Season Preview: New-look Kats ready for 2017
8/15/2017 3:51:00 PM | Soccer
HUNTSVILLE – There are plenty of reasons to believe 2017 will be a turnaround season for Sam Houston State soccer. Despite that, the Bearkats understand it comes down to executing on the field.
Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Tom Brown, Sam Houston opens its campaign on Friday, taking on CSU Bakersfield as part of the UTRGV Tournament. As we gear up for the opener, here is a closer look at this year's team.
NEW SEASON, NEW-LOOK SQUAD
Following a disappointing 2-16-1 record a season ago, Sam Houston overhauled its roster this offseason with a renewed focus on restoring a program that set a team Southland Conference record win total in 2014 and reached the league tournament championship a season later.
In late January, Sam Houston announced three mid-year additions in Carlota Suarez-Crespo, Carly English and Briana Woodall. The players competed in the squad's spring games and practices.
“I think there are renewed expectations to make this upcoming spring and fall a better season and back to the quality we normally play,” Brown said following the signings. “I think these three players coming in can be impact players for us. We are glad to get them into the system now and not have to wait to have to integrate them.”
The Bearkats welcomed eight incoming freshmen including three defenders (Ellie Chapple, Baylee Ford and Riley Pfannenstiel), three midfielders (Courtney Pawlik, Mackenzie Smith and Riley Kaderli) and two forwards (Sammi Mayock and Daisy Ervin). Six of the eight signees hails from Texas while Ervin and Chapple come to Huntsville from Phoenix, Ariz., and Broken Arrow, Okla., respectively.
The latest addition came in June as goalkeeper Christina Hendershot followed in the footsteps of Crespo, coming over from Tyler Junior College. The incoming junior boasted a 1.02 goals against average and received NJCAA Region 14 Honorable Mention honors and was NJCAA All-Academic Second Team.
POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN
Goalkeeper:
Anna Kaiser returns in the net from a season ago after playing in 18 games including 14 starts as a true freshman. She posted a team-high 13 saves on Sept. 23 against Houston Baptist and added 10 more against Alabama on Aug. 18.
The Oakdale, Minn., product adds experience to a unit welcoming a pair of transfers in Wood and Hendershot. The group has been working alongside first-year assistant coach and former Missouri State assistant Cory Herchenroeder.
“I feel we strengthened our goalkeeper position by adding Christina,” Brown said. “She, Anna and Lauren have been able to push each other and I think we will get a more consistent performance in that position. Cory has done a great job working with them and putting a developmental plan together.”
Defenders:
Sam Houston's biggest overhaul from a season ago comes along the backline. The Kats allowed a league-high 3.53 goals per game in 2016 and were the only conference school that did not record a clean sheet.
The Bearkats do return a key piece in Ashley Long, one of two seniors on the team. The San Antonio product has played 31 matches in three seasons and is joined by fellow returner Whitney Woodward, who started 19 matches last year.
Jessica Hernandez made eight starts as well last year and will help direct a unit welcoming three freshmen (Chapple, Pfannenstiel and Ford) as well as English, a transfer from Mississippi State.
“This will be a new look group this season,” Brown said. “I feel we added several strong freshmen to the mix this year. Carly English joined us as a transfer at midterm and has been a great addition to the team. Whitney returns after playing more minutes than any player last season. Senior Ashley Long has a lot of experience in the back and that will help bring along some of the new players.”
Midfielders:
Arguably the strength of this year's squad could be found in the midfield. The unit has impressed with its athleticism through fall practice and has shown the ability to help transition into the attack and create opportunities to ease a defense that appeared under duress much of 2016.
The seven-member position is headlined by senior Beryl Smith who made 15 starts last year and finished tied for second on the team in assists. Junior returners Meredith Carlson and Bailey Strong join the Woodlands native. The duo played in 16 and 14 matches respectively in 2016.
According to Brown, the newcomers have been just as exciting to watch this fall.
“They are probably our deepest group of players,” Brown said. “Briana Woodall transferred in at midterm and Courtney Pawlik is a freshman newcomer. Both of them have impressed in the midfield by some very experienced players. Kenzie has gotten better every day and will impact this position as well.”
Forwards:
With a year under their belt and an influx of talent, the Bearkats trust the offense could go from being a point of instability, ranking near the bottom of the league in shots per game (11.42) and goals per game (0.79) last year, to a strength.
Six forwards are backed with another year of experience while Suarez-Crespo shined at Tyler Junior College; Mayock was an offensive MVP at Round Rock High School and Phoenix, Ariz., native Daisy Ervin was a D1 High School All-Section Second Team honoree at Pinnacle High School.
“Several players who were freshmen last season, Taylor (Pritchard) and Katy (Johnson), had a great spring season,” Brown said. “I think they are ready to contribute to a successful attack. Carlota Suarez joined us in January after scoring 24 goals last year for Tyler JC. She has been very good in training. Sammi and Micaela (Birt) have done well playing as a central forward.”
