Senior Interviews!

The past few weeks we have had some ups and downs as a team. With under 3 weeks left in our regular season, we have asked a lot of our upperclassmen when it comes to being leaders on and off the field. Recently, they answered a few questions for our blog to give insight into their life as a SU Women's Soccer Player.

1. What has been your favorite moment from the season so far?

Shannon McGuire: "My favorite moment was the second goal at the Johns Hopkins.  It felt really good to come out and send a message.  We scored a goal, they answered us and I'm sure they thought it was over, but we answered them right back.  It was a great feeling."

Mandy Marston: "Personally my favorite moment was getting cleared to play again! For the first six games I cheered loud from the sideline, but nothing was sweeter than getting to step on the field for the first time as a senior. As a team however, my favorite moment was the Hopkins game. There was just something about that game that was different and exciting. It was a great game to be at, there was a certain energy that was present among the team."

2. How has being a student athlete at Stevenson prepared you for life after college?

Mackenzie Calhoun: "It has improved my time management skills and given me motivation to push myself to do my best in everything that I do."

Alexa Narron: "I enjoy working on a team and being in groups because of soccer. I also have learned not to give up and to push through any tough situation, which will benefit me outside of college. If I have a bad game or make a bad play, I tell myself to focus, get over it, and push harder and believe that I can do better. This mindset will benefit me in the real world. I also have great time management and know how to prioritize my time between class, homework, practice, and games. I have learned that hard work can get you far, and I show that on the field as well as in the classroom."

3. What would your teammates say is your best quality?

Alexa Narron: "I think my teammates would say my best quality is my consistency and hard work rate. I don't complain or talk back, and I try to take what the coaches say and use it to make myself a better player. I am also fun and enjoy a good laugh!!!"

Mandy Marston: "I would have to go with three: my weirdness. my awkwardness. and my sense of humor. I'm the total package."

4. What is your pre-game ritual? Any superstitions?

Shannon McGuire: "My pregame ritual includes listening to my pregame playlist on my ipod and playing solitare.  I have to win before our bus gets their or win a game of solitaire before we start warming up.  It gets me focused and I'm also very superstitious about it.  also have to put my left cleat on before my right and I wear my hair the same way for every game."

Mandy Marston: "Before every game I listen to the "perfect" speech from Friday Night Lights, it gets me pumped up. I have some songs that I listen to also but they are weird so I keep them to myself. And as far as superstitions, always right sock on before left sock and right shoe on before left shoe."

5. Who is your favorite professional athlete and why?

Alexa Narron: "My favorite professional athlete would have to be Abby Wambach. Her drive and hunger to win is incredible. She is one of the hardest workers out there, and sacrifices her body to win almost every head ball in the box (wish I could do that). She goes in hard on every play and pushes herself every minute she's on the field. She is also a great leader and communicator. Every time I've seen her play she is very loud and is always trying to pump up her teammates. I look up to her and wish I could be like her."

Shannon McGuire: " My favorite professional athlete is Abby Wambach.  She's an unreal soccer player, but she has am even better personality.  I got the fortune of playing with her a couple years ago over the summer for a couple days and she was awesome.  She's funny and she still remains humble after all of her success and works for more."

6. What advice would you offer to underclassmen or freshmen?

Mackenzie Calhoun: "Don't be intimidated by other players or the game itself. Everyone who is on the team obviously has the skill to be there, so play confident. Also, don't forget about your passion for the sport and to have fun."

Mandy Marston: "Cherish every moment of this.  It only lasts four years and it's over and it sure does go by fast. Take nothing for granted. Live in the moment and never wish it was over because before you know it, it will be. The memories I have made with my soccer family are some of my favorite and funniest ones."

Player Interviews

This past week we picked up two solid wins over a much improved Catholic University team and Frostburg State University. We scored a total of 5 goals between the two games and Freshman Goalie Annie McCoach posted two shut outs. We host old CAC rival Salisbury this coming Wednesday night under the lights at 7pm and travel to St.Mary's on Sunday. This week we feature interviews with freshman/transfer Jordan Porretto and junior Gabby Kuhar. Jordan Porretto: 1. How do you think you can impact the team this season on and off the field? "I'm going to keep working my hardest to help the team be successful on the field and keep a positive up beat attitude." 2. What has been your favorite moment of the season so far this year? "My favorite moment of the season so far was the first weekend of season when we had back to back wins against Eastern and Haverford. It felt awesome to start off my college soccer career with two great team wins against ranked teams." 3. What song gets you pumped up before a game? "I don't really have a favorite, but I like anything that I can dance to (in the locker room)." 4. What is a strength that our team has that sets us apart? "Our ability to move the ball quickly and to feet is really great. Also, our willingness to not give up when things don't always go our is a major part of our game that lets us compete with any team out there. " 5. What would you like to work on as a player to better yourself over this season? "My fitness can always be better and pushing up more in the midfield when we are on transition to help the offense." 6. What is your favorite aspect of Stevenson University? "My favorite aspect of Stevenson University is being a part of the team. I think we all get along really well and it makes my experience at Stevenson a lot more fun being able to play and hangout with them all the time." Gabby Kuhar: 1. How do you think you can impact the team this season on and off the field? "I think I can impact the team this season on and off the field by always giving 100% whether it is practice or a game and staying positive and making people happy." 2. What has been your favorite moment of the season so far this year? "So far this season, my favorite moment was when we scored in the last two minutes of the William Patterson game and we came out with a win because we didn't stop playing or give up." 3. What song gets you pumped up before a game? "Before the game I like to listen to whatever is playing on Lacey's iPod in the locker room because she has the best songs ever. If we are traveling I just listen to the 8tracks app on my phone which has a pre-game pump up station and it always gets me ready for a game. " 4. What is a strength that our team has that sets us apart? "I think the strength that our team has that sets us apart is heart. We want it so bad and if we go down a goal we don't put our heads down and accept that we are losing. We fight until the last second of the game and give 110% until we come out with a win." 5. What would you like to work on as a player to better yourself over this season? "As a player I would like to work on my communication. Each year I have improved on something and I think talking on the field is something that could turn me into a totally different player and overall benefit the whole team when it comes to games." 6. What is your favorite aspect of Stevenson University? "My favorite aspect of Stevenson University is that it is very goal oriented and you are almost guaranteed a good career path when you graduate."

2013 SEASON

After two weeks of preparation, we are looking forward to travelling to Haverford on Saturday. We open with Eastern University Saturday at 4pm at Haverford and then face Haverford Sunday at 1pm. Our squad is composed of 23 returners and 10 new players. The 23 returners will bring us maturity and composure on the field this year while the new players will give us a spark of energy. Our pre-season showed just how talented our team is and we know we can be extrememly successful in the next three months. We were fortunate enough to meet with the President of our University, Dr. Manning, yesterday before practice. He is, of course, a huge Women's Soccer Fan and believes in our team. Dr. Manning helps instill in all Mustang Athletes the confidence that it takes to go to the next level. After an exciting trip to Scotland and England and a pre-season filled with bonding opportunities like field day and Zumba, the team is united and ready to make a statement. This season on the blog we will feature player profiles as well as player interviews! Next week: Junior Defender Gabby Kuhar and Sophomore (Transfer) Midfielder Jordan Porretto.

SUWS International Trip....London Baby!!!!

This posting has been a little delayed by internet issues overseas.

So here is a quick update of our trip to date....

Last Wednesday we set off on a journey of a lifetime as a team ready to enjoy the sights of Scotland and England...

As you can see the flight was a good time!!!!

First practice in the London soccer dome to shake off the weary legs.

Great day sightseeing in London, Cat asked the question does anyone live here????? haha

What's that in the background???

Our first game was against Millwall.....played well for first 30 minutes but then Millwall took over ending in a tough first loss.

So after three days in London, we had seen the sights of the capital city of England including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, changing of the guard, Piccadilly Circus, Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and played a game and watched a professional game at Craven Cottage. The team had an amazing time and now we are off to the see the wonders of Scotland....more to follow!

2013 Spring Season!

Here at Stevenson, we are really excited about the warm weather and our spring season! On April 13th we are playing Bucknell University and Towson University on Towson's game field for our Spring Play Date. These are both NCAA Division I programs that we are confident we can compete with and will give us a great indication of where we are going into the summer. Our ladies have been working out and playing indoor and they are excited about getting back on the pitch! Before the end of the semester, we will give the girls a summer training program to get them in tip-top shape before we head to Scotland and England in August! This is another exciting event that we have to look forward to. We will play three games while we are oversees and then return just in time to move in and start pre-season. This will be a great bonding experience for the team and an adventure that they will remember forever! While we are in Scotland, Graeme will get to show us around his hometown and we will get to meet his mom!

This is an exciting time for Stevenson Women's Soccer and we are looking forward to all the things to come in the next few months! Make sure to check out our Fall 2013 schedule as we start off with a very competitive field of teams. Happy Spring!

Great end to our season!

The last few weeks have been exciting for the Mustangs! We beat Elizabethtown in the conference semi-finals in PK's. Allison Johnson saved three penalty kicks to help us advance to the conference finals versus Messiah. After a long, hard game on Friday night we headed to Messiah Sunday for the conference championship. While we came up short, we were still happy to have made it that far our first year in the MAC.

Unfortunately, we missed out on an at large bid to the NCAA tournament but we were the number 1 seed in the ECAC South bracket. We hosted Saint Vincent on Wednesday in the first round and defeated them 4-0 to move on to the semi finals. Although we were the first seed, we were unable to host and travelled to Swarthmore on Saturday to face Lebanon Valley again. The first time we played LVC we fought back from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1. We played one of our best games on the season and won 2-0. Host school Swarthmore lost to Wilkes in penalty kicks which meant Sunday we would play Wilkes for the championship. We went down 1-0 in the first half versus Wilkes and we fought back to tie it off a Jamie Matlock goal. In the first overtime we got a corner and Shannon McGuire found Kayla Curry's head to end the game. Kayla and Taylor Zimmerman were able to end their stellar career at Stevenson University with an ECAC championship. Kayla Curry was also named tournament MVP.

The Mustangs had 7 players make All-Conference teams. Allison Johnson and Allie Ondrecjak represented the Mustangs on the first team, Jennifer Simkin, Taylor Zimmerman, Jamie Matlock, and Mackenzie Calhoun made second team, while Meaghan Williams was named to honorable mention.

We had a very successful year and we are looking forward to our spring season!

PLAY OFFS!

This week we moved up in the Regional Rankings to number 5! This is the last time rankings will be posted before the NCAA tournament field is announced! Friday night we host Elizabethtown in the MAC semi-finals at 7:30pm. The last time we met was October 16 and we battled 110 minutes to a 1-1 tie. Since the tie with E-Town, we have found the back of the net 15 times in 3 games. And after our loss to Messiah on September 29th, we have gone on an 8 game streak with out losing. We feel that we are ready to take on E-Town and advance to the conference championship!

If you are in the area, we would love to see you in the stands Friday night! This is a huge game and the more support from our friends and family, the better it will be!