W&J Women’s Soccer Looks To Keep Momentum Going
A year after winning its first Presidents’ Athletic Conference regular-season title and setting a school record with 14 victories, the Washington & Jefferson College women’s soccer team will look to surpass those feats in 2012 and return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.
The Presidents won 14 games last season and ran through the conference portion of their schedule unbeaten (8-0-1) for the first time in school history under the direction of Head Coach Pete Curtis, who returns for his sixth season at the helm in 2012. Curtis owns a 64-34-9 record (.653) during his first five seasons in Washington. The Presidents return nine players that started at least 13 games last season.
Reigning PAC Player of the Year Holly Shipley is back for her junior season as the team’s offensive leader. Shipley became the first All-American in the program’s 22-year history after racking up a team-best 32 points (12g, 8a). The two-time All-PAC First Team performer ranks fourth in W&J history with 69 points, 25 goals and 19 assists.
Seniors Chrissy Marcius and Dawn Murphy will look to add to the Presidents’ scoring punch. Marcius tied for eighth in NCAA Division III with 14 assists and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 26 points, while Murphy produced nine goals a season ago. Both were selected to the All-PAC first team.
Two-year letterwinner Ariel Shasko will anchor W&J’s midfield and will be joined by sophomore Jess Skovira, who enjoyed a strong freshman campaign with four goals and three assists.
For the third consecutive year, W&J set a new school-record low for goals allowed, surrendering just 13 goals. A core of three seniors and one junior will once again lead the unit. Seniors Emma Donahey, Lauren Reynolds and Hannah Shaner have played in a combined 176 games during the last three seasons, while junior Katie Kelly is a two-time All-PAC selection. Junior Dani Span and sophomore Jillian Jonov are also experienced and will provide depth to the Presidents’ backfield off the bench.
A trio of solid contributors will be back on the pitch after missing significant time in 2011. Junior Bianca Rajan missed the entire season, while classmate Sarah Zeh was limited to just eight games because of injury. Senior Kelsey Kraus rejoins the team after studying abroad last fall.
W&J opens the season with eight consecutive non-conference matches, beginning with a home date against Frostburg State on September 4th at Alexandre Stadium (7:00 pm).
