One of the most dominant teams in all of NCAA Division III since the program's inception in 1987, women's soccer at Mary Washington College has evolved into a dyanasty over the past decade, winning at an unprecedented level. Under the direction of head coach Kurt Glaeser, the Eagles raced to a 134-42-16 record during the past ten years, winning eight conference titles in nine years, advancing to seven NCAA Division III National Championships, winning three regional tournaments, and finishing ranked among the top ten in the nation three times.
Another tradition has been success in the NCAA tournament, as the Eagles have won seven games in the national bracket over that span. The 1999 Eagles were faced with a challenge more difficult than rising to elite status -- staying there. Despite several serious injuries at the beginning of the season, MWC remained ranked among the tops in the Middle-Atlantic Region all season long. Led by three-time all-region junior Ellen Anderson, who scored eleven goals and added ten assists from her midfield position, the Eagles overcame three early losses to win ten of their final twelve games and advance to the NCAA Tournameiit for the· eighth time in eleven years under Glaeser's regime.
Anderson, for her part, was named the CAC Player of the Year, and garnered first team All-Middle Atlantic Region and VaSID All-State honors. The '99 Eagles saw two key players go down with lengthy injuries. Rising-senior Laura Stafford, two-time all-region selection, sustained two major knee injuries, and played less than thirty minutes all season. Likewise, All-America forward Johanna Klein missed much of the first half of the season, but rebounded to score four goals and add seven assists, moving her into second place in school history in assists. In addition to Klein (who still garnered all-conference and all-stare honors), the Eagles lose two others to graduation in defender Jill Stecher and forward Leah Phillips. Stecher, an honorable mention all-state selection, scored a goal and added an assist from the back; Phillips closed her career with two tallies and one assist as a senior.
The '99 Eagles opened the season with an impressive 9-0 win at league foe Goucher College and a 5-0 shutout of Shenandoah University. After uncharacteristically dropping matches to Emory University, William Paterson University, and College of New Jersey, the Eagles allowed just three goals in the next nine games. In all, goalkeepers Mary Snedeker and Kary Cohen combined for seven shutouts on the year.
One impressive win in that span was 'a 3-0 victory at Salisbury State University, who was undefeated at the time. The Eagles would go on to down the Sea Gulls again, 2-1, in the CAC Championship game, playing a player down for nearly forty minutes due to a red card.
Other impressive performances in the team's seven game win streak included back-to-back 4-0 wins over Randolph-Macon College and Catholic University. The Eagles were undefeated in road games in '99, winning all five contests; and finished·with a 5-3 home record, and a 1-2 mark in neutral site games.
With continued success in the Capital Athletic Conference, hopes run high for a successful 2000 season. With an automatic NCAA Tournament berth awarded to the conference tournament champion, the Eagles hope to continue their tradition of advancing to (and succeeding in) the NCAA national tournament on an annual basis.
Offensively, the Eagles of 2000 return their top six scorers, including Anderson (32 points), rising sophomore Andrea Owen (eleven goals), All-CAC midfielder Sarah Zelenak (six goals, erghr assists), rising junior Bridget White (First team All-CAC; seven goals, five assists), rising senior Martine St. Germain (six goals, seven assists), and rising sophomore Mandy Thorpe (eight goals, three assists).
In all, the 2000 squad will potentially return fourteen players who played in at least fifteen games a year ago. Leading the Eagle defense again this fall will be two-time All-Region defender Sarah Downey, who returns for her senior season. Also back are stalwarts Rebecca Vaccaro (All-Region and All-State honorable mention in '99), rising sophomore Ilona Kelly (three goals, two assists in '99), junior Meghan Salo (eight points) and junior Jacqui Loesch. Other potential returnees fighting for time will be junior Giselle Guarino, and sophomores Danielle Morin, Shannon Nieves, Stacy Rogers, Bree Heyne, and Elizabeth Germanos.
The 2000 schedule will again be one of the most challenging in the nation, with games against traditional powers College of New Jersey, William Paterson University, Gettysburg College, Johns Hopkins Universiry, North Carolina Wesleyan College and Lynchburg College. In addition, Capital Athletic Conference play carries additional importance, as the tournament champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Eagles Will try to duplicate the success they've had in CAC play in the 1990's, as MWC has posted a cumulative 63-1-2 record in conference play since the advent of the league back in 1992.