Current success has roots in building process
11/24/2009 8:00:00 AM | Soccer
During the past two seasons, the Sam Houston State women's soccer team has produced its two most successful seasons, posting a school record nine match victories both in 2008 and 2009 and producing its highest Southland Conference finish this fall with a fourth place ranking and a 5-4 winning league record.
The foundation for that success came through the hard work of the young women who joined and played for the new program in the five seasons from 2003 to 2007.
"There was a lot of work by a lot of people building this program from the ground up," current Sam Houston State head coach Tom Brown said. "Now its up to the current team to take that foundation and keep moving up to new levels."
Sam Houston State officially opened its women's soccer program on August 29, 2003 with more than 1,000 fans packing Pritchett Field for a contest against nationally-ranked SMU. Katy Harris scored the first goal for the Bearkats in that contest. The first victory for the Bearkats came on Aug. 31 with the Kats blanked Texas Southern 17-0.
The Bearkats went 0-12 in that first season in the Southland Conference, but bounced back to pick up their first league win over Southeastern Louisiana in the final home contest of the 2004 season. Tynice Friday smacked a shot into the back of the net on a pass from Adrianna Harris in the final second of extra time for a 1-0 win over the Lions.
Friday and Kim Brown, both members of the first Sam Houston team in 2003, became the program's first top goal scorers. Brown still is co-owner of the school record for most goals in one season with her 11 tallies in 2003. Brown completed her Bearkat career with 19 goals while Friday scored 16 as a two-year letter winner in 2003-04.
Melissa Sauceda was the Bearkats' first goalkeeper and established several top marks during her four-year career. She holds the school record for most saves in a season (162 in 2005) and in a career (515 in 2003 to 2006).
In 2005, the Bearkats showed they had arrived as a competitor in the Southland Conference race, finishing league play 3-3-1 to earn their first berth in the Southland Conference post-season tournament.
Sam Houston knocked off Louisiana-Monroe 2-1 in the first round, upset top seed Stephen F. Austin 3-1 in the semifinals and forced Northwestern State into overtime before falling in the finals 1-0.
Brown, Sauceda, Toffie Chavez and Raquel Bueno all were named to the All-Tournament squad and Bueno was named as the tournament "Most Valuable Player."
In the Bearkats' first five seasons six players earned All-Southland Conference honors included Brown, Bueno, Chaves, Friday, Yoanna Garcia and Danielle Porth. Bueno completed her career as Sam Houston's all-time scoring leader with 27 goals. Garcia scored 18 in her career.
Marcia Oliveira, Sam Houston's first women's soccer coach, left the program to become head coach at the University of South Dakota following the 2005 season. A total of 45 student-athletes earned Sam Houston State letters as members of the teams from 2003 to 2007.
"Although the program is just seven years old, Sam Houston State women's soccer has a tradition of hard work both on the field and in the class room," Brown said. "As we build toward future success, we have to remember the contributions made by those who helped get this program off the ground."
