2009 Season Outlook
Wingate, N.C.----“Perseverance is not a long race; it is may short races one after another.” The preceding quote is the motto for the 2009 Wingate University women’s soccer team. The Bulldogs open the 2009 campaign Tuesday, Sept. 1, visiting Mount Olive College for a 7 p.m. contest.
The Bulldogs welcome back nine starters from last year’s 14-6-0 team. The 2008 Wingate side tied the school record for victories in a season. Wingate head coach Gary Curneen believes his club is ready to make the next step in 2009.
“Pre-season went well; it was a great chance to integrate the new players, including our two new goalkeepers,” Curneen says. “The sessions were tough and work rate was high. As a program, we are looking to build on what we did last year and keep improving.”
Wingate welcomes back its top 10 scorers from 2008. Both sophomore Kelly Adams (Matthews, N.C.) and junior Kerstin Williams (Summerville, S.C.) were named to the All-SAC team in 2008. Adams led the SAC with 13 assists during her first season.
A 2008 Daktronics All-Southeast Region first team pick, Adams was fourth in the league with a team-best 27 points. Williams was second on the team and tied for eighth in the SAC with nine goals during the 2008 campaign.
The trademark for Wingate teams is a stingy defense. In 2008, the Bulldog defense allowed only 0.69 goals per game, tops on the SAC charts. The Wingate defense also led the SAC with 11 shutouts on the season. Wingate will miss four-year starting goalkeeper Kathryn Smith, but a solid core returns in the defensive third.
Senior defender Madi Welch (Monroe, N.C.) joined Adams and Williams as All-SAC honorees in 2008. Junior defender Samantha Baldwin (Stallings, N.C.) was a pre-season All-SAC pick this year. Welch and Baldwin will anchor the Bulldog defense in 2009.
Bulldog junior Terry Chandler (Charleston, S.C.) and sophomore Megan Mastalerz (Elkridge, Md.) will join Welch and Baldwin in the defensive backfield. Freshmen Catie Avery (East Hampton, Conn.) and Miriam Boucher (Calgary, Alberta) are Wingate’s goalkeepers of the future.
Four-year starter Lisa Service will be missed in the midfield, but Wingate returns a strong group. Adams and classmate Liz Kinney (Moore, S.C.) are super sophomores looking to improve on solid freshman seasons. Kinney led the 2008 team with 10 goals.
Juniors Julie Zielinski (Erie, Pa.) and Jenni Barbett (Severn, Md.) will compliment Adams and Kinney in the midfield. Barbett can move to the top and play forward as well.
Senior Jordan Mayer (Williamsburg, Va.) and freshman Teri Magee (Derry, Northern Ireland) round out Wingate’s pre-season top 11. Mayer’s leadership will be very important on the offensive end of the field. Magee brings a scoring flair to the Bulldog pitch.
“Our team style will be quick tempo, high energy and high work rate,” Curneen says. “We want to be strong defensively. We should have pace and speed in many areas.”
Wingate’s bench is very deep. Midfielders Casey King (Danvers, Mass.) and Kelsey McCormick (Hockessin, Del.) can fill many roles. Defenders Kelly Moldenhauer (Charlotte, N.C.), Tori Waldron (Elkridge, Md.) and Katelyn Butler (Markham, Ontario) hope to help Wingate solidify its reputation as a tough defensive unit.
Butler joins Welch and Mayer as Wingate’s 2009 senior class. The Bulldog senior trio will look to lead Wingate to new heights in 2009. Wingate’s schedule is one of the toughest in the Southeast Region.
The Bulldogs open the 2009 campaign with four of five matches on the road. In addition to the brutal SAC slate, Wingate will battle NCAA regional qualifier Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) and NAIA power Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at home. Wingate’s home opener is Saturday, Sept. 7, as Barton College visits for a battle of the Bulldogs at 7 p.m.
