News at St. Catherine's
Goochland Gazette: Bulldogs young while Saints and Cougars are challengers
Published: March 16, 2011
BY JIM RIDOLPHI
As the upcoming girls soccer season gets under way, Goochland High School is preparing for its second year in the tough Jefferson District. At the same time, perennial VISAA powerhouses Collegiate and St. Catherine’s are primed to once again compete for the LIS title.
BY JIM RIDOLPHI
As the upcoming girls soccer season gets under way, Goochland High School is preparing for its second year in the tough Jefferson District. At the same time, perennial VISAA powerhouses Collegiate and St. Catherine’s are primed to once again compete for the LIS title.
GOOCHLAND
The Bulldogs return 10 players, but only four of them were starters last year, so this year’s squad will be young.
Coach Tom Reid recognizes the challenges, but also sees some bright spots for his squad. “The strength should be the midfield and striker positions,” Reid said. “The defensive four and keeper are players that need to develop and mature quickly to work as a team.”
Strikers Bridget Panas and Tesia Zogran should provide ample offensive punch for the Bulldogs, while midfielders Brook Engel, Amberly Marria, Kayla Cleveland and Kelsey Simmons will also contribute.
“They’ve been playing soccer together for years and continue to improve,” Reid said.
Cohesiveness will be the key to victory for the young Bulldogs. One of Reid’s main goals is “getting the players to work as a team in support of each other and learn to read the game well enough to compete offensively and defensively every second of their playing time.”
While Reid keeps an eye on this year’s wins and losses, he will also monitor other factors that lead up to a successful season.
“My goal (as a coach) is for the girls to have fun, play hard with good sportsmanship,” Reid said. “As a coach at this level it is important for the teams to learn that the team comes first while having fun.”
Charlottesville, Western Albemarle, Monticello and Fluvanna are just some of the formidable foes on the Bulldog schedule.
ST. CATHERINE’S
The Saints are looking to improve on their fourth place state finish last year. More importantly, the team can expect another nail biting challenge from Collegiate in the LIS.
St. Catherine’s returns a dominating midfield that should anchor the Saints squad for 2011. “Our midfield is a bad mix for opposing defenses; from the back to the front, speed is going to be the key to success,” said head coach Laurie Marshalek.
A key player for the Saints will be Amanda Kim, a defensive midfielder who “creates traffic in the attacking zone.”
Marshalek also depends on Kim for leadership and experience.
“Her skills and talent can influence a match at both ends of the field,” Marshalek said. “She’s a natural leader, a link from the freshman to the seniors and from the backline to the forwards.”
The coach also has strategic goals that should make the Saints season another winner. In addition to defending the counter attack, Marshalek plans include, “Wing Play-if we use the flank players effectively, it will be a challenge to slow them down,” as another key to victory.
Marshalek feels the Saints will have to be opportunistic and take advantage of openings. “Converting chances-not wasting opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net,” will be a key element in this year’s success.
The coach knows the task won’t be easy, and acknowledges that expectations are high for the Saints. “The bar is set high for this program,” she said. We finished second in the LIS and fourth in the State last year. Three of our four losses came to Collegiate, who won the State Championship.”
The Saints are looking for another chance at their arch rivals, and lists as one of their team’s goals “a return to the LIS championship game.”
COLLEGIATE
Repeating a championship season is never easy, but Collegiate seems poised to defend as the 2011 opener approaches. The Cougars are in a reload mode, with a sprinkling of experience returning from last year’s VISAA state championship squad.
“We return a strong team nucleus despite graduating 10 seniors,” said Coach Bill Rider. “We’ll need to stay healthy as we incorporate some new players into the fray.”
On defense, the Cougars will depend on defender Carrie Shadowen. “She will be called upon to anchor a new defense,” Rider said.
According to the coach, midfielders Julia Sroba and Meredith Donahue “will provide creativity and trouble in the midfield.”
Last year’s championship victory is providing a fair amount of optimism among the team, and Rider said the clock-beating win opened up some eyes.
“Last year’s finish with the winning goal in the waning seconds of the state finals will provide reassurance that anything is possible in any game,” he said.
The Cougars will face regional rivals like Douglas Freeman, Mills E. Godwin and Deep Run, as well as facing its traditional LIS foes in the form of St. Catherine’s and Trinity.
Rider said his Cougars enter this season with enthusiasm and a strong desire to win.
“We have high expectations for ourselves, as we do each year,” Rider said. “The older players welcome the challenge of building on the success of previous seasons.”
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
