NOTE: Due to unplayable field conditions at Wenatchee Valley Community College, the exhibition match between Seattle University and Washington State on Thursday, August 14, has been moved to Championship Field. The teams are scheduled to play three 30-minute periods starting at 2 p.m., and admission is free for all fans.
Seattle University women’s soccer is set to play a pair of exhibition matches this week, unofficially beginning the 2014 season, one in which they will defend last year’s Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The league is now fully aware of the Redhawks’ ability, as Seattle U was recently chosen to repeat their WAC title win in a vote by the conference’s head coaches.
Looking forward, reigning WAC Coach of the Year Julie Woodward previews the upcoming season, one in which the number of newcomers will nearly equal the returners. The Redhawks will face one team, Portland, who is nationally ranked (11th) in the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Women’s Preseason Poll and two teams, Washington State and Kentucky, who are receiving votes.
On winning the WAC title in 2013: “Last year’s season was pretty special and I’d say it wasn’t necessarily our original goal to go undefeated, but our goal was definitely to win the conference championship. It was about halfway through the season where it became realistic to go undefeated in conference play. It was really exciting and it was great momentum for us going into the conference tournament feeling confident about competing against the other teams.”
On whether there was a specific moment when the tide turned in 2013: “I think it was a gradual increase. Every year, our coaching staff tries to make sure we’re challenged in our preseason games and we’re used to facing all types of competition. The fact that we played some top teams during our preseason schedule really prepared us. We made our way through conference and we did have some close games; there are some great teams in our conference. But halfway through, it was kind of the turning point when we decided it was not only our goal to win the conference but to remain undefeated in conference play.”
On the excitement and emotion of the 2013 postseason: “I think about that a lot, almost every day even, heading into this preseason. When you have such a great season like we did last year, you just wonder if you can do it again, if you can accomplish it again. I think winning the conference championship, we had some family there to support us, and it was just a great team and a great group of seniors with some great leadership. If it was any year, I thought that was really our year to do it. Then to come home and have the support of the administrators and the athletics department in that room when we saw our name drawn for the first time, that was pretty exciting. Going down to play Portland in the NCAA Tournament, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I think to go play at one of the best venues in the country and to play a team that consistently leads the NCAA in attendance was pretty special. I think it gave our program a lot more visibility even though we didn’t get the result we wanted.”
On the attitude of the team coming into this year: “I think we’ve always been blessed to have student-athletes who are extremely hard working, disciplined, and committed to the program. But I think there are those years that you have hopes – you hope to go undefeated in conference play, you hope to win the conference tournament – and I think last year’s season made that more of an expectation for us as a program. I continue to say that a lot of that is a gift last year’s senior class left us with. I think they raised the bar for this program and I think it’s something the student-athletes will look to meet and exceed every year.”
On senior Stephanie Verdoia winning the WAC’s Joe Kearney Award: “I was super thrilled for Stephanie winning that award, because there were some tremendous student-athletes throughout the conference. I was very happy for her and I do think she was extremely deserving. We talk so much about the character of the people we like to recruit to our program and I think she embodies everything we look for in someone to represent our university. She’s a great teammate, she’s an extremely hard worker, she’s very successful in school, she gives back to our community, and she just represents our program to the fullest. We’re really proud of her and hoping it’s going to give her an extra little boost going into her last season here at Seattle U.”
On having both top offensive player and starting goalkeeper returning: “That’s something I really try to focus on a lot because we graduated some pretty tremendous players and we graduated a handful of starters. It’s nice to look back in the books and realize you’re returning the WAC Offensive Player of the Year, the leading scorer, and you’re returning a pretty tremendous goalkeeper in Brianna Smallidge. It’s a great foundation moving forward heading into this season.”
On whom she foresees stepping up this year with the loss of senior starters: “Every year I will say this and I’ve been blessed that it’s happened every year. Our upcoming senior class, I think, I have very high expectations for them in terms of both play and their leadership and work ethic. Stephanie [Verdoia] is in that class, Taylor Ritzman, Kiana Kraft, Alyssa Campagna, Jacqui Wallis. They all lead in such different ways and they each provide a huge strength for our program. I think they’re each going to do a pretty tremendous job.”
On how a large group of newcomers affects the team dynamic: “We’re really excited about our incoming class. It’s a large class and almost matches the amount of players we have returning. Every year for the past handful of years, we have been lucky in that the tradition and culture of our program has been passed down by the players. I think the coaches might have to keep an extra eye on that to make sure everything is running smoothly, but we’re really excited about the new players coming into the program. They all do really well in school, they all play at a really high level, and I think they’re all great fits for Seattle University as a whole and they’re going to bring a lot to the program.”
On her goal for this season: “For starters, our goal is a repeat conference championship. I think that’s what we’ve been working towards since the season ended last year.”
On the big names coming to Championship Field this season: “We’re really excited about our preseason schedule as well as all counting games, not just non-conference games. We have some good teams coming in terms of Kentucky, Washington, Portland – great programs that have been on the schedule for awhile. Since we transitioned back to Division I, we’ve had a pretty good showing competing against top programs and others have continued to gain interest in playing us so there will be some great matches this year.”
The Redhawks will host Washington State in an exhibition on Thursday, Aug. 14 starting at 2 p.m. before returning to Championship Field for an exhibition vs. Trinity Western on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m.
To open the regular season, SU will host a pair of games vs. Idaho, who was previously a conference foe, on Friday, Aug. 22 at 5 p.m. and Southeastern Conference powerhouse Kentucky on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 12 p.m.
Single game tickets can be purchased 60 minutes prior to kickoff at the entrance gate to Championship Field located on the southwest corner of 14th and Cherry. For season tickets, the Redhawk Sports Pass can be purchased by calling the Redhawk ticket office at (206) 398-GOSU(4678) or online via the “Tickets” link at GoSeattleU.com.