| Rounding
Out the Top 25 |
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Southern
California
The
Women of Troy hang tight with five current sophomores and the return of
All America Kim Clark and two other starters. Clark along with
soph All America midfielder, Isabelle Harvey, will carry the
load after the departure of Barham and Reppe. Coach
Millinder has a solid Top 25 team here as the PAC 10 continues to
improve.
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Portland
Another
team that falls and could easily be out of the Top 25 if not for the
reputation of Coach Charles to make the most of a handful of
players is Portland. Only five starters are back with key losses
everywhere, including six seniors in All Americas Michelle French
and Tara Koleski, and Eaton, Sharpe, Johnson
and Stiles. The defense will be unusually thin and young
although Loveless and Harrison are both solid in goal.
Freshmen Ariazand and Smart will have to continue to
play big while O'Hanley, Barton and Talbott will
have to contribute more for a team with possibly the smallest roster in
Division 1.
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Michigan
Lewis
is the big loss for the Wolverines but the return of 8 starters is
enough to keep Michigan among the best in the Big 10. Limauro is an
offensive loss but Coach Belkin returns over 75% of her scoring
punch. The midfield, built around Hoff, Beitel and Poole,
will be the Wolverines' strength while the defense will be a slight
weakness until current freshmen Shaw and Peterson can
step up. Michigan has established itself as a legit Top 25 team over the
last three years and this edition will not fail to deliver.
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Clemson
The
Tigers continue to hang in the Top 25 even with All America losses in
Burkett and Bueter. 8 returning starters would help
Clemson advance in the NCAA Tournament. Seniors Massengale and
Akin will be other key losses but Beth Keller, Burpee,
and the Augustyniak sisters in midfield will be strong points
for Coach Tracey Leone. Current freshmen Clark, Clowney
and Lambert will have to rise to a starting role with departures
while Jenny Crawford will hopefully be back to full strength at
her striker position. The Tigers, still a young program, continue to be
a regular NCAA participant who cause trouble for other solid programs.
This spring squad will be no different.
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Stanford
Stanford
is primed for a bigger finish if all the pieces fall together. The big
loss is Lawyer but 7 upperclassmen will make the Cardinal one of the
most experienced teams playing today. Complimenting a great veteran
group are freshmen Sauer, West and Mauer.
Although Lawyer was the top scorer, every other goal scorer
returns for Coach Swanson. Fair and Arnold help
anchor one of the strongest midfields in the West while Adamson
and West will challenge for Lawyer's forward spot. This team
would be ready for tourney play today if the whistle blew.
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Washington
The
Huskies make perhaps the biggest jump of all the Top 25 teams as 10
starters return for another NCAA run. Coach Lesle Gallimore will
need only replace midfielder Erin Bailey as her young team will
only get better with such a deep roster. The return of redshirt Katey
Ward will make this a strong 11 man field team while Wilson,
Bennett and Putz are all key contributors to
Washington's return to the Top 25. If Gallimore can find a stable keeper
(after injuries in '98), this team will be among the best in the land.
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Syracuse
The
Orangewomen look to springboard into a steady stay in the national
rankings with the current roster of 10 returning starters and several
key reserves. This team could easily surprise many higher ranked
opponents if playing them this spring. The only gap to fill is Stacy
Shanning in midfield yet Tracy Stalker got invaluable
experience last year while defensive sensation Tyla Brennan was
out for half the year. With the top four scorers in O'Grady,
Szyluck, Schmelzle and Reich all returning, Coach
Kater has a new force in the Big East and should easily crack the
Top 25.
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San
Diego State
Big
losses in McGuire and August but the Aztecs continue
their success as 8 others starters, including four rising juniors look
to build on the success of 1998. Of all the teams in our Spring Top 25,
this one has the most to overcome and achieve given the current roster.
Coach Clegg had an excellent '98 campaign and if Wali,
Hamilton and Orsini can step up for the six seniors who
contributed significantly, the Aztecs can roll again. LaCoursierre
continues to be a striker of force, while deLeon is a rising
star and Judkins is one of the premier goalies in the West. This
team may be overrated for the Spring season, but we'll consider a 19-3-1
1998 record to be indicative of a team loaded with talent beyond August
and McGuire.
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Marquette
The
relatively unknown Golden Eagles bring 8 rising juniors and seniors to
the field along with a ninth starter and would surprise many teams as
the top spring program out of Conference USA. Kelly Roethe is a
phenomenal midfielder and has a talented corp of players in Rossini,
Hyppio, Ward and O'Neil. Bothwell is a
solid keeper for Coach Roeders. Scoring should be no problem for
the Golden Eagles with only the loss of Peterson being a scatch on
the score sheet. Last season's C-USA runnerup is a Top 25 contender and
would be solid for an NCAA berth this time around, even without a
conference title.
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| Next
Week: Who will round out our NCAA Tournament field and prove they
are worthy of Top 25 consideration for the "Spring 1999 Season"?
...find out on Monday, February 1 in Part 5 of Soccer Buzz' Spring
'99 Series. |
| Top
| Part 1 | Part
2 | Part 3
| Part 4 |
Part 5 |
Part 6 |
Part 7 |
