Youthful Southern squad set to begin 2004 campaign

With 14 freshmen on a 19-player roster, Missouri Southern women’s soccer team appears headed for a rebuilding year.

But second-year head coach Trevor Wachsman sees both strength and weakness in having so many first-year players on his squad.

“One of our team strengths is also a weakness,” he points out. “We’re so young and our (freshman) players don’t know what to expect when they play teams that are rough and physical. But, at the same time, our freshmen have no preconceptions. They just go out and play. This group is especially talented. We have a lot of good soccer players. I think they have high expectations for their future and the future of our program.”

Wachsman guided the Lions to a 3-13-4 overall record and a 2-8-4 mark in the MIAA in 2003 in his first season at the helm after serving two years as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado. Prior to the Northern Colorado stint, he coached youth teams for 10 years.

Forward Tera Reisner (San Angelo, Texas), the Lions’ leading scorer last season, returns for her senior campaign. She’s one of three seniors on the squad. The other veterans, midfielder Sarah Sneed (Topeka, Kan.) and forward Elisa Bryant (Joplin), and defender Jessica Buhman (sophomore, Olathe, Kan.) are the only other starters back from Wachsman’s first Southern team.

“Tera was an all-conference and all-region player and scored the majority of our goals last year,” Wachsman said. “She obviously is a big threat offensively. But the other conference schools will do every thing they can to shut her down. Tera, Sarah and Elisa started almost every game for us last year and bring a lot of experience to the squad. They will definitely help our younger players develop by providing guidance for them on and off the field.”

“Buhman was an all-conference second-team choice as a freshman last year,” Wachsman said. “She’s our only returning defender, so she will play an important role for us.

“We’ll have three new defenders in the lineup,” added Wachsman. “And both of our goalkeepers will be freshmen. Kaney Tyler (Topeka, Kan.) was a key recruit as a goalkeeper. Alese Woolard (Claremore, Okla.) plays softball here, too, but she’ll challenge Kaney for starting duty in goal. They will probably share time and both are important to our program because their position is critical.”

Wachsman said sophomore defender Noelle Klapp (Hillsboro, Mo.) will probably be redshirted due to a knee injury.

Other freshmen on the roster include midfielders Lindsay Robinson (Lansing, Kan.), Amy Davis (Fenton, Mo.), Erin Gfeller (Overland Park, Kan.), Angie Westphal (Skiatook, Okla.), and Chrissy Crocker (Nixa, Mo.); midfielder-forward Erin Whelan (Belleville, Ill.), forward Lauren Kurelac (Blue Springs, Mo.) and defenders Ashley Turner (Columbia, Mo.), Brittany Alexander (Bentonville, Ark.), Keli McCoy (Collinsville, Okla.), Holly Robinson (Springfield, Mo.) and Kelsey Thomas (Manhattan, Kan.). Gfeller is also a softball player at Southern, but was a prep and club soccer standout as well.

Wachsman likes the talent in his freshman class. He looked for three key ingredients in the players he recruited.

“I look for the things that make a good soccer player, creativity, intelligence on the field and their vision,” he explained. “Sometimes you can see things in a 10-second run of play that excites you about a player. That may be all it takes. You may watch them game after game and then you’ll see something that amazes you.

“I saw most of our freshman players in their own environment. Missouri Southern is in an ideal location for having access to soccer talent. Kansas City is a great area, as are St. Louis, Columbia and Springfield. And they play good high school soccer in Wichita, Tulsa and the Fayetteville area.”

MIAA coaches, in the league’s preseason poll, ranked the Lions tied for sixth with Emporia State. Nationally ranked Truman State was seeded first, followed by Southwest Baptist, Central Missouri State, Missouri-Rolla, Northwest Missouri State, Southern and Emporia. Washburn was ranked eighth.

“The conference race should be interesting,” Wachsman said. “Truman State is the class of the conference but they may be challenged. I believe there is more parity in the league. There have been so many coaching changes the last few years that there are some uncertainties. It will be fun to see how different teams in the conference play.”

There are two new head coaches at conference schools. Kara Lowery takes over at Emporia State and Al Iantorno, who coached eight years at Central Missouri, is the new women’s soccer coach at Missouri-Rolla. In addition to Wachsman, there are three other second-year coaches: Geoff VanDeusen (former MSSU coach) at Central Missouri, Tracy Cross at Northwest Missouri and Tim Collins at Washburn.

Missouri Southern opens its season with a pair of tough road tests, playing at Wayne (Neb.) State on August 28 and meeting Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. the next day.

“Our nonconference schedule is tough,” Wachsman said. “We play Nebraska-Omaha on the road. They were second in the nation two years ago, a Final Four team last year and are nationally ranked almost every year. We’ll play at University of South Dakota, a team in our region, and they’re an improving team. Wayne State and Augustana are also in our region as is Rockhurst, which had a good recruiting year. We’ll also play Northeastern (Okla.) State and they play in one of the toughest conferences (Lone Star Conference) in the country.”

Missouri Southern will open its home schedule with a MIAA game against Northwest Missouri State on Sept. 4. Other home foes are Truman, Washburn, Northeastern State, Missouri-Rolla, Emporia State, Southwest Baptist, Rockhurst and Central Missouri State.