ISU Soccer Returns Strong Group to 2012 Squad

POCATELLO, Idaho – The 2012 Idaho State women's soccer team returns a core of experienced players across the board with 19 total returners including six seniors and seven juniors. The squad also returns six sophomores, many of whom saw considerable playing time in their freshman seasons last fall. Notable returners include Big Sky Co-Newcomer of the Year and Big Sky All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree Amanda Ellsworth.
 
“When I saw Amanda come back onto campus, she looked incredibly fit,” ISU Head Coach Allison Gibson said. “She worked with a club this summer that really pushed her. Just knowing that's the investment that she put in, I know what her goals and motivations are. She's the kind of player you will see out on the field after and before practice finishing with a bag of balls. True finishers at this level, they are not going to get what they need in practice alone. It's always going to be players that take it upon themselves. As a forward, it's the players that make an investment in themselves and their future that make a difference and she's done that since she's been here and really stepped it up this summer.”
 
The Bengals return all-conference second team honoree senior Ashley Jones and honorable mention all-conference team members senior Rachel Strawn and sophomore Mikaela Carrillo.
 
The top goal scorers from the 2011 season will be back in 2012. Ellsworth led ISU last season with seven goals, 15 points, 40 shots and three game-winning goals. Jones recorded four goals throughout the season while Strawn scored two. In her freshman campaign, Allyssa Kenney was one of the top scorers for the Bengals with three goals on the season while Kiley Godfrey matched Strawn with two.
 
Strawn led ISU in assists last season with five as well as in shots on goal with 20. Going into her senior season, Strawn sits in fourth on the all-time career assists per game list with a .259 average. She is also fifth in total career assists with 14. With four game-winning goals scored during her career she is tied for fourth all-time and is eighth on the career all-time shots on goal list with 46.
 
“Rachel has really worked hard and I've seen a big change in her this summer,” Gibson said. “She stayed the whole summer here in Pocatello and trained. I saw her out on the field numerous times a week with a bag of balls working on finishing. She's really taken on the responsibility of recognizing that she's had two goals a year for three years and that's just not going to get it done. She's taken the responsibility to make a change and be more comfortable in front of the net. She creates so many opportunities for herself and it's just that finishing touch and putting it away that she needs to master.”
 
Jones looks to improve her all-time career standings as she currently sits in fourth in career points per game (.615) as well as in career goals per game (.231). She has scored 12 total goals throughout her career tying her for sixth all-time.
 
“AJ is probably one of the best soccer players to have played in this program,” Gibson said. “She brings a natural sense of competitiveness and natural leadership. She is so good at both sides of the ball that she infects the other players around her to rise to that level. She is a very selective passer and can really thread a needle. We will look to her to regain her top form this year as a senior and look to her to really lead us and help breakdown tight defenses with her finesse and ability to connect passes.”
 
The Bengals welcome five newcomers to the squad this season. Joining ISU at midfield will be Lauren Bermudez from Canyon Country, Calif., and Kaitlin Flynn of Sandy, Utah. Waipahu, Hawaii native Vanessa Cabilan will join the Bengal backline while Sheridan Hapsic of San Clemente, Calif., will join the ISU goalkeeper ranks. Joining a core of talented ISU forwards will be Kaimi Morreira from Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
 
Here is a closer look at this season's squad by position.
 
Forwards
The 2012 team features five forwards and will be led by Strawn and Ellsworth. Also returning to the forward position is senior Laura Perez and junior Kiley Godfrey. Gibson will look to freshman Kaimi Morreira to add depth to the position.
 
“Along with Amanda and Rachel, we also have Laura Perez coming back. She is looking really strong and is as fit as she's ever been coming into a preseason,” Gibson said. “She looks good on the ball and she's worked on some of the deficiencies she's had over the years this summer. As far as connecting passes and breaking pressure on her own, we've seen a huge improvement. Kiley Godfrey has also been working hard and came in fit on the first day of practice while our newcomer Ka'imi has that Hawaiian flare that is very exciting.”
 
Midfielders
The midfield position, led by Jones, also returns senior Anna Pingree, juniors Allyson Stainbrook and Laura Benson as well as sophomore Allyssa Kenney. Kenney saw considerable time on the field last season and scored three goals during the season. Stainbrook recorded four assists during the season while Pingree posted one goal and one assist.
 
“Our midfield group is anchored by senior Anna Pingree,” Gibson said. “She'll look to deny counterattacks and link things side to side, get balls of the backline and win the air game. We also have AJ, Alisha Cairl and Laura Benson who are all working hard and holding their own. Lanie Ward also worked really hard this summer and she's back to the player she was in club and the first two years of college. The two newcomers have been exciting surprises and both are exceeding my expectations.”
 
Defenders
Returners for the backline include senior Morgan Olson, senior Alishia Cairl, junior Lia Margolis, junior Tara Bice, junior Lanie Ward, sophomore Taylor McBride, sophomore Madeline Gochnour and sophomore Mikaela Carrillo. In her freshman season Carrillo played in 17 games and started in 16. She posted one assist and three shots during the season and was named all-conference honorable mention following the 2011 campaign.
 
“Lia [Margolis] coming back will be a tremendous asset,” Gibson said. “Allyson Stainbrook in the middle holds us and is an anchor in the backline. Morgan is coming back from a severe facial injury and it's going to take her a little bit to be confident. She's very strong in the air; she just needs to be confident and comfortable with that again. Taylor McBride coming back is very exciting. She's just a little engine that could out there on the outside back. Madeline Gochnour is someone we are looking to at the outside back with her fitness and her ability to get forward, defend and tackle while Vanessa Cabilan is adding a spark on the outside with our system. It's a really exhausting position so the fact that we have depth there is really exciting. We are also excited to bring back Mikaela Carrillo and Tara Bice.”
 
Goalkeepers
ISU returns two goalkeepers this season including junior Carly Hutchings-Maloney who started all 17 games last season. Hutchings-Maloney played a total of 1466:41 minutes last season and posted 81 saves and one shutout. Sophomore Maria Dela Cruz also returns to the squad this year while Gibson will look to incoming freshman Sheridan Hapsic to add depth to the position.
 
“Carly is obviously still out with an injury and is probably not where she had hoped she would be through no fault of her own but just because the injury is requiring a longer recovery than she originally anticipated,” Gibson said. “We working to keep her motivated and keep her fired up. Maria is looking very sharp and Sheridan is working her tail off. The biggest thing for Sheridan and Maria will be adjusting to the college speed. It will be interesting to see who steps up and makes the most of the opportunity presented to them.”
 
ISU kicks off the 2012 season with an alumni game Saturday, Aug. 11. The Bengals then hit the road for contests against North Dakota State and New Mexico State. The first official home game of the season will be against Minot State Saturday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m.