Young Belles squad struggles throughout 2000 campaign
By SARAH RYKOWSKI
Sports Writer
After a sixth-place finish in the MIAA and a winning record of 9-6-2 overall, the Belles entered the 2000 season with high hopes, thinking they had nowhere to go but up. The season told a different story.
"We came in last year and we were real successful," second-year Belles head coach Jason Milligan said. "You'd like to go straight from point A to point B with none of the hard stuff in between."
The Belles soon learned that just surviving this season would be difficult. The MIAA instituted a double-round robin system in place of previous years' competition. Instead of playing each league team once and then participating in a season-ending tournament, the Belles faced each league team twice, leaving less time to play non-league games, which Milligan was not pleased with.
"The shift to the double round-robin made it so we had to play more physical teams more often," Milligan said. "We had girls separate shoulders, get concussions, and suffer leg injuries. We got beat on."
Saint Mary's was forced to adjust, and adjust quickly. Saint Mary's eight freshmen and one sophomore transfer stepped into the gaps left by the graduation of four seniors and the loss of several other players who did not elect to return to the Belles this year.
"They got accustomed to it," Milligan said. "It was a big transition from the high-school game to the college game."
The freshmen did such a good job that Milligan is looking forward to next year.
"At the end of last year, I had to recruit a team," Milligan said. "We definitely have some spots to work on, but this year we're just going to fill in the gaps. The experience that the freshmen and sophomores got will be helpful for next year's freshmen, because they will be able to say `I went through that.'"
And indeed, it was the freshmen and sophomores who filled in the gaps for the Belles. Sophomore co-captain Heather Muth, the leading freshman scorer last year, finished with 4 goals and numerous assists. Two freshmen from Texas were scoring mainstays for the Belles. Midfielder
Stephanie Artnak led the team with 6 goals, 3 from penalty kicks, and forward Wendy Irvin scored five goals after sitting out the first half of the season with a leg injury. Freshman defender Patricia Wheat also scored in the win against Adrian over fall break.
Milligan knew entering in this season that the freshmen he recruited would be a great asset to the team, but even he was surprised.
"When Wendy was coming here, she was a defender," Milligan said. "I was planning on playing her at defense."
When Irvin and her classmates arrived, however, Milligan discovered that several of them, including Irvin, had the ability to play and succeed at other positions. Katie Green, another Belles freshman, began the season at forward. After the Belles defensive corps were decimated by injury,
Milligan moved her to defense and she quickly made herself at home.
"This year we learned some hard lessons that I know were valuable for the team in the future," Milligan said. "If it was easy, everyone would do it."
And that is perhaps the quality that marked the Belles this year: determination.
"Most teams would give up," Milligan said. "One thing that I like best about this team was their character. We were able to finish off strong.
Our best games were at the end of the year. The improvement was incredible."
The Belles went from a team easily intimidated by top league teams to one that was a formidable opponent. The Belles had trouble with communication, scoring, and defense. Even if the round-robin play didn't improve the Belles' season record, it easily illustrates their improvement. After losing to top-ranked Albion 7-0 early in the season, the Belles fought all the way to a 5-1 loss, holding the eventual 2000 MIAA champions to 2-1 for the first half. Their final game of the season against Hope saw them improve from a previous 3-0 loss to a 4-3 loss in sudden-death overtime.
"Teams go through a rough patch," Muth said. "Unfortunately, ours was a long one. But we got through it. We finished strong and we have to go from here."
Muth sat out the final games after suffering injuries to her head and neck during fall break.
"It was heartbreaking to have to sit out and watch and not be able to play," Muth said. "But I was really impressed with the team and how they came together and played their hearts out to the end. When you step back from the situation you can see the heart of the team shine through."
The Belles squad was decimated with injuries this year. Saint Mary's began competition without Adrian Kirby and Irvin, who did not rejoin their teammates until the Manchester game, the fifth of the season. Muth played the entire season with a sore leg before ending it with more serious injuries. Junior co-captain Jessica Klink and sophomore transfer Alissa Brasseur left the Belles at nearly the same time, Brasseur for the season with a heel injury. Klink rejoined her teammates after fall break. Freshman Emily Erchick separated her shoulder and suffered a concussion to end her rookie season after fall break. Junior Kristen Priganc was out for several games midseason with a back injury.
"It's unfortunate that this season went the way it did because we have a really talented group on this team," Muth said. "After a difficult experience like our team went through it can only get better. It definitely will."
Muth sees the round-robin play as an advantage, at least in terms of next season.
"I think that we know our competition real well now and realize that we can challenge all of them," Muth said. "If you were at our games and playing the game — we were right there with them. Next year the scores might go our way. Nowe we've seen what we are up against. Most of the teams that we played against will be the same."
And the Belles themselves will remain relatively intact. Laura Paulen, who played midfield this season after spending most of her previous seasons back on defense, is the only senior on the squad. The Belles retain juniors and co-captains Klink, goalie Tia Kapphahn, and Katy Robinson as well as Kirby and Priganc. Muth, Brasseur, Shawna Jiannoni, and Lynn Taylor were the sophomores on the squad. And the freshmen, Artnak, Irvin, Erchick, Green, Wheat, Kristin Greenwood, Catherine Valent, and freshman goalie Laura Metzger will also return.
"Now we've seen the hard times and no one wants to go do that again," Muth said. "Everyone's looking forward to turning the team around and being successful."
Saint Mary's was held to only 15 goals this year, and ends with an overall 3-10-1 in the MIAA and stands at 3-13-1 overall. The 2000 squad spent much of the season working on their scoring.
"Scoring goals is about stepping up and making shots and taking risks," Milligan said. "It's something that is hard to teach, but it is something we are getting close to. It takes practice. It takes repetition. We put a lot of time into it this year."
Milligan was also pleased with the versatility of his squad.
"Since we had so many injuries, many of the girls had to play positions that they weren't familiar with," Milligan said. "We improved our skills in every facet of the game."
Milligan is assisted in his coaching by second-year assistant coach Jared Hochstetler.
"I really appreciate the job that my asstant coach did and the support of my athletic staff," Milligan said. "One thing that [Hochstetler] does real well is that he stays after practice to work with particular players. He can teach certain things better than I can. He is gifted in different areas and we complement each other well."
Milligan hopes to be able to look back on this season as a learning experience, both for himself and for his players.
"This year was hard on everybody," Milligan said. "It was one of those years that you build and build and build and never really get to the top. But you know it is there. We did get the unity we were looking for by dealing with the injuries and the other stuff we had to go through."
All Sports Stories for Thursday, November 2, 2000
