August 21, 2009

2009 Roster

2009 Schedule

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University Women's Soccer finished 2008 with a final record of 10-7-2 overall while winning the now-defunct United Soccer Conference (USC) Tournament Championship.  The 10 wins marked the third consecutive year that the program attained at least 10 victories, and was the 11th overall 10-win campaign in the 15-year history of the program.  Sixteenth-year head coach Todd Dyer, a 1993 graduate of Longwood, has an overall record of 166-96-15 (.626) as the founder and head coach of the program.  He is assisted by associate head coach Steve Brdarski who is entering his sixth year at Longwood.  The Lancers will compete as an NCAA Division I Independent during 2009 and return nine starters among 17 letterwinners from 2008, and have now compiled an overall record of 38-30-7 over the past four seasons.  Coach Dyer comments on the upcoming campaign below.

16th-Year Head Coach Todd Dyer
“We've gotten to a point with our program where we've established a winning tradition at the Division I level, so the next step is to try and see just how good we can be.  It's no longer a situation where we're going out there and playing for respect.  We want, and expect, results every time we take the field and that doesn't change when we face the stronger teams and conferences.  We've built a roster this year that has the talent and depth to do something special, so now it's just a matter of getting focused and doing the work.  We all look forward to the journey ahead.”

The Senior Class: #16 Ashlee McConnell (F-Carlisle, Pa.), #17 Brenda Cary (MF-Bristow, Va.), #19 Michelle DeSieno (F-Centreville, Va.), #2 Tia Nardella (MF-Brookline, Mass.), #6 Kaylyn Mahon (MF-Spring Grove, Pa.)
“Of all four classes, our senior group is the smallest of the bunch, however, that won't limit their effect on the season or the legacy of their careers.  Ashlee is one of our hardest workers and a true team leader, and we'll count on her to get up and down the field at the outside midfield position.  Tia is another wide midfielder and real 'slasher' the way she creates with her pace, change of direction, and dribbling ability.  Michelle's tricky feet in the attacking third allows her to pull off some pretty amazing moves in tight situations and we hope to see that continue along with her goal tally.  Brenda is fundamentally sound and 'blue collar' with her work in central midfield.  Kaylyn is coming off of her second ACL repair of the same knee and is eager to get back into the swing of things on the field.”

The Junior Class: #26 Marcia Biddle (GK-Woodbridge, Va.), #11 Kayla Huggins (D-North Haven, Conn.), #12 Alex Myers (MF-Stafford, Va.), #23 Halie Romasco (MF-Yorktown, Va.), #15 Lauren Trizna (D-Manassas, Va.), #29 Jessica Varela (MF-Midlothian, Va.)
“The junior class has experienced a winning record each of its first seasons, so we're counting on them to make sure that it continues this year.  Marcia has established herself in goal and continues to get stronger with her communication and play in the air.  Alex has established herself as one of our biggest goal scoring threats especially with her ability to shoot from distance.  Kayla hasn't lost a step so we'll have to see if her pace helps us the most up front or in the back.  Lauren remains one of our strongest and most consistent defenders at outside back.  Halie has played herself into a solid role for us at outside midfield and I'm sure she wants even more of the action this year.  Jessica has a fresh start with us and we'll count on her to be a creative 1 v. 1 player for us in the front third.”

The Sophomore Class: #7 Katie Devlin (MF-Fairfax), #20 Claire Hundley (MF-Norfolk, Va.), #28 Alecia McConnell (D-Carlisle, Pa.), #1 Kristen McGough (GK-Round Rock, Texas), #25 Kacie Oliver (MF-Portsmouth, R.I.), #4 Soraya Serra (MF-Round Hill, Va.), #10 Dylan Spicker (F-Chesapeake, Va.), #5 Mackenzie King (MF-Stafford, Va.), #14 Hope Woods (MF-Melrose, Fla.), #21 Erica Wallace (D-Virginia Beach, Va.)
"As a whole class, our sophomores 'got a taste' in their first season last year and I'm sure they've used that experience to prepare for a greater impact this fall.  Kacie had a tremendous first year, so the expectations are even greater now as we decide whether to use her in central defense or push her up into midfield.  Dylan can give us a lot of quality minutes at the forward position with her athleticism and work rate, but we'd like to see her reap some of the rewards by scoring a few goals for herself.  Katie is another key player coming back from injury but we have absolute confidence she'll have no problems re-establishing herself on the field.  Max came to us last spring and had an immediate impact in central midfield and we expect that to continue through the fall season.  Claire, Erica, Soraya, Alecia, Hope, and Kristen will undoubtedly want more playing time and they'll have every opportunity to earn those minutes.”

The Freshman Class: #13 Lindsey Booth (F-Mechanicsville, Va.), #0 Kyra Byron (GK-Richmond, Va.), #9 Nikki Glisson (F-Mechanicsville, Va.), #18 Natalie Massey (F-Virginia Beach, Va.), #8 Lindsey Ottavio (F-Fairfax, Va.), #22 Kendall Sanders (D-Chester, Va.), #24 Lyndsay Wilshaw (MF-Spotsylvania, Va.), #3 Courtney Zamparello (MF-Midlothian, Va.)
“We're excited about this group of talent that will be joining us.  It's not only a large group, but one that is very diverse and capable of having an immediate impact in a variety of positions for our team.  I look forward to seeing how they all work themselves into the team and lineup as each player in this group has the ability and opportunity to go out and leave her mark in this first season.  It's getting harder and harder for our first-year players to get on the field so the key for these players will be how prepared they are mentally and physically when they report to preseason.  Then it's just a matter of getting comfortable with the speed of play and doing the things on the field that they were brought here to do.  I'd like to see a few of them challenge for starting positions so that Steve and I have some tough decisions to make.”

The Schedule
Home Matches: VCU (Exhibition), Coastal Carolina (Longwood Tournament), Charleston Southern (Longwood Tournament), Radford, Appalachian State, Campbell, Wright State, NJIT
Away Matches: Virginia Wesleyan (Exhibition), Northeastern, Sacred Heart, Richmond, Mount St. Mary's, VMI, Liberty, Tennessee Tech, Virginia Tech, South Carolina State, Francis Marion, Howard
“Steve does all of our scheduling and once again he's put together a very challenging and diverse slate for our team.  We're excited to host our first in-season tournament and are also eager to test ourselves on the road.  As a Division I Independent we'll have to post a very successful record to gain attention on a regional and national level, but that's a goal our players have been talking about since last season.  We certainly have the schedule to be noticed if we can earn our share of quality wins.”