Sept. 4, 2001
Pining for Success
GW Soccer Squads Will Look to Their Benches for the
Depth Necessary in the A-10
By Greg
Licamele
When George Lidster and Tanya Vogel peer at the benches of their soccer
squads this season, they will see both change and stability. The change
comes from a new home field at Mount Vernon College while the stability
derives from the combined 33 out of 46 returning GW soccer players.
Colonial Men
Lidster, in his 14th year as GW’s men’s coach, is looking
to the middle of the field to be this season’s glue. Junior Matt
Osborne will provide the sparks at the forward position and build on
his 15 goals and two assists from last season — the second overall
scorer in the Atlantic 10. His fellow British teammate, senior Matt
Pilkington, will anchor the midfield, while A-10 All Rookie Team member
Sean Ross will return for his second season filling the cleats left
behind by last year’s co-captain Jeff Greenspan in the backfield.
Osborne, Pilkington, and Ross have been named to the A-10 Preseason
All-Conference Team. Lidster also expects senior Nick Parypinski,
GW’s goalkeeper, to shine in his final season.
“Generally, if your goalkeeper plays well and your forward can
score goals, the rest of the team gels and you’re OK,” Lidster
says. “So I’m happy that we have strength up the middle.”
Returning to the team this season will be midfielder Michael Goldman,
a captain from last season, who did not play because of a knee injury.
“Hopefully he’ll be able to pick up from his sophomore year
and provide some leadership,” Lidster says. “He was the engine
of the team and we missed him last year.”
Many Colonials, including seven freshmen, played during Goldman’s
absence. Goldman’s injury opened the door to an even stronger 2001
team.
“I think what we’ll have this year, which we didn’t have
last year, is depth,” Lidster predicts. “I think the improvement
of (the freshmen) will help us a lot this year because when people get
injured or when people are exhausted or not playing well, we’ll
have players to put in.”
After finishing 9–5–3 last season and losing a heartbreaking,
four-overtime match to Dayton in the A-10 semifinals, Lidster is focused
on a new year at a new home field.
“We’ve been left behind for the last eight years facilities
wise,” Lidster says. “Now, we’re back on track and I
think the program will only go from strength to strength now. I see
GW getting back on the map like we were in the early years.
Colonial Women
After one year at the helm of the women’s soccer team, Tanya Vogel
has brought back a sense of excitement, pride, and determination to
her alma mater to be the best team in the Atlantic 10.
But to be successful, Vogel had some hard work to tackle last year.
“The biggest challenge was that the team obviously had a difficult
year the year before,” Vogel says. “The biggest challenge
was trying to erase those memories and really set our sights on the
future. Forget about that past. We’re bigger, we’re better,
we’re stronger, we’re faster, and we’re more mature.”
Looking forward is something her seniors are doing and she expects them
to lead the charge for the Colonials this season.
“They have really embraced me as a coach,” describes Vogel,
whose team finished 5–14 overall last season, 4–6 in the A-10.
“So my rising seniors, that include Kesha Christoph, Jessica Sultzer,
Erin Coppedge, Angelica Caramanica, and Tiffany Williams, are all outstanding
individuals. They will all be on the field a lot this year and I am
looking to them to spark this team and bring it together.”
Coppedge and redshirt sophomore Kim Warner will form a potent scoring
duo at the forward position for the Colonials. Vogel is implementing
a new style of play this year with three forwards, so Caramanica and
Williams will have the opportunity to score goals, one of the GW weaknesses
the last two seasons.
Leading the freshman class are Lindsay Bruno and Kelly Lawten, who will
see time in the midfield and at defense. The Connecticut natives were
named to the A-10 Preseason All-Rookie Team, already raising the bar
for their teammates before their first NCAA game versus Howard on Sept.
4 at the Mount Vernon Athletic Field.
“I’m going to be looking at my freshmen to come in and push
my sophomores and push my juniors and push my seniors,” Vogel says.
“I look at each one of my classes and they are all very strong
classes. They’re all very different, but I think that’s what
makes this team extraordinary.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
