Women's Soccer Recaps 2015 Season Run
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Regardless of finishing one point behind what this season's seniors so desperately desired â€" a berth in the Big Ten Tournamentâ€" Michigan State women's soccer head coach Tom Saxton cannot be prouder of the way his team advanced the Spartan soccer program to a level from which it had not returned to for a few years.
"I think we moved things in the right direction with their help," Saxton said of his veterans.
Saxton credits this season's seniors for setting the mentality which was needed for this year's success. Coming up with the mantra, "Spartans play for 90," the team members challenged themselves to play every single second of each game.
Resulting from this would be a notable run of 326 minutes without allowing an opponent goal from the Spartan backline. Anchored by senior centerback Mary Kathryn Fiebernitz along with defender Alexandra Gjonaj, the two offered an intimidating defensive front.
This leadership comes from training by the coaching staff after the team experienced a void of student-athlete leadership.
"The most noteworthy story behind the scenes was that when the seniors were freshmen we had a kind of crisis of leadership within our team," Saxton said. "We worked as a staff with them to help build a leadership counsel. Many of those seniors and fifth-year seniors were part of that. It really paid off, and it was a credit to [the seniors]. They were all in the whole way, and I'm sorry the season came to an abrupt end but very proud of them all the same."
On the offense, many noted the explosion that freshman Lexy Warner made. What often went unseen was sophomore Jamie Cheslik orchestrating passing lanes and offensive fluditiy. The two forwards combined to lead the team in assists.
Warner erupted onto the collegiate soccer scene, leading her team in points and goals.
Fiebernitz praised Cheslik, saying that the sophomore often goes underpraised or underlooked, and she believes that next year the junior will rise to the occasion of taking even more of a leadership role.
Another player who often flew under the radar was fellow freshman Michaela "Mouse" Kovacs.
Kovacs started every game of the season, proving herself a midfield staple and offensive threat.
"They were fantastic and had a really positive impact on our team this year," Saxton said of Warner and Kovacs. "I think it was evident to everyone, all the veteran players, in the first couple days of training that they were special players, special athletes and very good people as well. As newcomers that take up a lot of playing time, that can often create tensions with the upperclassmen. That wasn't the case at all. They were hard workers and great talents. We had a nice blend of veterans and newcomers."
The team made waves in the Big Ten this season, snapping Iowa's win streak in East Lansing and picking up a 2-1 win in the season opener behind Warner's two goals. Again, the team would defy the odds and upset Michigan at home in a 3-0 shutout win, fired up by Kovacs' first minute goal.
Road-tripping to Minneapolis, Cheslik rallied her team to take a 1-0 win over at the time No. 11 Minnesota for its first home loss of the season.
Even in some of the losses, had one or two of the Spartans' shots fallen inches to the left or right, the outcome would have been altered.
Part of MSU's success was due in credit to senior goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder. Tallying 79 saves for the season and five shutouts, the goalie shattered both single-season and career records in the Spartan history book. This season Gauruder moved into a tie for seventh in single-season goals against average at 0.79.
In her career, she ranks tenth with 145 total saves, fifth with 4.53 saves per game, and third with a 1.00 goals against average.
Along with leading the conference in the final week of competition in save percentage for league competition, she notched four top-five finishes, including saves, saves per game, save percentage and goals against average.
Graduating two forwards, four defenders, three midfielders as well as Gauruder in goal. Saxton said that those who remain need to capitalize upon their predecessors' energy and drive.
"It's very important that next year's seniors/veterans learn from the group that is moving on," he said. "It's vital that they immediately capture that intensity and focus so that we continue to move forward. We'll have the talent. We had a foundation defensively, and we know we have to get better offensively. They'll be an opportunity for the younger players on the team to fill the void of the great senior class because their leadership was special."
Warner noted the impact Fiebernitz had on her team, as both a double-threat on the defense and offense. Tied for the team high in goals, Fiebernitz "taught players something new every day," in her role as captain, according to the freshman.
Also notable is the departure of senior Allyson Krause. Krause finished 25th in Spartan history in overall points (14 goals, 10 assists). She also sits at 23rd in career goals.
Finishing out the season with a 8-6-4 overall record while going 4-5-2 in conference play, the Spartans finished ninth in the Big Ten.
Saxton said that consistency and defensive prowess were a large factor in this year's success.
"We did emphasize defense from day one. I think that is who we are," Saxton said. "We are a very solid defensive team that maintained consistency in the run of play."
"We also emphasized restarts a lot, and we did have a couple lapses there down the stretch. That's something that all teams focus on and you don't always control every moment. Within the run of play, I thought we defended well against every level of competition this year with which I was really pleased."
Maintaining the balanced mixed of veteran players and young talent, players such as defenders Marisa Oleksiak and Jessica Kjellstrom along with sophomore Morgan McKerchie as well as Cheslik, Warner and Kovacs, will look to step into the leadership role. With multiple goalkeepers vying to protect the Spartan net, the race for the starting position will be up for grabs.
