back to six teams going forward. Mid-table looks far likelier than a title challenge in 2011 for Riddiough and the Pride.

The years keep turning and David Lombardo keeps winning at JAMES MADISON. The legendary coach has turned into a part of the furniture in Harrisonburg and in the process has put together one of the most amazing mid-major legacies of winning east of the Mississippi. Long-time members of the CAA, Lombardo has guided JMU to a staggering nineteen winning years in twenty-one overall seasons at the helm of the Dukes. It’s been enough to vault Lombardo into sixth in the all-time DI coaching wins list and to make the consistent James Madison program the envy of many of their mid-major compatriots.

That the Dukes have been able to string together ten NCAA Tournament appearances while playing in one of the most difficult mid-major conferences in America has been quite the feat, especially as JMU’s gone toe-to-toe with the William & Mary juggernaut through the years. Though JMU’s been a frequent participant in the NCAA Tournament, they haven’t really been a trophy laden team throughout their history. Lombardo and the Dukes entered 2010 with a pair of league titles and two CAA Tournament titles in trophy cabinet.

Instead, JMU has tended to do damage in the NCAA Tournament, such as when they topped Penn State in 1995 or Georgia and Wake Forest in 2008. The latter run would go down as the best in school history as the Dukes rolled all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. After a slight rebuilding year in 2009 that still saw JMU reach the CAA Tournament final, they set their sights on the program’s third NCAA Tournament bid in four seasons and the program’s first major trophy since 2002 as they headed into 2010. The Dukes began with three wins out of four, including a victory over Big East side Villanova but hit the skids against tougher opposition, losing three straight, including a bizarre 6-3 defeat at Princeton.

JMU would get things sorted out in the nick of time, winning four of their next five as CAA play cranked up. Their lone defeat in that stretch was in the conference opener to eventual league champs Hofstra, although the Dukes were far from outclassed in the 1-0 defeat. After a surprising 2-1 away loss to CAA upstarts Georgia State, JMU went on a tear, winning their final six matches on the road to clinch second in the league. 9-2-0 probably would’ve been good enough to win the title in some seasons, but the Dukes would have to be satisfied with the potential of getting another shot at league champs Hofstra in the CAA Tournament.

They were almost derailed on the way to that rematch, needing penalties to dispatch of George Mason after a 1-1 draw in the semi-finals. Despite being on the back foot for much of the match, JMU took an early lead and took advantage of a Hofstra red card a little after the hour mark to lift the CAA Tournament title with a 2-0 win. The Dukes would have been one of the teams in the bubble team pool with a defeat but erased any and all doubt with their win to claim the auto-bid.

Drawn against Texas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, JMU would humble their more fancied opponents and were well worth their 3-1 win. It wouldn’t be quite as easy in the second round, as the Dukes would eventually bow to North Carolina’s offensive might despite taking a 1-1 scoreline into the half. Despite the loss, it marked the third time in a row that James Madison had won a match in the NCAA Tournament they had qualified for, evidence for the Dukes being one of the most consistently dangerous mid-majors in the country.

There are worries ahead for Lombardo in 2011 though as James Madison loses some heavy hitters to graduation. The biggest loss of the bunch is All-American midfielder Teresa Rynier, a draft pick of the WPS’ Philadelphia Independence in the 2011 WPS Draft. Rynier was a cut above in her senior season with nine goals and thirteen assists, the latter enough to establish a CAA career record for assists with fifty-three over four seasons. Rynier’s departure is a hammer blow for the Dukes who lose a four-year starter and a leader in midfield who was undisputedly one of the team’s talismans during arguably their most prosperous era in program history.

The loss of Rynier is compounded by the additional loss of dangerous forward Cate Tisinger. Tisinger could never quite match her sensational nine goal, ten assist freshman season but was still a force for JMU up front, and her six goals and four assists won’t be easily replaced. The immediate help for the future looks to be sophomore Lauren Wilson, who enjoyed a fantastic freshman season for the Dukes. Despite being one of the less heralded members of Lombardo’s recruiting class, Wilson came in and scored eight goals despite only making six starts on the season. Even more impressively, Wilson scored six of those goals in league play, including a hat-trick against Delaware. Wilson could be the next big attacking talent at a school that has churned them out in recent years, with Rynier and Canadian forward Christina Julien among the stars to have strutted their stuff for the Dukes.

Beyond her, it’s a little more up in the air. Canadian target forward Yolie Anderson-Golhor has shown potential and improved greatly as a junior with four goals and three assists but is still far from a finished product. The Dukes also add freshman forwards Katie Hyland and California import Stephanie Hamilton into the mix. Hamilton in particular comes in with big expectations after impressing for the 2011 ECNL title winning San Diego Surf team this year. Another wild card could be Loyola (Ill.) transfer Laura Trevillian, who was a breakout star in 2008 with ten goals but has struggled through poor form and injuries ever since. If the new surroundings revitalizes her, she could be a key figure in the CAA title race.

In midfield, the combo of Kelly Germain, Katie Menzie, and Portuguese international Ariana Ruela will try to compensate for the loss of Rynier. Germain, one of the team’s captains, worked her way into a starting spot last year and repaid Lombardo’s faith in her with three goals and four assists in eighteen starts. Menzie also had four assists and added a pair of goals in her first season as a starter as well. Also with two goals is senior Ruela, who played for Portugal in the Algarve Cup this Spring. Senior Jessica Barndt has the most starting experience of the group, having started sixty matches over the last three seasons but could end up in the defense. This midfield isn’t rife with big-time scorers, but everybody is good for a couple, and all that offense can add up in a hurry.

Though JMU’s offense got most of the headlines, their defense was also key to last year’s strong season. Unfortunately for Lombardo, this group too takes some big hits. For the first time in an age, James Madison will have to do without standout keeper Diane Wszalek. Wszalek was in between the pipes for another brilliant season with the Dukes and ended her collegiate career as the program’s leader in shutouts and GAA.

As you might expect, there’s not exactly a lot of experience waiting in the wings for the Dukes. To be exact, there’s no experience. Last season’s backup, Kate Courter was a true freshman who saw no match experience last year. The team also adds in newcomer Ellen Forrest from local club Richmond Strikers, along with fellow rookie Marlee Stynchula from Fairfax. There’s no telling who’s going to be in goal come opening day though, and the Dukes will be hard pressed to replace the quality of Wszalek overnight.

Making matters worse is the loss of one of the team’s best defenders in Corinna Strickland who also had three assists in her senior season with the team. At least Lombardo does return two of the league’s best defenders to the backline in 2011. Barndt looks like ascending to a leadership position, not just on the backline, but on the whole of what could be a somewhat young Dukes team this year. By contrast, one of her rearguard partners, Becky Sparks, still has much of her career ahead of her with JMU and has plenty of room to grow after a strong freshman season last year. The other JMU freshman who impressed in defense last year was Sam Lofton who won the team’s rookie of the year award after eighteen starts on the backline. Elisa Davidson, Megan Fessler, and Olivia Tomoff all got starting time last season and will battle freshmen to gain starting assignments this year.

Lombardo’s Dukes should never be totally counted out after their track record over the past few decades, but it’s hard to deny that 2011 could be much tougher than 2010 was. The offense takes a major beating with the losses of Rynier and Tisinger, while the questions in goal look even more pressing after the loss of Wszalek. There’s still a smattering of quality talent in the JMU team, but there are going to have to be a good many players taking major steps forward if the Dukes are to be contenders this year. A title challenge looks like too much to ask for this season, but Lombardo should still be able to lead his team to the CAA Tournament come November.

The long list of jaw dropping statistics at the College of WILLIAM & MARY in Williamsburg, Virginia seldom ceases to amaze, even in the third decade of the program’s existence. Twenty-three NCAA Tournament appearances. Three Elite Eight appearances. Eleven CAA league titles. Seven CAA Tournament titles. And perhaps the most stunning stat of all, the fact that in thirty years, William & Mary have never not had a winning season. While you could fathom that at a big school in the ACC or Pac-12, at the mid-major level, it’s almost impossible. The Tribe has a trophy case that stretches far and wide, and from 1993-2003, W&M; won at least one trophy every year.

The Tribe strung together stretches of three league titles, four league titles, and three league titles all in a row at different points in their history while also winning six CAA Tournaments in a row from 1996-2001. They qualified for seven NCAA Tournaments in a row from 1984-1990 and then thirteen in a row from 1992-2004. Long serving and massively respected boss John Daly has done more than enough to ensure he’ll be leaving a great legacy behind in Williamsburg when he decides to step away.

With the long run of success though, the current two season trophy drought must be agonizing for Tribe supporters. The program suffered through a similar drought in the middle of the 00s, but at least they were able to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004. The Tribe had roared back with three straight league titles from 2006-2008 and even managed an eighth place finish in the final RPI in 2006. 2009 was something of a downer though as W&M; slid back to sixth place in the league, and missed out on the postseason after the contraction of the CAA Tournament to four teams. It marked the first time the Tribe had missed the postseason in the CAA era and also snapped a three year NCAA Tournament streak.

It left W&M; entering 2010 with no small amount of redemption on their minds. The Tribe came out like a house afire, beating Big East side Syracuse and then drawing UConn at a neutral site before stunning Penn State on the road. W&M; then brushed aside a pair of minnows back in Williamsburg and certainly looked like the real deal with a 4-0-1 record just a few weeks into the new season. But then a stretch of tough times hit. The Tribe defense was shredded by Boston University and Texas in succession, followed by three more losses in their next four, including two of their first three CAA matches. The lopsided defeats at George Mason and Georgia State cast a pall on the Tribe’s season that had started out so well.

The Tribe would claw their way out of the early hole though, winning two and drawing another to put themselves in a decent position going into a regular season ending five match homestand. A slim loss to Hofstra wasn’t the worst thing in the world considering the form of the eventual CAA champs, but a narrow defeat to James Madison a week later looked potentially costly. The Tribe downed VCU on the penultimate day of the CAA season but knew that their fate was out of their hands going into the final match against Old Dominion. The Monarchs were defeated, but the word from Atlanta was bad news for the Tribe: Georgia State had beaten UNC Wilmington to finish level on points in fourth with W&M; and held the head-to-head tiebreaker, knocking the Tribe out of the postseason. For the second straight season, there would be no life after the regular season for Daly and the Tribe.

While nobody is surely advocating drastic measures in Williamsburg, there certainly has to be concern about what is slowly turning into the program’s least successful period in their long history. The maddening thing about 2010 was that the Tribe showed they could play with and beat teams like Penn State and UConn. It was poor results against the likes of East Carolina, George Mason, and Delaware that ultimately dragged W&M; down. That inconsistency becomes a little more understandable when you take a look at the Tribe’s list of major contributors last season and see that a lot of those players that saw major minutes were mere freshmen and sophomores.

Despite the youth, William & Mary were able to put out a side with some very promising attacking talent. Junior midfielder Mallory Schaffer looks to have already entrenched herself as one of the CAA’s best players after just two seasons in Williamsburg. After a nice debut year in 2009, Schaffer busted out in a big way in 2010. The product from Allison Park, Pennsylvania struck for ten goals and three assists with four match winners. More impressively, Schaffer had eight goals in CAA play, good enough for second place in the league. Expect Schaffer to be a threat for double digit goals once again in her junior season. Also returning to the midfield is junior Katrina Smedley, who battled through injuries last season to make ten starts. Another to watch in midfield is rookie Emily Fredrikson, who comes in to W&M; with a fair degree of bite and also has the ability to play in defense.

Up top, the Tribe’s other big scoring threat comes in the form of Cortlyn Bristol. Bristol did a little bit of everything for the Tribe last season with six goals and five assists, including four goals and four assists in CAA play. Bristol’s not a preferred first option though, best when on the wing or when serving as a second striker. The Tribe also got a big boost last year from sophomore forward Audrey Barry who was a great distributor in her first collegiate season, dishing out seven assists to lead the team, with four of those coming in league play. Her play on the wing should again be a big part of the Tribe’s offense this year.

Centrally, the time figures to rely on junior Erin Liberatore who went ice cold last season after six goals as a freshman. If she’s not firing, the Tribe could be in trouble. The offense only loses one starter, midfielder Brittany Lane and adds in another promising forward in the form of Virginia Beach’s Emory Camper, a 6’0″ mauler up front who could immediately make herself a factor. The Tribe looks to have a deadly duo in Schaffer and Bristol, more than capable of carrying a lot of the scoring load but probably not all of it if others aren’t stepping up. If the duo does get help, then the Tribe might just have a chance of having the best offense in the league.

Then again, offense wasn’t really W&M;’s problem last season. By CAA standards, the Tribe’s defense wasn’t horrendous, but that just lumped them in with a group of programs that finished well off the pace of leaders Hofstra and James Madison. It’s a group going into 2011 that also has a little bit of rebuilding to do after losing a pair of starters in Kaitlin O’Connor and Katy Winsper, although the latter also missed seven matches, including five league games.

Having the best defender in the league could help matters though, and the Tribe have exactly that in senior left-back Diana Weigel. The 2009 CAA Defender of the Year has been a key member of the W&M; defense over the past three seasons and will be the lynchpin of this year’s rearguard as they try and improve on last season’s effort. Weigel is also a big threat going forward and has five goals and twelve assists in three seasons so far.

The other full-back spot figures to be manned by junior Kiersten Harpe, who isn’t as much of a threat going forward. The favorites to start at center-back are Ali Heck and Tara Connors, but neither of whom started ten matches last year and may be pushed by others in the Tribe ranks. One of those others is freshman Christina Popps, a product from the FC Virginia club who showed well in ECNL action last year.

The Tribe also graduates goalkeeping starter Grace Barnard but shouldn’t be in bad shape with junior Katherine Yount having racked up seven matches of starting experience last season, including in the draw with UConn and win over Penn State. The new backup is junior Carla Manger who has yet to see game action in two seasons thus far.

In a cutthroat league such as the CAA where fortunes can change in a hurry, William & Mary look to have put together a squad that can take them a long way towards title contention. At bare minimum, the dynamic offense and more experienced squad should have the Tribe breaking their postseason duck this year. And given the program’s historical liking for putting together long streaks of success, William & Mary might just keep pushing on if they get their hands on some silverware this year.

Ahead of the 2010 season, long-serving GEORGIA STATE Head Coach Domenic Martelli needed a miracle. His Panthers had long ceased being competitive in the CAA and the program hadn’t reached the postseason since the team moved over from the Atlantic Sun in the middle of the decade. The team’s 18-4-2 record and appearance in an NCAA Play-In Match in 1997 under Jodie Smith has long since receded into the past. Once a competitive side in the Trans America Athletic Conference (which morphed into the Atlantic Sun), the Panthers were little more than cannon fodder in their new home in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Five straight losing seasons in the CAA, including an abject 1-5-5 mark in 2009 had Martelli ripe for the chop in many’s eyes. Strictly speaking, it appeared that nothing short of a miraculous turnaround would be enough to save Martelli after 2010. The Panthers came out in 2010 like their coach’s job was on the line, winning four of five, including a big victory over Mercer to give them a case to say they were the state’s second best program in 2010. The only loss in that stretch was an expected beating by SEC side Georgia.

After a rough weekend in Alabama that saw a loss to Troy and draw with a weak South Alabama side, GSU got back in the groove with a pair of wins over Big South minnows before launching themselves into league play. And for the first time as a member of the CAA, they did not falter. The Panthers went on a tear, winning four of their first five conference matches, including home wins over traditional league contenders William & Mary and James Madison. Those wins made a home loss to Delaware and a home draw to VCU a little puzzling in retrospect. A win over Towson on the road took Georgia State’s undefeated streak to five matches and had Martelli’s side on the brink of postseason qualification.

But four matches on the road proved a huge burden on the Panthers, and Martelli’s team slipped to three straight defeats, although they played hard in each and took Hofstra to the limit in a 3-2 loss. The downturn in form meant that the Panthers had to come home and beat UNC Wilmington on Senior Day to seal a spot in the postseason and possibly save Martelli’s job. A nervy game saw Georgia State only put one shot on goal in ninety minutes…Sarah Bennett’s winning goal that gave GSU a 1-0 win in the most important match in recent program history. The Panthers moved onto the CAA Tournament for the first time in their history where they were beaten soundly by league champs Hofstra. The hard work had been done though, and Martelli had saved his job in tremendous fashion.

The key now for Martelli and the Panthers is to show that 2010 wasn’t just a one off and to push on for another postseason appearance and perhaps a league title challenge. The good news for Martelli is that Georgia State might have the talent to do just that. The Panthers’ bring back nine starters from last season’s CAA Tournament semi-finalists, including a young and dynamic attacking core that positively hummed at times in front of net last season. GSU boasts a powerful one-two punch up front in Jewel Evans and Sarah Bennett that should strike fear into the hearts of CAA defenses this season.

Evans was simply a revelation for Martelli’s squad as a freshman, tallying eight goals and eight assists for the Panthers to serve as the team’s leading scorer in her first season of collegiate soccer. Evans should be a dangerous presence in front of goal for the Panthers again this season and is a potential future CAA Offensive Player of the Year. Evans also qualifies for potentially playing for the Jamaican national team having been born in Kingston and could pop up on their radar with another strong campaign.

Evans’ striker partner for the foreseeable future is junior Sarah Bennett who responded with a ten goal sophomore season in 2010 after seven goals as a freshman in Atlanta. The deadly duo could become a terrific trio if Martelli can coax goals out of Georgia transfer Jordan Young who had blistering pace even at SEC level but is still a very raw product and needs seasoning to say the very least. More depth will come from the newcomers and Latvian redshirt freshman Liene Vaciete. The only starting field player to depart is Apryl Goodwin who rounded into a talented midfielder for the Panthers, earning All-CAA Second Team honors in her senior season under Martelli.

The team does have a good amount of experience returning in the midfield though. Senior Enrique Owens started all but one match last year and tallied four goals on the year. Another full-time starter was Jocelyn Baker, who added five assists in a breakout sophomore campaign. There could also be starting spots for senior Lindsay Mortellaro, who started every match in league play, and Kaila Muecke, who was in the starting lineup for the team’s first nine matches before being lost for the season to a high ankle sprain.

Generally speaking, Georgia State’s defense was about middle of the road last year but is in line to improve with just about everyone coming back. Senior captain Bri Cagle looks to lead the line once again after starting for the past three seasons for the Panthers. Youngster Alyssia Feronti had goals against William & Mary and Hofstra last season and could round into one of the league’s better defenders in time. Also watch for sophomore Briana Pitre, inserted into the lineup in defense forthe final eleven games last year, and Lani Huntley, who picked up a winner’s medal with the W-League’s Atlanta Silverbacks this summer and would have started all of last season had she not suffered a knee injury against Mercer in the middle of the season.

The team loses one fine goalkeeper in Heidi Blankenship but gets to insert another strong keeper into the full-time starting role in Kellianne Collins. Collins served as Blankenship’s understudy for two seasons before forcing her way into the lineup more frequently last year. With Blankenship ailed by injury for much of the year, Collins stepped up and did a fine job in establishing herself as one of the league’s brightest talents in goal. Expect more of the same from Collins who should have the starting spot all year in 2011.

The Panthers have some of the premier attacking talent in the CAA and one of the best keepers in the league to go with their firepower. Martelli worked his way off the hot seat last season and has enough talent to stay off of it for a while if everything goes according to plan. A return to the postseason should be the minimum aim, even in a cutthroat league like the CAA. And I wouldn’t rule out an outside chance of a title challenge either.

The 2010 season marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of one of the bigger shocks in college soccer history, when a plucky GEORGE MASON team upset the odds to topple North Carolina and lift the national title. OK, so the Patriots weren’t exactly nobodies back then, having finished as national runners-up just two years earlier in their second year of existence. But the title still resonates in Fairfax, a locale not used to teams bringing back national titles.

Unsurprisingly, George Mason have never quite hit the same heights again. That’s not to say that the Patriots haven’t had some memorable moments since their national title triumph. After program patriarch Hank Leung stepped away after the 1991 season, Jac Cicala took the reigns and promptly took the team back to the College Cup final in his second season in charge. GMU wouldn’t find North Carolina so pliable this time though and were on the end of a 6-0 mauling.

Since then, it’s been a fight to stay relevant in the rapidly evolving world of college soccer. George Mason hasn’t won anything since 2001 and has faced a maddening inability to seal the deal in the postseason, having lost four CAA Tournament finals. GMU have now not reached the Big Dance since 1997, and some have to be wondering if the program’s going in the right direction. Diane Drake took over the Head Coach position in 2004 after a somewhat mixed career at the helm of Georgetown and has not brought back the good old days in Fairfax as of yet. Instead, Mason has found itself largely confined to mid-table and dropped to a humiliating tenth place in the league in 2008.

Entering 2010, the Patriots hadn’t won a postseason match under Drake and had missed out on the CAA Tournament for two seasons running. 2009 hadn’t been a total loss though as the team did win fourteen matches en route to finishing #76 in the final RPI. Patriot supporters had to hope that 2009 was the last step on the long road back to contending for league titles. GMU’s 2010 got off to an uneven start, with one win in their first four and a loss to Navy and a draw with woeful Mount St. Mary’s. The Patriots’ form would even out a little in the middle of the season with six wins in seven, and the only loss in that stretch being a slim defeat to Maryland. The tail end of that seven game run saw George Mason win their first three CAA games to put them in a strong position to get back to the postseason.

A swoon in the middle of league season with heavy defeats to James Madison and Hofstra as part of a stretch of three losses in four put the Patriots right back in trouble though and meant that they’d need to finish strong to end up in the CAA Top Four and back in the postseason. To their credit, Drake’s squad held their nerve and won three of their last four, including two crucial matches on the road to end league play with a third place finish in the league. With another shot at James Madison, GMU would fare much better, battling the Dukes to a 1-1 stalemate through one hundred ten minutes before falling on penalties. GMU may not have been able to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their national title with silverware, but they could be a little more content with the knowledge that 2010 had been another step in the right direction.

The next step on that path for George Mason will be without one of their best players in recent years, Jamaican attacker Omolyn Davis. Davis may have only played for two years with the Patriots after transferring from Lindsey Wilson College, but it’s no coincidence that George Mason’s uptick in form coincided with her taking the pitch. The Jamaican international was a massive physical presence on the field for the Patriots and her talents were rewarded by being selected in the early rounds of the 2011 WPS Draft. Davis’ ten goals and nine assists will be quite the task for Drake to replace in 2011, made all the more hard by the departure of midfielders Capricia Alston and Evan Feldman as well. Alston was the team’s second leading goalscorer in league play despite only starting four CAA matches.

Junior Tiana Kallenberger might be the team’s best hope in attack for 2011 after a five goal, seven assist output in her sophomore season. But those numbers were down notably from a blistering rookie campaign of nine goals and eight assists for the Patriots. More than two goals in CAA play will likely be necessary from Kallenberger if she’s to be the one to fill the big void Davis leaves behind in Fairfax.

Secondary options include senior Zania Barnum, a versatile leader for the Patriots who might also be used on the backline this seasons, and Irish senior Zoe Doherty, a youth international who made a big impact in her junior year with three goals and four assists despite just making five starts. If they can’t step up into being the primary offensive threats, then Mason might have to depend on one of a newcomer, the pick of whom appear to be Virginia native Liz Hodges, a powerful forward who could make her presence known sooner than later.

As noted above, there are some serious holes to fill in midfield. Mary Kate Lowry looks like the one sure thing on the Patriots and is capable of either playing out wide or as a defensive midfielder thanks to her aggression and ability in the air. Beyond her is many questions. Jazmin Cardoso is finally eligible after sitting out 2010 following a transfer from New Mexico State. Cardoso was very good for the Aggies as a freshman in 2009 after leading the team in goals with six. If she can replicate that form in an attacking midfield role this season, Mason could be just fine in the midfield. Two more transfers could also factor in with UMBC’s Nicole Clark and West Virginia ex-pat Casey Vornadore also ready to fight for time. Freshman Courtney Kim starred for FC Virginia in ECNL action and is another attacking playmaker option for the team.

With the uncertainty on offense, GMU might have to depend on its defense to carry the team towards the postseason this year. The backline will be led by hulking 6’0″ senior Kelly Thomas, a fast and physical presence on defense with a Howitzer of a leg that makes her dangerous on long set piece deliveries. There’s plenty of experience returning for GMU on the backline as well. Abby Zielinski started nineteen games for the Patriots last year and had three assists while finishing in third in minutes played last year. Nicole Peters is a big weapon in the air and could feature at full-back or up front if need be for Drake’s side. Alyssa Andersen is another versatile defender who could play either in back or in the midfield and had three goals last season for the Patriots as well.

After two seasons of being a backup with the Patriots, senior Alex Bodenschatz took full command of the starting job in goal last season and figures to fill the same role in Fairfax this season. The backup looks to be sophomore Lyndse Hokanson who saw a variety of mop-up duty for GMU last year, making a single start against American in her freshman season.

After a slow start to life as boss at GMU, Drake has done well to turn the program’s form around the past few seasons. Whether that was just a result of having the talented Davis at her disposal or instead a more widespread turnaround remains to be seen. With Davis collecting a paycheck in the pros though, GMU and Drake face a crossroads season. The Patriots probably don’t have enough in the tank to challenge for a league title, but it’s vital that they stay in the postseason mix, even without their Jamaican talisman. Nothing’s ever easy in the cutthroat world of the Colonial Athletic Association though, and Drake will have to squeeze every last drop out of her team to get back to the postseason again this year.

There aren’t many legendary players that make great coaches, but NORTHEASTERN‘s Tracey Leone has bucked that trend and then some. After a distinguished career at North Carolina, Leone built Clemson’s program up with hurricane force, as Clemson made the NCAA Tournament in all six seasons of her reign, culminating with a pair of Elite Eight appearances in 1997 and 1999. Leone then left to coach the U.S. U19 team and promptly brought home a world title in 2002, becoming the first person in the women’s game to win a world title as a player and as a coach. Leone was also on the bench as an assistant for April Heinrich’s 2004 Olympic Games winning side.

With plenty of individual and team silverware in the trophy cabinet, the hurricane took a backseat to husband Ray as an assistant at both Arizona State and Harvard. It looked as if the Leones were going to be a husband-wife coaching duo unless an unlikely opening emerged in the Boston area that wouldn’t separate the family. Fate would intervene when Ed Matz, who had built Northeastern into a regional mid-major contender, took on the task of rebuilding UMass. And thus, Northeastern pulled off one of the coaching hire coups of the century.

The hurricane is back and gathering force in Boston. Leone may very well have created a Clemson Mafia-esque situation with the Huskies, as her two assistants are both Tiger alums. Leone had big shoes to fill coming into Boston as Matz had presided over a team that had gotten to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 (after finishing twelfth a year before) and that had won the CAA league title in 2009, always a big achievement in a cutthroat league. The Huskies ended that season on the edge of the bubble after losing in the CAA Tournament, leading many to wonder if Leone could keep the momentum going in 2010.

The answer was a resounding no. Northeastern piled up wins against inferior teams but failed in their challenges against the strongest teams they faced, getting blown out by South Carolina and losing decisively against James Madison. Still, Northeastern won two of their first three league matches (on the road nonetheless) and had every chance of still making it to the postseason. But then, a five match winless run sunk its teeth in the Huskies, making the final three matches of the regular season a rather fruitless exercise. It was a shame that Northeastern started playing some of their best soccer down the stretch then, pounding UNC Wilmington, beating Georgia State, and then running league juggernaut Hofstra close in the season finale. 9-8-1 certainly wasn’t what Leone had in mind in her first year back in the saddle, but it wasn’t a disaster for a transition year either.

Leone’s not the type to settle for mid-table in anything though, so her Huskies will most definitely be aiming for a return to the postseason in her second season in charge. The second-year boss inherited one of the most cosmopolitan squads in all of college soccer with five international players on their books. One of those players, Scottish youth international Lesley Condie is among the five starters departing the Huskies this season. The defense is hardest hit with Condie, Dane Tinna Nielsen, and goalkeeper Sarah Fylak gone.

Fylak was quite the story for Leone’s Huskies, not even on the team in 2009 before returning for a fifth season in 2010. She split time with junior Michelle Sopko, who figures to open up camp as the starting goalkeeper this season. Whether she ends the preseason as the starter is anybody’s guess though as Leone brings in a talented rookie in Paige Burnett, who was impressive for West Coast FC in ECNL action last Fall.

Whoever takes post in between the sticks will have to hope for a little bit better support in front of her as the Huskies were a bit too lenient in defense last season. A couple of upperclassmen will lead the way with senior Kelly Matthews and Icelandic junior Sandra Magnusdottir patrolling the backline for NU this year after starting every match in 2010. Senior Laura Holmstedt is also an option after starting nine matches a year ago. The returnees will be boosted by the addition of highly touted recruits Allison Wilson and Alexandra Price to their ranks.

With some of the uncertainty in defense, Northeastern will likely look towards their offense to carry them towards the postseason. Despite the losses of star midfielder Kristen Blake and fellow midfielder Erin McGaffigan (who jumped ship to Matz’s UMass team), there’s plenty for Huskies fans to get excited about in attack. The deadly duo of Veronica Napoli and Greta Samuelsdottir, who ripped up opponents to the tune of seventeen goals and eight assists last year, both return and should be good for more goals this year. Napoli is only five goals away from breaking the school’s all-time goals mark and is eleven points away from breaking the all-time points record as well. Samuelsdottir is a full Icelandic international and the perfect second banana behind Napoli. The European import had eight goals and five assists last year and still has two more seasons to amplify her already immense talents.

Sadly, the team loses the services of Devin Petta, who was a sensation for the Huskies in her freshman season with fourteen goals and seven assists en route to winning the CAA Player of the Year award as a freshman. A serious injury stopped Petta, and the Huskies, in their tracks three games into the 2010 season. Freshman Maria Lanyi could also be a threat up top in attack for the Huskies and should provide good depth at the very least, along with Utah transfer Hanna Terry who had five goals and two assists in one season with the Utes and could be an unheralded find for Leone and co.

The losses in midfield could diminish some of the service the talented fleet of attackers gets this year, but sophomore Hillary Savoy looked talented beyond her years last season and should be the midfield leader this year. It might be slim pickings around her though, with English senior Kirby Anderson really the only other midfielder with a wide array of starting experience after nine starts in sixteen appearances last year.

Leone will likely have a much more settled squad in her second season and has quite the arsenal to work with in attack. Northeastern has enough firepower to pulverize just about anyone in the CAA, but their defense could prove a sizable Achilles’ heel without improvement. With Leone at the helm though, don’t bet against a significant rise up the table as she implements her system on the squad. The Huskies are a sneaky pick to bring home some silverware this year, but given the Head Coach, they probably won’t take anybody by surprise.

You have to marvel at the patience shown by the brass at UNC WILMINGTON. The Seahawks showed remarkable faith in coach in Paul Cairney despite years and years of existence at the bottom of the CAA food chain. Things finally began to change in 2006 after Wilmington posted a surprising second place in CAA play and finished in the Top 50 in the Final RPI. The Seahawks’ solid run of form continued in the years following with a second place finish in 2008 and a third place finish in 2009. 2009 also proved to be a landmark season in UNCW soccer history as the Seahawks toppled both Hofstra and James Madison in the Colonial Tournament to win their first piece of silverware and advance to their first NCAA Tournament in the process.

With those accomplishments in the bag, the big question was if Cairney’s Seahawks could prove they weren’t just a flash in the pan with a continued presence near the top of the CAA standings come 2010. Wilmington’s early season form was erratic to say the least, with UNCW trading wins and losses for six matches after losing their first two matches. A bad loss to Coastal Carolina at home was offset with a good win over East Carolina a week before league play started back up. A three game homestand to open up CAA action helped Wilmington build a three match winning streak to kickstart what they believed would be a CAA title challenge.

That notion faded with two losses in three matches to fellow title contenders, but wins over George Mason and Towson on the road seemed to still have Wilmington in a good position to get a chance to defend their crown come CAA Tournament time. All they would need was one single win in one of their last three fixtures to qualify for a spot in the conference tournament. But then, Wilmington were thumped in the first of those matches, 4-0, against Northeastern and they couldn’t recover, losing at both Hofstra and Georgia State to finish sixth in the league and out of the postseason for the first time since 2005. It was a disappointing conclusion to a season which had begun with high hopes.

Wilmington should be in a good position to rebound though. Cairney did a good job of spreading minutes around last season and returns a very experienced team for 2011. The Seahawks strong point last season was their defense, although in reality, it was only as good as the mid-table teams in the conference. The centerpiece of that defense is junior Lindsay Henry who is already well on her way to becoming one of the league’s best defenders after just two seasons of collegiate ball. Henry also showed an ability to chip in on the offensive end as well with two goals and three assists as a sophomore.

Also back is solid junior Jen Ludemann, who has been a fixture in the back for both of her seasons with UNCW thus far. Other contenders for defensive starting spots include Gretchen Scheffe, who started ten matches last year, and Meagan Simeone, who made six starts last season and had a game winner in extra time against Towson. Simeone’s also a contender for time in midfield.

The Seahawks will also be able to call upon a rising star among the CAA’s goalkeeping ranks with Caitlin Hunter likely to be the team’s starting goalkeeper after two years of being in between the sticks for Wilmington. Hunter began the season on the bench initially, watching Chandler Follett get the minutes, but was back entrenched in the starting role by CAA season. Follett returns as well, giving UNCW good depth in goal.

On offense, Wilmington had a lot of potential but ultimately were underwhelming in 2010. The focus of the attack was Stephanie Rose who followed up a successful freshman year with an equally strong sophomore campaign, nabbing eight goals and four assists, although to be far, three of those scores were from the penalty spot. Double digits is a reasonable goal for Rose in her junior season, especially if she still draws penalty kick duties.

Beyond Rose though, it might be tough sledding for the Seahawks going forward. There are plenty of players who made starts last season but precious few who actually hit the target. Junior Sara Kneeland could be a contender for minutes after two goals and three assists in just three starts and thirteen appearances after transferring from Tampa after the 2009 season.

The second best option would appear to be junior midfielder Amanda Holmes, who scored four goals to finish as the team’s second leading goalscorer even with a somewhat paltry tally. Holmes only started seven matches though and could be a solid scoring option if she starts full-time. Erin Pardini had a disappointing season by her high standards after two very strong years in Wilmington and will be looking to rebound in her final season with the Seahawks. The 2009 CAA Tournament MOP couldn’t hold down a spot in the first XI and only started seven matches last season but still has the quality to make a big impact if on form. The team loses Megan Novak who scored three goals last year, including a pair in CAA play, along with forward Nicole Panek. Like the forwards, UNCW has plenty of players who started a handful of games last year thanks to some epic chopping and changing (twenty-one players started at least five games) but are struggling for proven contributors beyond Holmes and Pardini.

An experienced team returning to Wilmington in 2011 should have Cairney and Seahawks fans expecting a serious push for the postseason in the always challenging CAA. The defense looks like it could be strong, but a one-dimensional offense utterly too reliant on Rose likely means a title challenge will be hard to come by for UNCW this year.

Home to one of DI’s more unique coaching arrangements, VCU has unfortunately not been the home of a lot of success on the pitch over the past few years. ’99er Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak and husband Tim Sahaydak had massive shoes to fill when they took over from current South Florida coach Denise Schilte-Brown who turned into something of a cult heroine in Richmond after two straight CAA titles, a CAA Tournament title in 2005, and an NCAA Tournament win over Clemson in 2005 as well. With many of Schilte-Brown’s charges still in the fold in 2006 and 2007, the Rams didn’t slip much although they did come up short in the postseason.

But cracks have started to emerge in VCU’s foundation as the seasons have rolled along. The Rams missed out on the postseason for the first time in 2008 after finishing seventh in the league. They repeated that feat the year after, sinking even further, tying for dead last in the CAA with Drexel. The murmurs of discontent were likely palpable as 2010 began for the Rams. VCU did what was expected early on in non-conference play beating teams they should have but not getting results against tougher foes, although a draw at St. John’s wasn’t bad. A three match unbeaten streak entering CAA play gave the Rams momentum.

Momentum which would be squandered unfortunately after VCU proceeded to lose their first three CAA matches and go their first six in conference without a win. In a league that takes only four teams to the postseason, the Rams were dead in the water after such a horrid run. Things didn’t really get better in VCU’s final five matches either, the Rams going 2-3-0 to finish in an unflattering tenth in the twelve team CAA. VCU ended up a whopping eleven points out of the postseason spots, hardly a sign of progress in the Sahaydak’s fifth season in charge.

It’s a good news, bad news situation for VCU coming into 2011. On one hand, the Rams look set to only lose one starter from last year’s young squad. On the other hand, that player may have been one of the best defenders in program history. Canadian Myriam Bouchard was a once in a generation type player for a program like VCU, one who can’t just be replaced easily. Bouchard, Canada’s captain at the 2008 U20 World Cup, capped off her career with the CAA’s Defensive Player of the Year honor. Quite the feat for a player on a tenth place team.

The Rams were comfortably in the middle of the pack defensively but will have to hope that they can respond well without their leader. That’ll be a little easier with most of the rest of the defense returning as well. Senior Meaghan Dullea is a three year starter and should hold the fort down well for the Rams this year. Also back is junior Carly Edgcomb who celebrated getting on the field after a transfer from Villanova with five assists for her new club. Another senior, Molly Allen, also returns after fourteen starts last year and is a Canadian U20 international. Adding depth to the ranks are Casey Boyer, a towering transfer from UCF, and Costa Rican international center-back Carol Sanchez, who could be a star at this level.

There should be plenty of intrigue in between the pipes this season as well. Megan Lynch started every match for the Rams last season but can hardly feel secure about her starting status with the addition of Virginia Tech transfer Kristin Carden. Carden’s a massive keeper who made a name for herself in Blacksburg with her penalty stopping ability before disappearing off the grid after the 2009 season. Now back with VCU, she could be one of the main keys to a successful season for the Rams.

Truth be told, VCU’s worries for 2011 probably lie at the other end of the pitch. A decided lack of firepower curtailed any postseason hopes in 2010, and the Rams have similar question marks over their offense this year. Breiana White looked to be in a position to solve any problems in offense for VCU after having scored six goals and an assist in non-conference play, but she suffered a head injury mid-season and missed ten matches for the Rams, including all but one CAA match. Obviously having White healthy and on form would go a long way in solving some of VCU’s issues in attack. White’s a versatile player who can play just about anywhere on the pitch, meaning she’s not guaranteed to be up front for VCU at the start of the season.

Another option could be sophomore Bex Kunz who was a dynamic threat in her freshman season with four goals and five assists while leading the team with a pair of match winning goals. Kunz’s form eroded in CAA play, and the first-year player was only good for a single goal in league action. If she can get on track in conference matches, she could be the star forward that the Rams have been craving for so long. Another attacker to watch is Brazilian senior Azania. Azania had been something of a disappointment through her first two and a half seasons, flitting in and out of the starting lineup while only scoring intermittently. But the Brazilian scored five goals in VCU’s last three matches, giving Rams fans hope that the team might have caught lightning in a bottle with the senior. VCU will be hoping that the enigmatic Brazilian has finally figured it out and can end her career on a high note.

The best option for 2011 though might be one brand new to the program. Canadian sophomore Courtney Conrad was a smashing success at Jacksonville last season with eight goals and four assists for the Dolphins, tying for the team lead in both goals and game-winning goals with four. If Conrad can deal with the moderate jump in class from the A-Sun to the CAA, then VCU could make a significant leap forward offensively. Also worth watching up front are Aisha Allen, who rebounded from an injury hit 2009 to post two goals and four assists, and Norwegian freshman Maren Johansen, a dangerous 1v1 threat both centrally and out wide.

The midfield loses New Zealand product Leah Gallie but still returns some decent talent and experience. Senior Heather Hovanesian has overcome an injury plagued beginning of her career to turn into a fine contributor and started all eighteen matches for VCU last year. Sophomore Taryn Cressy nailed down a starting spot as a freshman and scored a pair of goals in league play as well. Reserves Gabby Wilson and Jessica McNamara are joined by another Costa Rican import in Cristin Granados. Granados, like Sanchez, has been a mainstay in the Costa Rican national team and could be used as a playmaker for the Rams.

The loss of Bouchard can’t be understated, but VCU should feel relieved they get just about everyone else back. The additions of Conrad, Carden, and the internationals could be the key for the Rams this year. If the defense can hold it together and the newcomers work out for VCU, they could very well be the surprise package of the league in 2011.

The Blue Hens of DELAWARE have lived out a largely sleepy existence in both their former home in the America East and now as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association since 2002. Third place finishes in the CAA in 2003 and 2005 had some hoping that the Blue Hens would use their new bigger home as a springboard to the success that had eluded the program thus far in its history. Instead, as the ranks of the league have swelled, Delaware has slipped back into the pack, having now gone without a trip to the postseason every season since 2005. With the CAA’s recent move to a four team conference tournament, the Blue Hens are now even further from the postseason.

Finishes of ninth, eighth, eighth, seventh, and eighth over the past five seasons seem bound to bring up questions of whether the program is going in the right direction under the only head coach the team has ever known in Scott Grzenda. 2010 started out with some promise after four wins in five, albeit some severely manufactured promise as three of those wins were against teams that would finish in the 300s in the final RPI. Against sterner opposition, Delaware struggled, losing their last three matches in non-conference play.

Anyone expecting the Blue Hens to show their best in league play would have been sorely disappointed as Delaware won only one of its first eight matches in CAA action. By the time UD was able to win their final three matches of the season, their postseason hopes had already been dead buried a long time ago. You can’t help but thing it’s a real shame that Delaware waited until all the pressure was off to play their best soccer of the season. While the final W-L-T record for Delaware was roughly in line with their other final records in this five year cycle, it’s nonetheless difficult to ignore the program’s lowest RPI finish (201) in that same cycle.

Grzenda may have his best team in a while to throw onto the pitch in 2011 though. The only losses to the starting core are on the back line, where imposing center-back Ilyssa Friedman and UMBC transfer turned Delaware leader Morgan Warrington both depart. Warrington was arguably the Blue Hens’ best player last season, and UD will need to find a suitable replacement in quick order to keep the defense humming.

The leader of the Blue Hens defense figures to be senior Laura Klebe who has gradually grown into a constant on the Delaware backline. Also likely to be heavily involved is sophomore Dianna Marinaro who started eighteen matches last year after transferring from South Florida. Marinaro is versatile enough to play in midfield as well but given the team’s defensive losses, should feature prominently in defense this year. Junior Taylor Thompson started seventeen matches as a freshman but only played in six matches last year. Reserves and freshmen figure to fill gaps, but this unit certainly has some questions hanging over it.

The goalkeeping situation looks settled at least, with Breanna Stemler likely to feature in her senior season after starting sixteen matches as a junior last year. Sophomore Jessica Levy could poach minutes after starting three matches as a freshman as well.

On the whole though, this team’s problem wasn’t defense but instead, offense, in CAA play in 2010. Perhaps it’s a good sign then that the team’s leading scorer in league play, super-sub Amy Pickard, got an extra season of eligibility after missing the 2009 campaign through injury. Pickard has the potential to be a real difference maker as her eight goals and three assists as a freshman detail. But Pickard hasn’t topped that number in two seasons combined.

The team’s other best returning offensive threats all remain very young but with reasonable upside as well. Junior Ali Miller is the old hand, so to speak, and will be looking to up her game as the team’s leader on offense now. In her second year with the Blue Hens, Miller tallied six goals and five assists with a pair of match winners on the season. She was less effective against league opposition though, scoring only twice in CAA action.

She should be ably assisted up front by New York native Shannon Kearney, whose five goals and two assists were good enough to see her earn CAA All-Rookie team honors last year. The team does feel the blow of losing Andrea Luttio, who may have only started three matches in her freshman year but still made an impact nonetheless, scoring four goals and three assists. Upperclassmen Stacie Dulkis and Tania Domingos should also be in the mix for major minutes up front.

The midfield might also be a destination for some of those forwards considering the lack of starting experience coming back for the Blue Hens. Leigh Victory is really the only sure thing listed as a midfielder after starting nineteen matches last season. The senior will have to hold down the fort again with a lot of uncertainty around her. Chelsea Duffy, Brittany Bonzano, and Andrea Arnold all saw a handful of starts, but it remains to be seen if they can step up into starting roles. Freshmen could also make their presence known in this area.

If the forwards can start firing in league play with the same frequency as non-conference action, we could see Delaware have one of the better offenses in the league. If the team can draft in decent replacements for the lost defenders, the Blue Hens might climb a few spots in the table in 2011. But the team still seems to be lacking that star component that could propel them into the Top Six and postseason play.

It’s been a hard knock life for TOWSON, a program that has seen more conference homes than honors over the years. Towson’s luck being what it is, the only coach to win anything at the school, current Iowa coach Ron Rainey, bolted after one season with the Tigers in which he brought home an America East Tournament title. That was practically an eon ago in 1996, and it’s been a tough road for Towson ever since. A move to the Colonial in 2002 hasn’t borne fruit for the Tigers, with no appearances in the postseason to show for their trouble since the conference switch.

Greg Paynter is the latest coach to try their luck at turning Towson’s fortunes around, having taken over in 2007 after the resignation of Leslie Wray, who endured eight mostly unsuccessful seasons at the helm. A winning first season in which his side shot up all the way to #139 in the final RPI hasn’t been followed up upon with any further success. Three consecutive double digit loss seasons have the Tigers no closer to ending their long drought without something to roar about.

Towson was more than holding it’s own in non-conference play in 2010 with a surprising win at Penn being the highlight of a non-league campaign that saw them enter CAA play at 4-3-2. It was all downhill in league play though. Losing two of three on a homestand to begin the conference season immediately put Towson in a difficult spot, and the Tigers would only win once more in their final eight matches of the season. While that win was a nice feather in their cap, at Northeastern, it was still another wildly disappointing season for Paynter’s bunch. Towson failed to score in their final three matches and ended up finishing the season on seven points, a whopping twelve points out of a spot in the postseason and eleventh in a twelve team league.

Towson’s best hope of breaking out of their extended funk may lay in the hands of senior goalkeeper Jocelyn Papciak, one of the best keepers in the league. After splitting time in goal for her first two seasons with the Tigers, Papciak earned the job on a full-time basis in her junior year, playing every minute in goal for Towson. The senior made the most of her chance, posting career bests in the major statistical categories and earning All-CAA Second Team honors in the process. Reps behind Papciak could be in short supply as Towson comes into camp with a whopping six goalkeepers on the roster. Five are true or redshirt freshmen, meaning it’s going to be a crowded race for whatever backup minutes there are. Erin Quinn, a true freshman, is a nice prospect for the future and could be next in line behind Papciak.

The unit in front of Papciak figures to be weakened though by the loss of Melissa Gomes. Gomes found herself in the odd position of leading the team in goals despite being listed as a defender. Gomes didn’t just prey on weak non-conference foes either, as three of her five goals came in CAA play. The team looks very, very thin on defense with just five defenders listed on the roster. And of those five, Kelsey Ports is the only one with starting experience from last year, and just a paltry nine games at that. She and key reserve Shawnee Nicholas will be among the favorites for starting spots with freshmen and other converts likely to fill other slots.

Another major loss for Towson is Samantha Young, a forward who scored both of her goals last season in league play. Offense as a whole figures to be a major sticking point for the Tigers in 2011, as the team only managed a paltry eighteen goals last year and averaged less than a goal in both CAA play and over all competitions. Young forwards Cheyenne Skidmore and Emily Banes figure to be the best hopes for Towson going forward. Skidmore led the team in assists with five last year while also chipping in with three goals to put her in a tie for the team lead in points.

Banes made an immediate impact for the Tigers despite starting just over half of the team’s matches in her freshman year. A three goal and four assist haul was a decent start to a career in a season in which she won CAA All-Rookie Team honors. Allie Boubouheropoulos and Katie Holtzapple also return up front, the latter having had three assists as a freshman, but were mostly silent in front of goal last year.

The returning midfield is functional but vastly experienced. Seniors Annie Hillin, Courtney McKee, and Kim Speese started every match for the Tigers last season and all return again this season for their last year of eligbiliity. Adding to that, another senior, Kaysi Ward, started twelve matches last season, including the last ten. What this unit didn’t offer up was a lot offensive fireworks, a problem given some of the offense’s worries. Most of the depth figures to come from freshmen, who make up a lot of the Tigers’ midfield reserve corps this year.

With the loss of Young and Gomes, more will be expected of both Banes and Skidmore if this team is to make any move up the table. But given the frailties of the offense as a whole last season and a seeming lack of firepower coming in from new recruits this season, you wouldn’t bet on Towson being one of the last six teams standing in the CAA come November.

10th, 9th, 6th, 10th, 9th, 9th, 10th, 10th, 12th, 11th, 11th, 10th, 11th, 9th and an overall record of 67-169-20. DREXEL coach Ray Goon may not be Harry Houdini, but he’s doing a damn good impression of him to still be employed with such numbers after fourteen seasons in charge of the Dragons. We’re essentially talking about a team that hasn’t had a sniff of the postseason in their history. Drexel hasn’t really come close to even making it to .500 in all honesty. The closest the Dragons program has come to not having a losing season has been in 2007, and they still finished three matches under .500, not exactly a pedigree to be pointed to.

After 2009′s joint finish at the bottom of the CAA with VCU, Goon had nowhere to go but up relatively speaking. The Dragons split their non-conference season at 4-4-0 against fairly modest opposition, although a win over fellow City 6 member LaSalle at a neutral site was a feather in the cap of Drexel. Unfortunately for Drexel, that win was followed by having sand kicked in their eyes repeatedly by their league brethren at the beginning of CAA play.

Going winless in their first five all but sealed the Dragons’ postseason fate, even after winning three of their next four, including a 5-1 spanking of Old Dominion. Two losses to end the season just made things official. Extended runs of losses in a league like the CAA with lots of members and few postseason slots will kill a team every time, and so it was with Goon’s Dragons who were slain once again. The seven wins were tied for a program record, but that really just accentuates how bad Drexel has been over the years. This is a program that has only avoided double digit defeats once in their fifteen year history and is still desperately searching for a berth in the postseason after so many years of suffering.

On paper, it’s a little difficult to see how Drexel ended up just so far behind in the CAA postseason race. Their defense wasn’t great but wasn’t awful. The offense wasn’t really prolific but wasn’t hideous. Of course losing four games by a goal probably didn’t help matters. Neither did not having a consistent goalscorer. Instead, in CAA play it was largely scorer by committee.

The focus up front in 2011 figures to be on senior Jenna Lindsay who will likely take over as the program’s all-time leading goalscorer, standing just one behind Aleka Yiantsos as 2011 begins and has an outside shot of catching Yiantsos for the points crown as well. Four goals and four assists was a somewhat middling haul by most standards, but Lindsay still did manage to chip in with a pair of goals and assists in CAA play. Lindsay hasn’t really approached her excellent freshman season of 2008 where she scored ten times but still looks like the team’s top threat up front. The Dragons will likely be leaning heavily on the senior for goals in any run up the CAA table.

Lindsay will have to get it done without front line mate Kim Chiarelli who graduated after a two goal, five assists season in 2010. Jess Lowinger may also have a say in the offense in her junior year after a goal and five assists as a sophomore, with three of her helpers coming in league play. Upperclassmen Alex Vasquez and Ashley Klun could also feature after three goals each last year.

In midfield, the team returns Biz Matta and Courtney Wylie who both started every match last year. Other than that, there are a whole lot of question marks. Jourdan Halasz was a standout as a freshman in 2008 but has struggled with injuries the past two seasons. Jess Sarkisian and Sydney Douglas were key reserves but may not be ready for the step up to starter status. The team adds UMBC transfer Elyse Bilardo as well. A new youngster, freshman Alyssa Findlay, could also make an instant impact as she joins from Real New Jersey SC in the Fall.

The biggest question mark in defense is likely to come in goal. The Dragons should be in good hands though after completing a real coup in signing Canada U17 keeper Eve Badana. The Canadian youth international should win the starting job in camp and could be a key factor in the Dragons moving up the ladder in the Colonial. Badana may need to make some big saves if Drexel are to hold out hopes of a move up the table. Challenging her for the starting role should be sophomore Victoria Troccoli, who started five matches last season for the Dragons.

The backline returns plenty of starting experience for the new campaign. Sam Greenfield was a big hit as a rookie with three goals to tie her for second on the team in just twelve starts last year. Junior Megan Mahon also returns after starting all nineteen matches for the Dragons last year. Rachel Sheridan, Allie Mungioli, and Katie Duncan all return as well, making this one of the most experienced defensive units in the league. The Dragons’ D also fought through a swath of injuries last year, meaning they could show further improvement if they can stay healthy.

Much rests on the Dragons’ offense though who desperately needs someone to step up into a lead gun role. There doesn’t seem to be enough here for a run at the postseason in the ultra-tough CAA, but Drexel might contend for a spot in mid-table. That in of itself might be something to cheer about for the oft beleaguered Dragons.

After a recent pattern of great seasons in even-numbered years, OLD DOMINION had to have fancied their chances at a challenge for the CAA’s regular season or tournament titles in 2010. The Monarchs walked away with the CAA Tournament title in 2006 while ending up on the fringe of the bubble in 2008 after losing in a shootout to Hofstra in the CAA Tournament semi-finals. But instead of a title run, ODU ended up suffering through their worst season since 2003′s 3-9-5 disaster that saw the Monarchs finish in ninth place in a ten team league.

In 2010, there was no avoiding the basement for Old Dominion, who ended up bottom of the pile with a measly six points out of a possible thirty-three. ODU started out well enough, going 2-1-1 in their opening fixtures including a draw with Syracuse that would look much more creditable than in recent seasons past. But the Monarchs would then hit a big wall, only winning two of their final thirteen matches.

ODU’s marked lack of success was made all the more frustrating by how potent the team looked in front of goal at times last year. The Monarchs were shut out only twice in 2010, against Syracuse and North Carolina State. Old Dominion managed to score in each and every one of their final twelve matches but only came away with a pair of wins to show for it. As you might have guessed by now, the Monarchs’ capable offense was more than nullified by a ghastly defense. ODU was the worst defensive team in the CAA by a fair margin, conceding twenty-nine goals in league play. But that doesn’t quite reflect the gravity of the situation. The 2010 Monarchs were the worst defensive team since the league expanded to twelve teams for the 2005 season. In fact, no school had given up twenty-nine goals in CAA play since East Carolina’s 1995 side let through an astonishing forty-four goals in a seven match league season!

It might be a blessing or a curse, but all of the main protagonists from that cavalcade of defensive follies are back for 2011. In truth, ODU can’t get much worse defensively, and coach Joe Pereira will have to be hoping that the light goes on for his defenders ahead of this season. This group has shown a proclivity for getting involved in the offense as well. Big sophomore Amber Cook tied for the team lead in goals as a freshman with four, while senior Rachael Carroll tied for the team lead in assists with five, functioning as a real dead ball specialist.

Of course, none of that is very comforting if they can’t improve on the defensive end of the ball. Also returning from last year’s starting lineup in defense are senior Lisa Bernardini and Nikki Clarke. There’s returning experience in goal as well for the Monarchs. Brianna Alvarado completed her second year as ODU’s starting keeper and should be at the helm once again for Pereira’s side this year. Backing her up should be fellow junior Laura Bush, who has a handful of starts in her two years with the club thus far.

Most of the Monarchs’ losses are in midfield, where Ashley Kukura and Kirstin Walker depart. Kukura picked up CAA honors in her first three seasons in Norfolk and again claimed All-CAA Third Team honors in 2010 despite her side finishing rock bottom in the league. The key player back in the middle of the park should be senior Jocelyn Weidner, who had three goals and an assist for the team last season and has been a three year starter for the monarchs.

Much may depend on the ability of junior Ashlee Coutu to get back to form after a disappointing two goal return in 2010. Coutu had been a leading light as a freshman with nine goals and four assists but cooled off dramatically last year. There should also be more minutes for Meghan Cozens, who was mostly used off the bench last year but still made five starts. Top recruit Jessica Klamut could also feature immediately in the midfield or up top for ODU this year.

While ODU’s offense was more functional than dynamic, the Monarchs do get the major threats back for 2011. Senior Victoria Johnson led the team in scoring with four goals. That’s all a bit disappointing considering Johnson had scored nine goals and added seven assists as a freshman in 2008. The Monarchs also got three goals and an assist from sophomore forward Kate Kelly. Serving balls up for the attackers might be Kelly Evans, who was more provider than scorer at forward with five assists last year. Pereira will obviously be hoping one of the above steps up and threatens double digits, especially considering how fragile the defense might be.

If one of ODU’s misfiring attackers gets back on track, then they might really have something. Kukura’s departure hurts ODU, but minimal losses elsewhere could help Pereira’s team rebound to some extent. But with seemingly little in the way of new talent coming in to bolster the defense, a rise into the Top Six and into the postseason seems quite unlikely in 2011 for the Monarchs.

Projected Order of Finish

* = Projected NCAA Tournament Automatic Bid Winner

*1. Northeastern
2. Georgia State
3. James Madison
4. William & Mary
5. Hofstra
6. VCU
-
7. UNC Wilmington
8. George Mason
9. Delaware
10. Old Dominion
11. Drexel
12. Towson

Non-Conference Strength of Schedule Rankings (From Most to Least Difficult)

1. James Madison
2. Hofstra
3. George Mason
4. William & Mary
5. Northeastern
6. VCU
7. Old Dominion
8. UNC Wilmington
9. Delaware
10. Georgia State
11. Drexel
12. Towson

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