One of the most successful women's soccer programs in the nation at any level, Mary Washington College continues to flourish as one of the premier Division III programs in the nation. Under the tutelage of head coach Kurt Glaeser, the Eagles showed again in 2001 that they were a force to be reckoned with on the national level.
Glaeser, through thirteen seasons at MWC, ranks among the all-time women's soccer coaching greats, as he is among the all-time Division III top ten in victories (176) and winning percentage (.740). His teams have a cumulative 176-55-21 record, have won nine conference titles, and won at least ten games every season. Along the way, the Eagles have advanced to nine NCAA Tournaments, winning eight games in those championships.
The 2001 squad opened with one of the youngest lineups in the program's history. MWC began the season at the Gettysburg College Tournament, and dropped the opener to the nationally-ranked hosts, 1-0. The Eagles would tie nationally-ranked Wilmington College, 2-2, the next day, and would go on to drop just one more match throughout the entire regular season.
Glaeser's squad won the home opener over Gallaudet in the CAC opener, 14-0, setting a school mark for goals in a game in the process. Sophomore Alyssa Ehret broke the school mark with five assists. After impressive road regional wins at Western Maryland College and Villa Julie College, the Eagles hosted twenty-second ranked Lynchburg at the Battleground. MWC was certainly equal to the challenge, tying the Hornets through two overtimes and outshooting the nationally-ranked visitors.
After surviving a 3-2 decision over St. Mary's College, MWC travelled to Salisbury University and lost a tight 1-0 game despite outshooting the Sea Gulls, 13-10. Despite the tough loss, MWC would go on to complete the regular season with an eight game unbeaten streak, one of the most impressive runs in school history, and taking seven of those contests via the shutout.
The unbeaten streak began with a 2-0 blanking of Goucher College in a road conference-contest, and a 3-1 win over Eastern College. MWC completed the regular season with shuout wins over regionally-ranked Dickinson College, Randolph-Macon College, York College of PA, Marymount University, and Catholic University. The Eagles closed the regular season with a scoreless tie at regionally-ranked Johns Hopkins University.
The Eagles marched into the postseason as the second seed in the CAC Tournament, and defeated Goucher, York, and Salisbury in claiming their ninth CAC title in eleven years, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history. MWC defeated Gwynedd-Mercy College in the opening round before falling to the University of Scranton in the regional semifinal, 1-0.
The prospects for 2002 are very bright for the Eagles, as just four players are lost to graduation. Despite a strong returning group, newcomers will continue to compete for starting roles. Heading the group of returnees is first team All-Region, All-State, and All-Capital Athletic Conference forward Kathryn Amirpashaie, who led the team in scoring as a freshman with 12 goals and 4 assists.
Also back at forward is All-CAC selection Joeann Walker who scored four goals and added a league-high nine assists, as well as Katee Armstrong (seven goals, two assists), Rachelle Chretien (five goals, one assist), Betsy Pitti, Alyssa Ehret (one goal, seven assists) and Jessica Hewitt (three goals, one assist). The midfield loses just one player to graduation, and will see the return of All-CAC pick Kathy Wainwright, Hannah Slotnick (five goals, one assist), Kelly Quinlan (three goals), Jill Palmieri, Elise Fasick, Kara Riggio, and Jen Condon.
Defensively, the Eagles lose CAC Player of the Year Rebecca Vaccaro and standout Jacqui Loesch, but welcome back All-Region, All-State, and All-CAC selection Rachel Vaccaro (three goals, one assist) and Lauren Eisold. All-state selection Mary Elizabeth Fulco returns in goal, as does Amanda Thomas, who recorded a shutout in the NCAA Tournament when Fulco was sidelined with injury. Fulco allowed just eleven goals in twenty games for the Eagles, posting a minuscule 0.55 goals against average with a combined twelve shutouts.
As is the tradition at MWC, the Eagles will play a top out-of-conference schedule in 2002, with top squads such as the College of New Jersey, William Smith College, Johns Hopkins University and Gettysburg College appearing on the slate. The Eagles will attempt to continue the dominance they've had in Capital Athletic Conference play, as MWC has posted a cumulative 80-3-3 record including nine conference championships in CAC play since the advent of the conference in 1991.
As was the case in 2001, the Eagles will continue to play most of its active roster each game. The Eagles' depth was integral in the 2001 team's success, as proven by a 28-5 margin in second half scoring. This' depth provides each player on the roster an opportunity to contribute each game, and allows MWC to wear down opponents by keeping fresh players on the field. A nationally-renowned program, MWC has also reaped many individual awards over the years, with numerous All-CapitalArhleric Conference, All-Region, and All-America selections. The Eagles have even seen one player, Felicity Smith, play professionally in-England.