Gator Women Look to Rebound in 2006

Aug 28, 2006

Seven starters and 18 letterwinners return to a team that finished the year 10-5-2 by out-scoring their opponents 37-11. However, the Gators were on the outside looking in during the postseason tournament with a 4-3-1 conference record.

Gone from the 2005 team is a group of four seniors, all starters, who combined to bring home one all-region honor and three all-league awards. “The four seniors are going to be a big loss,” said second year head coach Mike Webber. “Each of them played in critical positions on the field. Ashley Rogerson, who was all-region the last two years, played up top, and in the middle was Jen Bilec, who ran the whole show, but unfortunately went down with a knee injury halfway through the year. We had Stacey Miller in the back and Beth Van Parys in the goal, so we were very strong defensively. Those are some huge holes to fill.”

Returning, however, are players who scored 26 of the team’s 37 goals scored last year, including sophomore midfielder Katie Murphy (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), who put in seven goals and dished out a team-high four assists en-route to being named honorable mention All-NCAC. Also returning is senior defender Robin Bunch (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon), who also earned All-NCAC Honorable Mention a season ago.

Leading the attack is junior Ashley Hughes (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), who scored four goals last season after putting seven into the back of the net as a freshman in 2004. Christy McShea (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) and Meghan Borden (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) return after scoring a trio of goals apiece last season, while Jillian Bolton (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton Central), who played in 11 games, looks to provide added leadership in the front.

“We are excited about who we return in the front, as well as everyone across the board,” said Allegheny head coach Mike Webber. “Ashley Hughes had a great freshman year, and we expect her goal scoring to get back. At the end of the year last season we had Meghan Borden on the left and Christy McShea on the right. Those are three very solid players coming back, and from what we’ve seen in the preseason we have three others pushing for playing time.”

The middle sees the return of Murphy, along with junior Jessica Heuer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township). Heuer saw action in a dozen games last season, as Kristin White (Los Alamos, N.M./Los Alamos) will see action in the middle after starting all 17 games last year in the back. Junior Rebecca Rotoloni (McMurry, Pa./Peters Township) switches to the midfield after playing in the front last year, scoring three goals, while junior Amanda Cargould (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and sophomore Sara Berner (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) look to add depth to the position.

“In the middle we have Katie Murphy back, and she is head and shoulders above where she was last year. She trained hard over the summer, and is all over the field in preseason training. The big question is who we are going to put around her.”

Bunch, Emily Spencer (Evergreen, Colo./Evergreen) and Kelsey Boivin (Albuquerque, N.M./ Albuquerque) started all 17 games last season, giving the Gators one of the most experienced defenses in the conference. Danielle Brigham (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) and senior Mackenzie Mosher (Walkill, N.Y./Walkill) return after playing in 13 and 11 games, respectively, in 2005, with Brigham starting three. Rachel Ryan (West Salem, Ohio/Northwestern), the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in softball last season, played in six games at the back with one start for the Gators.

At goalkeeper the team looks to fill in a big gap left by Van Parys, now an assistant coach with the squad. Looking to suit up between the pipes is a pair of players, senior Ashlea Villelo (Fayetteville, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) and freshman Michelle Welker (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield). Villelo was a member of the team in 2003 and 2004 before spending a semester at sea last year.

“Ashley coming in is more technical and fundamentally sound,” said Van Parys, the goalkeeper coach. “She also knows the team. Michelle is very raw right now, but has quite a bit of athleticism and does some very good things in the box. She is not as strong technically, but she gives us a presence in the box.”

“They both have to come and compete every day,” said Webber. “If we have to go a little while to sort it out, we will. They are both going to have a shot the whole season.”

The schedule starts with a tournament at Nazareth College, facing off against host Nazareth before facing perennial powerhouse William Smith. With five of their next seven games at home, including strong regional teams in Westminster, Frostburg State and Carnegie Mellon, the team will get their fare share of tough competition before jumping right into the conference season on September 30 against Kenyon.

“Our conference has two teams ranked in the top 20, and another receiving votes, so if we aren’t playing top-30 teams in the non-conference season, we won’t be ready,” noted the second-year head coach. “That’s why we are going to Nazareth to play William Smith, who was ranked as high as fifth in the country last year, and Nazareth, who is a top-25 team. You sprinkle that with Carnegie Mellon, Westminster and Penn State Behrend, all ranked in the region, and we have a very difficult non-conference season.”

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