SUNY Potsdam

2009 Brings New Opportunities for the Bears

     Leadership and game experience will be important ingredients to the women’s upcoming soccer season.  Potsdam enters the 2009 campaign with heightened expectations and anticipation.
    The Bears continue in the rebuilding process to be competitive within the SUNYAC Conference.  Fourth year head coach Tim Moody welcomes back 14 letterwinners, including eight starters from last year’s team that went 10-9-2 overall en route to the best single season record in the program’s history and for the first time achieved double digit wins. In doing so the program was recognized by the ECAC and selected to participate in the ECAC Upstate Tournament.
    Last season was the first time the women’s soccer team has gone onto postseason play and at their first attempt won a playoff game. They defeated Sage College at home in the quarterfinals by a score of 4-0 and moved into the semi-finals.   
    The 2009 campaign should be equally as competitive with the addition of five talented newcomers to the program.  With a strong veteran group and a talented incoming class, there is much excitement. “I’m extremely excited to get this season under way. We have people who can score, assist, or create goals. Players who can defend and rookies that have the ability to make contributions.  The squad we have assembled are hungry and want to be successful in representing the program and the institution,” Moody noted.  
    The Bears focus early in the season will be to identify a core group of goal scorers to increase the firepower and defensive presence of departed senior caption Lacey Malbeuf.  “Finding the right combination of players to replace those who graduated will go a long way in determining the success of this year’s team.  No two teams are ever the same,” Moody added.
    Among the candidates to fill the void are returning senior captain Desi Webster, and sophomore Dedra Palmer. Webster, who normally plays the position of midfield, will also take on a new role in defense. Palmer scored plenty of valuable goals last season and is expected to continue where she left off. Sarah Casey will be the starting goalkeeper and is an excellent distributor of the ball.
    The Bears will have a great mix of experience and youth from top to bottom.  “I think we have good people, as well as good players.  It is all about belief and confidence.  We have tried to bring in quality players to cover all areas; to create competition for places, which will help deepen the squad, and in turn will help with injuries.  As a coaching staff, we hope to achieve similar results to last season and perhaps go one step further” Moody observed.
    There will be steep competition for starting places.  “I will be looking for speed, good technique, intelligence soccer-wise, fantastic character, and winners who hate to lose.  We would like to be as successful as last year’s team and will have to play beyond our years to achieve that, however we have a different team in many ways- a new look, a different goal, and we will approach each game as if it is our last.  Each and every team we play is dangerous and possesses players that can hurt us, figuratively speaking, but we do have aspirations to be there when it comes to playoff time,” Moody noted.
    You are only as good as your last game.  “We want our last game to always be competitive and a positive experience and experience is a big part of winning games early in the season.  It takes time for the freshmen to adjust, not only to the speed of play but to the size and strength, technical abilities, and aggressive style of most college players.  Once the team finds its feet, I am hoping they will have a good work ethic, be a well organized, efficient unit with a few individuals who have a bit of guile and spark to create scoring opportunities,” Moody stated.
    With many new faces on the squad, new teams on the schedule, and places to travel and visit. Coach Moody concluded that “This 2009 team will be all about the journey rather then the destination.”