2007 Women's Soccer Season Review
FREDETTE
REPEATS AS ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTION: For the second season in
a row, forward Meghan Fredette earned Pacific's only selection to the All-Northwest
Conference Women's Soccer Team. Fredette was selected as an honorable mention
and was recognized for her efforts to lead and provide scoring to a young
Pacific team. The Boxers finished with a 5-14-1 record, marking a two-win
improvement over the 2006 campaign.
"It's great to see Meghan get some well-deserved recognition for all of the dedication and hard work that she has given the program over the last four years," Pacific Head Coach Joy Boswell said.
After leading Pacific in scoring during the 2006 season, Fredette handed the scoring reins over to younger members of the team while providing a critical role creating opportunities. Fredette led the Boxers with three assists and tied for third with two goals apiece. She capped the season by assisting on a critical game-tying goal by Lauren Kanda (Fr., Kaneohe, Hawaii) in Pacific's 3-2 overtime upset of No. 4 ranked Puget Sound. A four-year starter for the Pacific program, Fredette finished her Pacific career with 11 goals and three assists.
Additionally, Fredette finished her Pacific career by notching a couple of spots in the record books. Her 51 shots in 2007 was the most in a season, surpassing the old record of 47 by Aja Sincerny in 1999. Fredette's 123 shots over her four-year career finished one short of the Pacific record of 124 held by Laura Hill.
SMALL STEPS: After a first season that saw the Boxers win just three matches, Head Coach Joy Boswell was looking to make some small steps towards building the Pacific women's soccer program into a contender. The cards were stacked against the Boxers in Boswell's second season with a tough schedule from top to bottom and a total of 15 newcomers.
The season started off strong, however, as the Boxers went 2-1-1 against the non-conference portion of the schedule. After a season-opening loss to Cascade, the Boxers blanked Warner Pacific 2-0 at home and Northwest (Wash.) 1-0 on the road before settling for a 1-1 tie with NCAA Division II Western Oregon.
The Northwest Conference season, however, proved difficult for a young roster that was adjusting to the pace of college soccer. Pacific dropped it's first three league contests, snapping the string with a 2-1 victory over Pacific Lutheran that opened the new Lincoln Park Stadium with a win (see below). After a 1-0 overtime shutout of George Fox at home, the Boxers fell into a nine-match losing streak. Pacific proved competitive in those games, however, losing five of those by one goal.
In snapping the skid, the Boxers closed the season with a victory that could build momentum for the program for years to come. On their home turf, the Boxers received goals from the freshman twin tandem of Ashley and Lauren Kanda to score a 3-2 upset of No. 4 ranked Puget Sound. It was Pacific's first ever women's soccer victory over the mighty Loggers.
In the end, the improvements were small but significant. The Boxers improved to a 5-14-1 mark with a much younger lineup. Pacific's three NWC victories were two more than the previous season and the team's eighth place finish with a step up from last year.
LAST WIN: Pacific closed out the storied history of Tom Reynolds Field in fitting fashion, scoring a 2-0 shutout over Warner Pacific in the last match at the facility on Sept. 5. Freshman Jenny Novak scored the Boxers' first goal in the 25th minute and senior Meghan Fredette tallied the last goal on the pitch when she connected in the 47th minute. Originally the Pacific football field, the Pacific soccer teams started play on the re-named Tom Reynolds Field in 1993. They finished their 13-year run on the pitch with a 51-62-12 record.
FIRST WIN: The Boxers also made history as the first team to win a match on Pacific's new Lincoln Park Stadium pitch. In the facility's first event on Sept. 22, Pacific was a 2-1 winner over NWC rival Pacific Lutheran. Ashley Kanda scored the first goal in the history of the stadium connecting in the seventh minute off an assist from Meghan Fredette. Kelli Ganiko provided the game-winner in the 73rd minute, scoring her first goal of the season off an Allysa Omana assist. Pacific could not have asked for a better day for their first match in the new facility, playing in front of 250 fans under sunny skies and 70 degree temperatures.
BEST
WIN: In the nearly 30-year history of the Pacific women's soccer
program, the Boxers had never beaten a team from Puget Sound. Entering
their season finale on Nov. 3, the Boxers had amassed a 0-26-2 record against
the Loggers, a perennial NCAA Division III playoff contender.
The 28-match winless streak came to an end in a double-overtime thriller. Ashley Kanda's goal in the 102nd minute secured a 3-2 double overtime victory over Puget Sound in Forest Grove. Kanda tapped the ball into the net off of a corner kick from her twin sister, Lauren. The goal snapped a 32-match unbeaten streak that dated back to the beginning of the 2006 season. All four of the goals scored in regulation were scored in the first half with each of the Kandas notching strikes.
The Loggers made the Boxers work hard for the win, out-shooting Pacific 48-10 and putting 23 shots on goal. Freshman goalie Sydney Vincent put together her best effort of the season, notching 21 saves in the victory.
NEW
FACES: As the rebuilding process of the Pacific program began,
Joy Boswell infused a lot of new talent into the mix. The team rostered
a total of 15 newcomers, including 14 freshmen and one sophomore transfer.
The breakdown included a pair of new forwards, five midfielders, five defenders
and two goalkeepers.
Those new faces proved critical in the Boxers' scoring successes. On the team's 20 goals, 11 were scored by first year players. Ashley Kanda led the way with five goals, while Jenny Novak posted three to fill the No. 1 and No. 2 scoring spots.
The Boxers relied solely on newcomers in the goal. Sydney Vincent saw the majority of minutes in the net and made the most of her 5-foot-3 frame. Vincent led the Northwest Conference with 133 saves, the second most for a Pacific goalkeeper in a single season. Vincent’s seven saves per game is a new Pacific record, surpassing the old record of 6.81 set by Maureen Wilson in 2001. Vincent also led the league in saves per game and was fifth in save percentage.
EXTRA TIME: For the second straight season, Pacific found themselves engaged in a large number of overtime contests. The Boxers played past 90 minutes in five contests, matching the number of overtime tilts played in 2006. The Boxers went 2-2-1 in those contests, which included home wins over George Fox and Puget Sound. The overtime effort marks the fourth season that Pacific has played in five overtime matches. The two overtime wins matches the two-win output Pacific had in 2002 when they finished 2-0-3 in extra time.