Juniata College Women 2013 Season-In-Review
By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College women's soccer record book is littered with accomplishments from the 2013 season. After a 14-6 season, the Eagles set a new program record for wins in a season (14), goals in a season (55), and tied the best marks for longest unbeaten streak (7) and fewest losses (6).
"There were so many things that everyone can point to and say, we have seen the fruits of a lot of very hard work from a lot of very good student-athletes," said head coach Scott McKenzie. "They finally got some of the credit that they deserve. They finally got the recognition on campus and the recognition on the scoreboard that they have so long worked for."
With a 4-2 record in the Landmark Conference regular season, Juniata finished the year second in the league and qualified for the postseason tournament for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2010. After the Eagles fell to eventual conference champion Drew University they earned a bid to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Tournament – just the second ECAC bid for Juniata women's soccer. At the end of the year, seniors Paula Pryor (Westbrookville, N.Y./Burke Catholic) and Alicia Snyder (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) along with junior Lillian Dudek (Downington, Pa./Upattinas School) all earned Second-Team All-Landmark distinction.
"Alicia and Paula both doubled their career output, from their freshman through junior year, as seniors," added McKenzie. "It's almost on uncanny to think about one player being able to do that let alone have two. Then you have Lillian Dudek who finally gets the recognition she deserves as one of the better defensive players in our conference. It would be a shame to point to those three and say, 'those are the candles that lit the room,' because that's not the case. Every player on that squad, regardless of whether they played one minute or 1,700 minutes, contributed to the success of the year. Nothing shines brighter than 24 lights and that's really what we had. It wasn't three that were brighter than others. It was 24 lights that all shined for twenty games."
The Eagles scored 55 goals in the season from 13 different players or 65% of the field players on the roster. Before the 2013 season, Juniata women's soccer had never won more than 10 games in a season and had only won 10 games once (2006).
"I think nothing helps teams win more than confidence and belief in themselves," said McKenzie. "This group didn't apologize when they hit the field. They just went out there and played hard. Winning becomes a habit and you learn what to do to make that habit continue and that's what this group did. Ten wins became 11 that became 12 that became 13 that became 14. That was a fun run."
The Juniata coaching staff devised a new way to motivate the team. The players were organized into teams of six according to the houses of the famous Harry Potter book series. From there, the houses would compete everyday in practice as well as in games for team superiority. Nearly every aspect of practice, and actions within games, was given a numerical value. Every Monday during season was a fitness day and the houses could earn points through conditioning competitions.
"Challenging your teammates is what makes you better," said assistant coach Kaleigh Herring. "We wanted a way of tracking success and failure that was fun for them, something they could see everyday, something they could keep track of, and a way to hold each other accountable. It brought out the competitive nature that was in all of our players, but that wouldn't always come out. It was a safe zone for them in which they could be competitive and not each other's best friends, and a way to bring out that fire in a kid you would never thought had it – that side that said, we're tired of being pushed around, we're tired of being told we're not good enough and then, they just showed up and played."
Kaleigh Herring's Top Moments
Determinably Defiant
On September 25, Juniata took its perfect 7-0 record on the road to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face off against then No. 15 Carnegie Mellon University. The Eagles gave up three goals in the first half, after having surrendered only four goals through the first seven games.
"We showed up in the first half timid, a little bit afraid," said Herring. "We got through the first half and got them all to the sideline and said first half is over. Now it's time to play. We made a tiny strategic adjustment and asked them all to go out and play their game. In the second half, you wouldn't have known it was the same Juniata team from the first half. The competitor in each one of the players that stepped on the field for that game came out. It was very obvious that all the hard work paid off. Our team was about to see that, while Carnegie Mellon may have been the 15th ranked team in the nation, we can still play with them."
In the second half, Juniata scored after just one minute and 32 seconds of play.
"Until something else miraculous happens, that Carnegie Mellon game will define this team better than any other game that we played all year," added Herring. "It showed the strength of the team and just how much they want to win and how hard they are willing to work for it."
The Development of a Defense
Juniata entered the 2013 season with all young goalkeepers. Freshman Erin Mueller (Bedford, Pa./Bedford) came out of preseason with the starting position and began her first collegiate season behind the back line of juniors Dudek and Katie Szczur (Johnstown, Pa./Richland), and freshmanDevin Kos (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area). Mueller finished the year with the programs fourth lowest goals against average (1.40) and the Juniata defense averaged 1.37 goals against per game over the 20-game season.
"Erin Mueller went from being a very timid goalkeeper who made silly mistakes to, in the second half of the year, this tremendous goalkeeper that was a force to be reckoned with," said Herring. "That's not just Erin. That comes from the confidence that was given to her through the play of Katie Szczur, and Lillian, and Devin in front of her. They all played together and helped each other grow and become a tremendous, solid, defensive core."
The Age of an Athlete
Facing No. 15 Carnegie Mellon, Kos went up against one of the most potent offensive teams' Juniata would face all year.
"In the first half, Devin was on the side with all the fans," said Herring. "There was a group of that was yelling at her, taunting her, and trying to get under her skin. Devin kept getting spun, knocked to the ground, and run past by this one player. Every time Devin hit the ground she popped right back up and got to the end line to deny that girl from crossing the ball. That girl could not get a cross off the whole game. It took so much work, and strength, from Devin, having those fans making fun of her and having that forward keep picking on her, to be able to get up, play, and play to the best of her ability, for 90 minutes, against a very good team."
The Competitive Drive
On an average practice day, the Eagles finished out the day with a game of World Cup – a simple competition that soccer players learn their first day on a pitch. Things went from casually competitive to downright hostile when Dudek was the first player eliminated.
"I have never seen someone be so disappointed and angry about that game in my life," said Herring. "You can tell, pretty easily, that Lily is very competitive and a strong willed player, but that was a solidifying moment when I realized what type of player we have on your hands. Even in the simplest games, she wanted to be the last one standing. She wanted to be the one challenging all of her teammates."
For the senior class this year, Jennifer Graves (Manchester, Conn./Manchester), Rose Lucidi(Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley), Pryor, Jenna Rodrigue (Manchester, Conn./Manchester), Molly Sellars (Caldwell, N.J./Caldwell), and Snyder, they leave Juniata women's soccer with an overall record of 37-31-3, two Landmark tournament appearances and an ECAC bid.
"These seniors have helped redefine hard work," said McKenzie. "It's a group of seniors who came in and had success as freshmen and then some of that success was not being repeated. They made it their mission that they were going to get back to the postseason. They would accept really nothing other than that. We have some new players that came in and performed well, but this is basically the same team that played last year. It's a team that just wouldn't take no for an answer. They dedicated themselves to playing for each other, for their teammates, and it's amazing, when you can all point yourself in one direction, how far you can go."
While the 2013 season will be one to hold onto for many years, the Eagles will always look for an even better future.
"I don't know that they realize how good they are," added Herring. "We are losing six players and three of who played a lot this year, but I think we're going to be ok. While they're presence will be missed, and some of their words of wisdom will be missed very much, I think that we're going to survive and have another tremendous year. They just need to realize how much they are worth and how good they actually are. Once that clicks for them, I don't know that there is much that can stop them."
All those at Juniata that support the team made their success possible.
"Every group here at Juniata has people behind the scenes," said McKenzie. "Tony Nabozny, and Jeff Leydig, Dodie Edwards, and Meghan Shoff from the training staff, and Doug Smith the strength and conditioning coach, and Greg Curley, and all the administrators, do such a good job of making these student-athletes feel like they are the most important people in the world. That has so much to do with a positive outlook. Everybody gets credit for the 14-6 record. Everybody gets credit for the ECAC bid. That includes everybody who doesn't put a uniform on. It's so important that we don't forget about those people."
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