BY SCOTT
HADDOW
There's a loud knocking at the locker room door of the
Laurentian University women's soccer team.
There's no cowering inside the room, only a group of
determined and strong-minded people beaming with confidence and
pride.
They're excited about answering the door and meeting the
expectations.
The Lady Vees enter the 2006 campaign with a potent line-up,
blessed with an agile crew of veterans who boast hard work
ethic, grit and skill.
Since they first made their way in the OUA league, the women
have steadily improved, year after year, and are now poised to
take a run at the provincial title.
Last season, the ladies forged a record of 5-2-3, good for
second place in the North Division. They even earned their
first ever-home play off game and won it, dumping Guelph
University 1-0. The run came to an end at the hands of Brock
University, when the Lady Vees were beat 1-0 in the OUA quarter
final match.
The Lady Vees dive head first into the 2006 season this
weekend with two big tests to start the drive for an OUA crown.
The squad hosts the Number One ranked team in Canada, the
Ottawa Gee-Gees, on Saturday at 2 pm at the James Jerome
Complex, formerly Lily Creek. The Gee-Gees took the silver
medal last season at the CIS Championship.
Laurentian then hosts the Carleton University Ravens on
Sunday at Cambrian College. Game time is 2 pm. Both games are
subject to change back to the Laurentian field if the
threatened strike action by LUSU is settled. Check
www.luvoyageurs.com
for up-to-date information on game locations.
"There's no doubt we're looking to make an impact right away this year," said defender and OUA All-Star Cara Smith. "We want to win and get off on the right foot. We start against Ottawa and Carleton, two very good teams.
We're prepared for them and we want to show the league
what we can really do."
The team returns 17 veterans and features an impressive crop of
rookies, and all have been moving with purpose in the
pre-season.
"We will be very competitive," said head coach Rob Gallo. "We have worked hard in training camp on ball possession and playing the ball on the ground. We will concentrate on defence and rely on the counter attack to create opportunities. We have girls who can score; however, blowouts will be rare as our system is defence-oriented.
Our centre midfield is well established with solid
ball-winning capabilities and the ability to change to the
attack quickly."
The team has no self doubts about their own talent and just how
far they could go if the pieces fall into place.
"We want to improve on last season's success," said defender Erica Duczeminski. "We have nationals in our sights.
It's an achievable feat for us. We only lost a couple of
players and gained a lot of strong rookies. To get to
nationals...we just have to always play our best."
For now, the Lady Vees will concentrate on one opponent at a
time.
"Our long-term goal is to strive for a national
championship, but our short-term goals are to out-work the
opposition and ensure we make the playoffs," said Gallo. "Our
team knows it can compete with any school in the country. The
focus is on one game, one win. When the dust settles in
October, we will see where we stand for the playoffs."
The Lady Vees are a driven group.
"Our game is all about determination and heart," said Smith.
"We are one of the hardest working teams in the OUA. We
don't give up and we will give it our all."
Like every other team in the OUA soccer loop this season and
beyond, Laurentian will play an extended schedule. The amount
of regular season games has jumped from 10 games to 16.
The longer schedule will play a big factor during the
season.
"It will be harder, in general," said Duczeminski. "With
more games, there's more chances of players getting injured
or just wearing down. We have a deeper bench this year, so it
should allow us to work around the longer schedule. It makes
the season more compact. Last year, sometimes we only played
one game during a weekend. This year, we have two games every
weekend."
The longer schedule and the grind of summer soccer leagues
has caused some concern.
"Five out of six players on our defence played in the United
Soccer League this past (summer)," said Gallo. "They're a
banged up crew physically and mentally, but...they're tough
and injuries will not stop them from competing. With a 16-game
schedule, it will be nice to start off strong. It will be
taxing, however we have a veteran squad and they're
actually looking forward to the extra games. If not, with 16
games, there's plenty of room to recover to battle for a
playoff spot."
The team welcomes a slew of enticing rookies, including
local high school star Anjelica Mazzella (midfield) from
Lockerby and Caitlin Kelly (striker) from Peterborough. The two
players showed poise during a series of exhibition games, where
the team went 1-1.
"Both have worked extremely hard," said Gallo. "If the exhibition series was any indication of what they have, we are looking good with the addition of these two ladies."
