ABILENE – Expectations are high once again for the Abilene Christian soccer program, which in six short years has become the team to beat within the Lone Star Conference and South Central Region.
Following three straight years of gradual improvement, the Wildcats exploded for 17 victories in 2010 and then bettered their record in 2011 by going 20-2-1 and reaching the NCAA quarterfinals. The program's résumé also includes three All-Americans, two conference and one regional title, plus an overall winning percentage of .662 (64-31-7).
The players have rightfully received a lion's share of the credit for the team's early successes but ACU head coach
Casey Wilson also has done a tremendous job of recruiting and retaining the right players.
Case in point is his 2009 recruiting class that's about to enter its final season.
Julie Coppedge,
Katherine Garner,
Krysta Grimm,
Arielle Moncure and
Lexi Stirling were Wilson's only recruits that summer but quickly became the nucleus for ACU's three winningest teams. Coppedge and Stirling have been starting-lineup staples since their first day on the pitch, while Grimm and Garner made their biggest impacts in 2011.
Moncure, meanwhile, has patiently been waiting in the wings for her opportunity to be the everyday starter. The Leawood, Kan., native, first backed up Crissy Lawson in 2009, before splitting minutes with another conference goalkeeper of the year in
Elliott London during parts of 2010 and 2011. Moncure won two of her four starts in 2010 with 17 saves and then stopped 26 shots last year during 276 minutes of play.
“Because she's been here three years and played in a number of games, the transition for Arielle and her teammates has been a smooth one,” Wilson said. “We're very comfortable with her in goal and are more than confident in her skills. She's smart and agile, and I think she's more than ready to accept this challenge and have it be her own.”
Wilson added that he's been especially impressed with Moncure's shot blocking abilities from the penalty line, and has served as a good mentor for first-year goalkeeper
Shyann Waters, an all-district first team selection from Gatesville High School.
Also new to the team is Wylie High School graduate Cody Ramos who played collegiately for three years before coming to ACU to serve as its first true goalkeeping coach.
“Goalkeepers always need more individual attention and Cody is someone who can provide them with experience and a working knowledge of the game,” Wilson said. “The relationship between him and the players is a good one and it's great to have him around to sharpen and develop their skills.”
Wilson also is receiving more assistance with the position players after bringing back Wildcat alumnae Bree Craig. A former midfielder, Craig appeared in all 79 matches from 2007-10 and was one of the program's first four-year letterwinners along with Ashley Simon.
Wilson considers Craig a great player and person and is excited to have her back with the program.
“She's a rare find … definitely the right kind of person for this job,” he said. “The girls respect her. They can relate and listen to her, but at the same time she can also offer a different perspectives on the game to the rest of the coaches.”
Along the defensive line, Garner is slightly banged up but is expected back by the start of conference play. Stirling and
Brie Buschman will anchor the formation during her absence alongside two relative newcomers in
Stephanie Heron and
Taylor Brown.
Heron transferred to ACU last year from Mt. San Antonio College and scored one goal as a reserve midfielder through her 21 appearances. Brown played in just five games as a freshman, but is now expected to play somewhere in the middle, while Heron will be positioned on the outside.
Freshmen
Lindsey Jones and
Mandy Stratton may also get some extended looks on defense and at midfield. Jones played for one of the nation's best high school teams at McKinney Boyd and was a key part of their 2011 squad that won the state championship and finished with a No. 2 national ranking from
ESPNRISE.
Stratton, a native of Minnesota, not only excelled in her role as a central midfielder, but was also a decorated middle distance runner for her track team and was part of her school's Nordic skiing team.
Wilson said these players' level of versatility is key to getting them more minutes on the field.
“Lindsey understands a lot of positions and has played everything from defense to outside mid and I think Mandy could play any position without it hurting us. She's been a very nice surprise in camp,” Wilson said. “It's going to help the team by using both of these girls in different ways.”
Coppedge will continue to direct the midfield, a position from where she has earned three all-conference citations on the strength of 10 career goals and 16 assists. Last year Coppedge extended her consecutive matches played streak to 63 while dishing out a team-high seven assists. Her lone goal came in the season opener vs. Dallas Baptist, which ACU went on to win in overtime, 2-1.
Coppedge was among the conference leaders with 19 points the year prior, and as a freshman she scored four times, but Wilson said the Amarillo native brings so much more to the team than just offense.
“Julie is the glue that holds us together and gets us moving in the right direction,” he said. “She controls the flow and pace of the match through her leadership skills, and is a simply extraordinary individual both on an off the field.”
Patrolling the midfield next to Coppedge for a third straight year will be junior
Jacey Ferrara, who has quietly stretched her own consecutive starts streak to 43. Ferrara doesn't fire a ton of shots, and has only scored two goals in her career, but her most recent one was also her most memorable as it pushed the Wildcats past Midwestern State and into the third round of the NCAA Championship.
Stationed along the outside are two very quick and aggressive wings,
Ashley Craig and
Whitley Lindholm, both of who Wilson considers to be an integral part of ACU's attack. Craig picked up more starts as the 2011 season progressed and finished with two goals and six assists to finish one behind Coppedge, while Lindholm buried five goals in her 23 starts.
Lindholm also is someone Wilson can expect to play up top with the likes of Grimm and two-time All-American
Andrea Carpenter.
After starting just six matches in her first two years at ACU, Grimm really came into her own in 2011, scoring a career season high 26 points on 10 goals and six assists and launching a conference best 100 shots. Grimm also started all 23 matches and her efforts earned her a spot on the all-conference second team.
As for Carpenter - ACU's varsity record holder in points (83) and goals (38) - she wore a target on her back all season long in 2011, but still produced a first team All-America season that included 35 points and 16 goals, eight of which were game-winners. Carpenter was named the Lone Star Conference's Preseason Player of the Year earlier this summer, giving her a total of 11 conference awards through two seasons.
“It's nice to have this many juniors and seniors that have logged a lot of minutes,” Wilson said. “Most of the girls here have started since they were freshmen … two of our seniors have played close to every match, as have five of our juniors the last two years. The feeling in camp is one of confidence, very similar to what we had last year and that's because our core unit is still in tact.”
ACU continues its training camp through the end of the weekend, starts classes Monday, and then begins defense of its regional title Friday at Dallas Baptist.
