Soccer gets ready for fall
Eric Gallo - April 24th, 2008While the NAU women’s soccer team is in the middle of spring drills, they are looking ahead to a trip overseas in May and the fall season starting.
“The NCAA allows us five days to compete during the spring, so it allows us to try some different formations as well as give people some opportunities to compete who might not have had the opportunity in the fall,” said head coach Andre Luciano.
So far this spring, the soccer team has scrimmaged against Pac-10 Conference teams Washington State and the University of Arizona.
“Last spring we played Arizona and we lost to them 3-0. One of the things we wanted to stress was that we could compete against Pac-10 schools,” Luciano said. “Despite the fact that I think we did not play all that well, we were able to compete and tie the game this year. We played Washington State after only three days of practice and lost 2-1 in a very good game. There are a lot of positives that I see in this team.”
Last season the Lumberjacks finished 7-7-5 overall and 2-4-1 in Big Sky play, finishing seventh in the conference.
“I think the players know how good they could be,” Luciano said. “When you finish 7-7-5, and set the NCAA record for 0-0 ties, and have 11 shutouts for and 11 shutouts against you, you know how close you are to being really successful as a team.”
The Lumberjacks also have junior forward Cee Cee Odorfer back from an ACL injury that kept her out of competition in the fall.
“Having CeeCee back and healthy helps us tremendously; she was granted a fifth and sixth year by the NCAA,” Luciano said. “Having her back gives us instant credibility; she is explosive and is a pure finisher.”
Odorfer is happy with the way her knee feels and is anxious to get back onto the field.
“The knee is doing good, and I think my doctor did a good job fixing it and it feels better than it ever has,” Odorfer said. “I am so anxious just watching this team this spring. I am so excited for next season because we are going to be good.”
A change for the Lumberjacks next season will be junior Kayla Bauder moving from a center midfielder spot to a defensive position.
“I notice that defense is a lot of thinking; not only does a defender have to be hard-working, you have to be smart too,” Bauder said. “It has taught me a lot to think on the field because it is the last line before the goalie. It has been tough to learn the communication and organization, but he wouldn’t have put me back there if he did not have confidence in me.”
This spring, the players are focusing on playing hard and staying confident.
“In the past whenever we have gotten scored on, we would hang our heads and not play as hard,” Bauder said. “Coach stresses having purpose in our play, and now when we got scored on we have been fired-up and motivated; we did not have that in the past.”
Coming up at the end of spring, the Lumberjacks will travel overseas for a tour of Europe.
“Having been born overseas I believe it is really important for our players to experience other cultures,” Luciano said. “We did the trip four years ago and it was great. It is my promise to every senior that we try to go to Europe or somewhere every four years.”
The trip is funded solely by the players through fundraising.
“We have done a lot of fundraising and the players are paying a lot of money out of their own pocket,” Luciano said. “The university is not throwing any dollars at this trip, and I want to stress that it is players paying for the trip and not the university.”
The players are excited about their upcoming trip to Europe.
“We are ecstatic about our trip and learning about football overseas,” Bauder said. “It is going to be such a great experience, and Andre has put together a great itinerary for us.”
While over in Europe, the Lumberjacks will play against some of the top competition there.
“We are going to be playing teams that are in first place in their respective divisions,” Luciano said. “We will play teams like Anderlecht from Belgium, as well as two teams from Holland and FC Cologne in Germany.”
Bauder said the Lumberjacks will benefit from playing top professional teams in Europe.
“Just to say that you have been overseas and played international competition, you are going to take that and apply it to your life and always remember that experience,” Bauder said.
With their overseas tour and a fall season ahead of them, the Lumberjacks are poised to make a run to the top next season.
“I am going to be focusing on winning a lot of games and getting that Big Sky Championship,” Odorfer said. “I know that we can do it so it is going to be fun.”
The Lumberjack soccer team also has 11 incoming recruits to the program. One of those recruits is Flagstaff High School product Natasha Slaughter. Slaughter is a 5’8’’ goalie who was named Grand Canyon Region Player of the Year.
Coach Luciano thinks one of the big things that all recruits will have to pick up is the speed of the game.
“The speed of play and the intensity,“ Luciano said. “Our season is only 20 games long on a 12-week cycle so it is important that they come in ready to compete.“
Over half of the incoming recruits have attended NAU soccer camps.