August 10, 2010
Complete Schedule
Team Roster
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University Women's Soccer finished 2009 with a record of 9-8-1 overall, including 6-1 at home where the program is 27-8-1 since 2006 when competition began at the Athletics Complex. It was the fourth-straight winning season, and the 13th overall winning campaign in the program's 16-year history. Seventeenth-year head coach
Todd Dyer, a 1993 graduate of Longwood, enters this fall with an overall coaching record of 175-104-16. He has been assisted over the past six years by associate head coach
Steve Brdarski, and the Lancers return eight starters among 20 returning letterwinners from 2009. Longwood will compete as an NCAA Division I Independent during 2010, and has compiled an overall record of 29-24-4 (.544) over the past three seasons of competition while Division I eligible.
Longwood will play a preseason home exhibition match against the College of William and Mary this Saturday afternoon, August 14, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Athletics Complex located on Johnston Drive. Admission is free to all women's soccer matches, and Saturday's friendly contest will provide an early look at the Lancers for this season.
Coach Dyer comments on the upcoming campaign below.
The 2010 Season
“Our main goal is to put the absolute best product on the field every time we step on it this fall. We've got plenty of talent and a good mix of youth and experience. How fast we're able to come together as a team, find an effective style of play, and stay healthy will dictate our level of success. It's a brand new season and a clean slate, so we're excited to see where this year's journey takes us.”
The Senior Class
#26 Marcia Biddle (GK-Woodbridge, Va.), #7 Katie Devlin (MF-Fairfax), #11 Kayla Huggins (D-North Haven, Conn.), #12 Alex Myers (MF-Stafford, Va.), #15 Lauren Trizna (D-Manassas, Va.), #29 Jessica Varela (F-Midlothian, Va.)
“This senior class has been the core of our success during the past few years and I hope they're able to go out with their best season ever. Between Marcia in goal and Kayla, Trizna, and Devlin across our back line, we should be very solid defensively. Alex and Varela provide plenty of attacking opportunities, so that should give us good balance as a team.”
The Junior Class
#28 Alecia McConnell (MF-Carlisle, Pa.), #1 Kristen McGough (GK-Round Rock, Texas), #25 Kacie Oliver (D-Portsmouth, R.I.), #4 Soraya Serra (MF-Round Hill, Va.), #10 Dylan Spicker (F-Chesapeake, Va.), #5 Mackenzie King (MF-Stafford, Va.)
“Kacie is a big part of our junior class and will play a critical role for us in central midfield. We'd like to get her forward more, but she does such a good job for us in that holding position. Dylan has some good experience under her belt now, so hopefully this can be somewhat of a breakout season for her up top. Max will definitely play an attacking role for us in central midfield and we'll count on her energy and combativeness to set the tone there.”
The Sophomore Class
#13 Lindsey Booth (F-Mechanicsville, Va.), #0 Kyra Byron (GK-Richmond, Va.), #9 Nikki Glisson (F-Mechanicsville, Va.), #18 Natalie Massey (D-Virginia Beach, Va.), #8 Lindsey Ottavio (F-Fairfax, Va.), #22 Kendall Sanders (D-Chester, Va.), #24 Lyndsay Wilshaw (MF-Spotsylvania, Va.), #3 Courtney Zamparello (MF-Midlothian, Va.)
"Ottavio up top and Natalie in central defense really shined for us last year so expectations will be even higher this fall. Kyra got tons of valuable experience last fall and hopefully that can inspire even greater things this time around. Nikki and Booth got a taste of things last season in various attacking positions, but this fall I'd like to see both of them claim bigger, more consistent roles for themselves. Kendall saw some action in the back, but is capable of earning some valuable minutes in other areas of the field.”
The Freshman Class
#6 Kristi Dixon (MF-Yorktown, Va.), #17 Stephanie Green (F-Monkton, Md.), #2 Kelsey Pardue (MF-Henrico, Va.), #20 Rachel Powers (F-Glen Allen, Va.), #99 Dana Wallace (GK-Charlottesville, Va.)
“In regard to our freshman class, as always, it's a case of 'wait and see.' We need a few of them to step up this year, but who that is and where they play will sort itself out as we progress through the season. There's definitely some ability there and we'll need to see it sooner, rather than later.”
The Schedule
“First and foremost, Coach Steve should get the credit for building a balanced schedule with our fair share of home games. That's tough to do as a Division I Independent these days. As always, we're excited to test ourselves against in-state competition the likes of William and Mary, VCU, Richmond, Radford, and VMI. We're also treading some new territory in facing teams for the first time such as Long Island, Eastern Kentucky, and Morehead State. We'll also continue some healthy rivalries with four Big South schools, which we'd like to see help facilitate a more formal and permanent affiliation in the future. All in all, our 2010 schedule is fair and challenging, while giving us the opportunity to see exactly where we stand throughout the Division I landscape.”
