The Longwood Lancers women's soccer team has added nine players for the 2012 season. According to a press release issued by the athletics department almost three weeks ago, the recruiting class is one of the largest in the history of women's soccer. Head coach Todd Dyer said, "The resumés and pedigree of the girls in this class is strong." Five of the new Lancers come from the Football Club of Virginia (FCV) Cardinals, an Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) team from Fairfax, Va.
Two of the players set to join the Lancers are Olivia Colella and Meghan Magee. Chantilly High School standout Olivia Colella netted the gamewinning goal in the 2009 Girl's Virginia AAA State Championship. Colella is also a standout for the Chantilly Burn club team. Meghan Magee plays for the Virginia Rush, another ECNL team. Dyer said, "[The ECNL] is supposed to be the elite level of club soccer throughout the nation. She is one of the stronger players on that team." In terms of the impact of the class, Dyer is playing a wait-and-see game. Now in his 18th season, Dyer expects each new recruiting class to make the team better.
The veteran coach does not simply want to plug players into a system. In addition, Dyer recognizes how much of a leap it can be going from high school to college for some soccer players. "It really all comes down to how fast they can transition to this competitive environment," Dyer said. Dyer admits that, while it would be tough for freshman to see the field, his ultimate goal is to "start the best eleven." In terms of how the team recruits, Dyer and his staff do not look for one specific type of player. According to the Longwood athletics website, four of the new players are listed as being able to play multiple positions. It is something that Dyer believes has more to do with the state of the soccer world in the United States than a recruiting goal. According to Dyer, most of these players are asked to play a variety of positions for both club and high school teams.
In addition, Dyer said, "We do not recruit [for] specific positions. We recruit players. We recruit athletes." Once the players arrive at Longwood, Dyer and his staff try to sort out where certain players fit better. Dyer admits that the strategy and formation can change due to what kind of players are on the roster. For instance, Dyer switched the team from a 3-5-2 formation to a 4-3-3 formation a couple of years ago. On paper, the ladder formation is intended to be attack-minded while still providing enough defensive coverage. "If our roster dictated that we would be better suited to play another formation, we would."
There will be voids to fill for the Lancers this season. The team is graduating eight seniors from the fall roster; four of those players were starters last season. Among the losses include fifth-year senior midfielder Kacie Oliver. Oliver started all 18 games for the Lancers this past season and netted six goals. She was second on the team with 13 points. In addition, Oliver was a key player on set pieces for the Lancers. Oliver attempted 84 of the team's 85 attempted corner kicks last season.
Beyond the statistics, Dyer notes that losing these four starters also means losing veteran leaders. Two of the graduating seniors, Alex Myers and Katie Devlin, were fifth-year players because of being redshirted due to injury. "When you have that much experience that graduates, that is quite a void to fill."
According to Dyer, the coaches have begun an immediate process of talking to rising seniors about the next year. The message of the coaches is simply that the team is in their hands now. Dyer said, "We start communicating with them right away, 'Look, it is your job now. Wherever we are going, you are taking us there.'" The Lancers are returning seven starters from a team that went 7-7-4 last season. Returning starters include standout Lindsey Ottavio. Ottavio was tied for second on the team with three goals this past season. The season kicks off for the Lancers on Aug. 17 against Drexel.
