| Pushing
for Top 10 |
 |
Texas
A&M
The
Aggies rebound big time with ten starters bringing them close to a Top
10 ranking and a dog fight for the Big 12 title. Coach Guerrieri's
spring team is very young still with eight freshmen or sophomore
returning starters and two more as top reserves in Chorn and
Offett. Thrasher, Remington and Peters
are reliable on offense and only Emily Elias departure from the
back leaves a hole. The midfield may still be the youngest in Division
1, but now it is much much more experienced and solid. After some
growing pains in '98, this team picks up where it left off in '97-making
a move atop the nation's elite.
|
 |
Connecticut
Coach
Tsantiris has huge holes to fill with the loss of McCann,
Carabino, Flowers and the Tietjen sisters but
enough talent to be a Top 10 bubble team. Four current freshmen,
including '98 National Freshman of the Year Mary Frances Monroe,
will be much improved and be big factors. Four key freshmen and soph
reserves will need to step up immediately for the departing personnel.
This would be another young team with only one current junior on the
roster and all other key positions filled by current freshmen and
sophomores. Still, the Huskies have enough skill on the field to push
for another Top 10 season.
|
 |
William
& Mary
Five
juniors will attempt to get the Tribe back to the Quarterfinal Round
after missing in '98. With 8 starters, W&M is one of the more
experienced programs even without recruits. Almost 93% of the scoring
offense returns so scoring goals will be no problem for Coach John
Daly's team. Shoring up the defense with reserves Webb and
Atkins will be critical with the departure of All America Stephanie
Loehr and fellow defender Whitney Paynter. The Tribe would
be one of the more in-synch teams if the season started today.
|
 |
Nebraska
A
very talented and possibly one of the deepest squads in the nation
despite the loss of Engesser, Gay and Hogan. If
the Cornhuskers are the #14 team in the nation this spring, then just
how strong is the Big 12 with two teams ranked ahead of them? Coach
Walker will have one of the more well-balanced teams in the nation
as several key freshmen reserves and sophomore sub Julie Greco
have enough experience to step up for the departing players. Kelly
Rheem will be key in replacing Kim Engesser while the defense might
be one of the stingiest in the land.
|
 |
Florida
The
'98 National Champs are given a generous ranking here with the biggest
losses of any Division 1 team. POY Fotopoulos is gone along with
starters Flaherty, Baxter, Doran, Ward
and part-timer Pini. Current freshmen got lots of experience in
'98 and a deep roster will keep the Gators afloat even before new
recruits are added. Coach Burleigh loses over 50% of her scoring
as a total of 12 seniors depart including three keepers who shared time
in goal. Aside from having a solid reserve roster in '98, the Gators
also return '97 sensation Andi Sellers up top (a nice
replacement for Fotopoulos) and redshirt keeper Jordan Kellgren
could anchor the defense. Florida may be a little spotty up top and in
the back with so many departures.
|
 |
BYU
BYU
is the final team to be a legit Top 10 challenger with 6 rising juniors
and two rising seniors trying to play around the loss of All America
Rohbock. Help comes from two '97 starters returning including
Michelle Jensen. Coach Rockwood continues to produce top
teams each year with mostly unrecognized talent. In '98, the Cougars,
along with North Carolina and Florida, had the deepest roster in the
nation. That extensive talent will keep BYU atop the nation's elite and
if Lubeck and Roderick can be replaced in the back half,
this team will be near the top. BYU probably has the deepest midfield of
any women's soccer team and, once again, most of the roster consists of
current freshmen and sophomores with All America Maren Hendershot
and forward Karen Robbins providing leadership as the only
rising senior starters.
|
| Next
Week: Which soccer teams will round out our Top 25 for the "Spring
1999 Season"? ...Find out on Thursday, January 28 in Part 4 of
Soccer Buzz' Spring '99 Series. |
| Top
| Part 1 | Part
2 | Part
3 | Part 4
| Part 5
| Part 6
| Part 7 |
