Revamped Cougars off to good start

Matt Potter knew there was some major work his Washington State University women’s soccer team would need to do if it hoped to build on last year’s 11-5-3 overall record and fifth-place finish (4-4-1) in the prestigious Pacific-10 Conference.

And so far, the Cougars – in the opinion of their sixth-year head coach, at least – have responded nicely, posting a 1-0-2 record heading into Friday’s opening match of the four-team Tennessee Lady Volunteers Classic in Knoxville, Tenn.

“Any time you lose the type of senior class that we did, you have a period of transition,” Potter said about his team’s unbeaten start to the 2008 season. “And I think we’ve traveled through that very well. The relationships the players have built, the way that we’re starting to play and results we’ve been getting are very encouraging early on.

“But as we traverse through the season, we realize there is a lot of soccer left to play.”

WSU, which faces Illinois on Friday and West Virginia on Sunday, has posted two shutouts in its first three matches and is getting splendid goalkeeping from the tandem of sophomore Lindsay Parlee and freshman Stephanie Phillips, who had five second-half saves in Sunday’s 0-0 tie with William & Mary in the James Madison Comfort Inn Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va.

The Cougars have been paced offensively by junior forward Kiersten Dallstream and sophomore forward Emma Stolz, who have combined to put 10 shots on goals and score two of WSU’s three goals so far this season.

Following is a brief look at how the other women’s and men’s collegiate teams in the area have started their seasons.

Gonzaga

The Bulldogs (2-2-0) have split their first four matches, beating Portland State and Idaho and losing to Long Beach State and Washington. Coach Shannon Stiles has six starters back from last year’s 12-7-1 team that finished fifth in the West Coast Conference with a 3-4 record.

Among the veterans Stiles has back is senior Kelcy Goddard, a junior midfielder, who was named to the All-WCC second team last fall when she finished with a goal and four assists. Stiles also has another pair of proven scorers up front in sophomores Ashley Riley and Sheridan Jones, who share the team scoring lead so far this season with a goal and an assist, each.

The Zags also boast two solid goalkeepers in sophomore Lauren Ames, who was named to the WCC’s all-freshman team last season after allowing only three goals and posting a 0.43 overall goals-against average – the lowest in school history, and junior Jessie Thalman, who led the team with eight wins and five shutouts as a sophomore.

Idaho

The Vandals (0-2) have lost to Cal State-Bakersfield and Gonzaga to open the season, but will get a chance for their first win this weekend when they host the Governor’s Cup at Guy Wicks Field, where they will face Seattle University on Friday and Idaho State on Sunday. Boise State is also in the four-team field.

Coach Peter Showler’s team is hoping to improve on last year’s 5-12-1 season, which included a 1-5-1 record and 7th-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference.

In order to do so, they will need another big year from sophomore forward Jennifer Hull, who led the team in scoring as a freshman with six goals and an assist, and senior forward Nicole McAlllister, who has one of UI’s two goals this season.

The Vandals’ defense appears solid, with senior Kelsey Manning, who had made 43 consecutive starts heading into fall camp, along with sophomore Jennifer Eugenio.

Eastern Washington

Coach George Hageage’s veteran team (0-2-1) will be looking for its first win when it hosts Cal State Bakersfield in its home open on Friday. The Eagles posted a 9-8 overall record – the best in school history – last fall, and went 3-4-0 in the Big Sky Conference, narrowly missing the league playoffs.

Hageage has eight starters back, including senior midfielder Abby Jensen, who was EWU’s second-leading scorer in 2007 with five goals and an assist. Senior forward Lauryn Koelzer, who had three goals and two assists as a junior, also returns, along with junior defender Chelsey Hannesson, who scored three goals as a sophomore.

Despite all of the experienced players on Hageage’s roster, the Eagles, in a preseason poll of league coaches, were picked to finish eighth in this year’s Big Sky standings – an obvious indication of how strong the conference is this fall.

Whitworth

The Pirates finished 18-3 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament in 2007, setting a school record for wins and putting together their best season since becoming a D-III member in 1998.

Coach Sean Bushey has eight starters back, including leading scorer Lindsey Oakes, a junior midfielder who scored 10 goals and assisted on five others last season. The Bucs (1-0) opened their season with an impressive 2-0 win over Chapman on Monday and have road games at UC Santa Cruz (Friday) and Cal State East Bay (Sunday) before opening their home schedule on Sept. 11 against Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Junior colleges

Community Colleges of Spokane (1-1) finished 11-8-3 overall last fall and in third place in the East Region of the NWAACC with an 11-4-2 record. Coach Jim Martinson returns seven sophomores from the team, including forward Patty Duncan, who was named to the Eastern All-Region team as a freshman.

•North Idaho College (3-1) returns seven players from last year’s team, including All-Scenic West Athletic Conference goalkeeper Alicia Kahler, and should once again challenge for the SWAC title.

Men

Gonzaga

The Bulldogs (0-1) lost 10 seniors off last year’s team and face a major rebuilding task, along with a brutal non-conference schedule that saw them open their season with a 4-1 road loss to Creighton, a team that was ranked in the top 10 in all four pre-season polls.

The Zags, whose top returning scorer is junior midfielder Tye Perdido (three goals, one assist), play their next three matches on the road before returning home on Sept. 19 to host the four-team Gonzaga/Nike Soccer Classic and christen their new Gonzaga Soccer Field.

Whitworth

Despite having eight new starters in the lineup, the Pirates have won their first two matches of the season and seem poised to improve on last year’s 15-4-1 overall record and 12-2 league mark that gave them another Northwest Conference title. The defense, led by junior Bryan Olson, looks solid once again, and a tough non-conference schedule should help prepare the Bucs for NWC play.

Junior colleges

Community Colleges of Spokane, which has only four sophomores on its roster, dropped its first two matches and has yet to score a goal – an indication there might be some growing pains to deal with this fall.

•North Idaho College (1-1-2) boasts nine returning veterans and should once again be a major player in the Scenic West Athletic Conference title race.