After a successful first edition last week, ‘Women’s Weekly’ makes its much awaited return for round two as whitecapsfc.com attempts to capture all the storylines, news, and latest results from the standout players on the 2011 Whitecaps FC women who played this summer in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League. It was another busy week for these student-athletes with some clean sheets, goals, and new talents being put on full display.
With players such as Julie Armstrong, Amber Books, Ranee Premji, Monica Lam-Feist, Sydney Leroux, Lexi Marton, Jenna Richardson, and Tina Romagnuolo all being highlighted last week, we turn our attention to seven more standouts who took their respective soccer leagues by storm with victories and accomplishments; and of course, with style and class.
We begin off the field, with Yale graduate Ciara McCormack getting in touch with her ‘communicative’ side as she blogged for The Province, ‘Taking on defense by thinking it through’. McCormack writes, “Defense. It’s a position that I have found myself get moved into as the years have gone on, and I have learned to love it. It’s a thinking position, at times feeling like a game of chess” (Ciara McCormack – The Province).
Back on the pitch in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) action, Penn State goalkeeper Erin McNulty recorded a 3-0 clean sheet over Pittsburgh to help her team improve to 5W-1L-0D on the season. McNulty, “earned her first complete shutout for the Blue and White after combining on four others to open the season. McNulty made two saves against the Panthers. McNulty's goals against average is 0.22 since the Stanford game, allowing one goal in 404:19” (GoPSUsports.com).
At Washington State, Katie Turney chipped in a goal to give her side a 3-0 victory over Wyoming last Friday. On the play, “junior Brandi Vega beat a Cowgirl defender before making a pass to sophomore Katie Turney on the right side of the field. Turney chipped the ball to the far post and Castain was there for a finish that push Washington Stage on top 2-0” (Washington State Cougars).
In the Pacific Northwest, Oregon State's Erin Uchaczscored in the 28th minute as her side defeated New Hampshire 4-0 back on September 5. With the goal, Uchacz helped improve her team’s record this season to a respectable 3W-1L-1D (The Register Guard).
In a head-to-head battle of 2011 Whitecaps FC women’s players, Sydney Leroux’s UCLA Bruins edged Shannon Woeller’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a hard fought 1-0 match (Rutgers Scarlet Knights).
In Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) play, University of Victoria Vikes improved to 2W-0D-1L in pre-season, as Jaclyn Sawicki scored one goal to help the Vikes defeat Vancouver Island Mariners 4-0. Sawicki of Coquitlam, B.C. and the Whitecaps Reserver squad, scored after burning one defender to get inside the Mariners defence and then tight roping along the goalie to elude Walker at the side of the net before sliding the ball past a VIU defender to make it 3-0” (Andy Watson – ISN).
With the NCAA soccer season just beginning and with some CIS pre-season still wrapping up, it appears as though this past season’s crop of Whitecaps FC women will be taking full command of season titles, awards, and individual accomplishments.
