Spartan Soccer • 2009 Ashlee Barrow (Fr., 5-1, Fishkill, N.Y./John Jay HS) come to Upstate from quality high school programs. They will have an impact as they compete for starting roles vacated by the three departures.
2009 Season Preview Leigh Ward
Midfielders
The midfield unit will likely be the strongest unit for the Spartans in 2009. The group will likely have various looks throughout the season, depending on the type of formation that Coach Reyes implements. Leigh Ward returns to lead the unit that includes five newcomers. Ward (Jr., 5-9, Summerville, S.C./Fort Dorchester HS) saw action in all 19 games a season ago with 11 starts. Ward will likely see action at all midfielder positions as she understands the responsibility of each position on the pitch. Battling for positions in the midfield are five new comers: Aveann Douglas, Maegan Garner, Dana Hillman, Ashleigh Barkley and Daphnee Cadet. Douglas (Jr.-TR, 5-5, Arima, Trinidad/Monroe CC) joins the Spartans after spending the last two seasons at Monroe CC in New York. She finished her two year stint with three goals and two assists. Her leadership and playing skills will allow her to have an impact for Upstate in ’09. Coach Reyes will be able to utilize Douglas at various midfield positions. Garner (So., 5-2, Charleston, S.C./Fort Dorchester HS), Hillman (Fr., 5-8, Berlin, Germany), and Barkley (So.-TR, 5-7, Phoenix, Ariz./George Washington) and Cadet (Jr.-TR, 5-7, Jacmel, Haiti/Bryant & Stratton)are all extremely skilled players. The quartet will give Coach Reyes the ability to use different formations with the ability to rotate different players around the midfield.
Forwards
Reyes has a talented group up front, however it is a young group. Returning for the Spartans are Crystal Hackett, Oleva DuRant and Alyssa Roegner. Hackett (So., 5-3, Waterbury, Conn./Wilby HS) returns after a freshman campaign in which she compiled two assists and one goal. Her lone goal was a game-winning goal in double-overtime last season against The Citadel. Her speed will allow her to give the Spartans scoring chances this season. DuRant (Jr., 5-5, Chapin, S.C./Chapin HS) returns to the pitch after missing the entire 2008 campaign due to injury. She will be valuable this season, especially if she bounces back strongly from her injuries. Roegner (Jr., 5-4, Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower HS) played in 18 matches last season for the Spartans. She finished the season with one goal and one assist. With her vision and ability to distribute the ball, Roegner will be an asset in 2009. Freshman newcomers Dior McGruder (Fr., 5-6, Euless, Texas/Colleyville Heritage HS) and Athena Lopez (Fr., 5-3, Arvada, Colo./Arvada West HS) will also compete for time at the forward position. Both are extremely versatile athletes and will add depth for Coach Reyes’ attacking front line.
Comments from the Coach
“I am extremely excited about the upcoming season. The players we have this season are hard workers and are very technically sound. There are numerous ways to utilize the players we have and we have some ideas of how to make that happen. Our team has the desire to improve on prior campaigns and with the talent level, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to have better results; as well as increased opportunities to compete in each and every match.”
Schedule
The 2009 USC Upstate schedule features 11 Atlantic Sun Conference matchups plus eight non-conference matches. Highlighting the home portion of the Spartans schedule is a matchup with cross town rival Wofford, cross state rival and 2008 Big South Regular Season Champion Coastal Carolina and a matchup with 2008 A-Sun Regular Season Champion Mercer. The road schedule is highlighted by a trip down Interstate 85 to Furman and two games at the Gardner-Webb Tournament (South Carolina State and Tennessee-Chattanooga). The Spartans 2009 season begins on Friday, August 21 against the Midshipmen of Navy, who were the 2008 regular season Patriot League Champions.
USC Upstate Women’s Soccer - Celebrating It’s 10th Season • www.upstatespartans.com
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