Newsletter #1

Thunderbird Soccer

Issue #1 August 2015

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Southe

rn Utah Unive

rsity

Meet the newbies This season we introduce 13 new freshman and one transfer player to the squad. This group brings instant chemistry!

Preseason This part of the season has already flown by. With a very early exhibition things have progressed very quickly.

What’s next A California trip is on the horizon. Home to 6 of our players this will be somewhat of a homecoming for them J

This season is already well underway and moving ahead quick Luckily the introduction of 14 new faces didn’t hamper our progress and actually may have helped!

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For the last 4 years we have tried to build a program into what we consider an elite Division I program. This has been an arduous task, but one undertaken with care and precision. Each and every player was selected with an end goal in mind. Team chemistry was put at the forefront and players not fitting the mold that we wanted for SUU soccer were left for other teams to pick up. As a coach I have always said it is easy to identify talent. That can take mere minutes sitting on a sideline of a game. But to find a player

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who fits into the mold of what you want your team to be off the field … that is the challenge.

It is with great pride that we say this years SUU Thunderbird squad is a total team from top to bottom. Like any family we have our tiffs and squabbles, but from day one this group has been a tight unit laughing and working hard with and for each other. We’re very grateful that your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, neighbors and friends have joined the

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squad. Each of them have contributed in big ways and as we have reiterated time and time again -‐ it will take every single one of us preforming at our best to win a championship!

This years new faces include 5 Californians, 5 Utahans, and one player each from Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado. This is the first time I believe that the new faces from Utah have not been the clear majority.

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Thunderbird Soccer Issue #1 August 2015

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Our 5 Californians:

Kristy Johnson: Thus far Kristy has started as a center back for the team. A late signing for the Thunderbirds, we couldn’t be happier that she has made her way to Cedar!

Kaitlyn Caldera: Kaitlyn is from Irvine, CA and was another late addition to this class. Getting time between the pipes already this season, we expect great things from her.

Saki Watanabe: This 5’1” fireplug is one of the most technically gifted players on our team. She has a golden touch on the ball and her size belies her big arsenal of skills.

Brielle Bourgeois: Bri has also become a starter for the Thunderbirds this far into the season. Her 5’4” stature is not something I would encourage other teams to try and take advantage of because she plays like a 6 foot bruiser.

Summer Soriano: Summer is a quiet force. Very very skilled she is a player who has gone onto the field in various positions to help the team wherever needed. We love her soccer IQ and strong technical skills

Our 5 Utahns:

Paige Robins: Paige broke into the starting lineup and has been a terror for other teams. At this weekends UNLV tournament she was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player scoring 2 goals and adding 1 assist.

Devri Hartle aka STIX: Like all of the one name wonders in the professional sporting world, Stix is good enough to pull it off. She is fast and skilled and adds a punch to our line up.

Megan Elliott: Megan is one of the brightest spots on our team. Her effervescent personality shins brightly and she created instant chemistry and bridges between all of the classes.

Kenzie Bell: Kenzie overcame an early foot injury to lock down a starting spot as a centerback. She is ferocious in the air and leaves the field with a bloody knee about every other game!

TJ: TJ has been filling in at various positions and her technical ability has been on full display as she undertakes these challenges. A wicked cutback is her go to move and watchout!

Our “Others”:

Alanna Carbonaro: This GK from Arizona suffered an unfortunate ACL tear at a pickup game here in Cedar before the season began. She is an engaging personality who doesn’t hold back – everything she does is to the max. We will miss her on the field, but her sideline contributions will be huge.

Emily Walker: After battling through some early paperwork issues, Lane CC (OR) transfer Emily Walker is now cleared for duty and the team couldn’t be happier. She is a hard working, driven talent who will help our backline.

Meghan DeHerrera: Meghan will be redshirting this year after discovering some blood clotting issues right before preseason began. While this timing was unfortunate, we are glad she is safe and looking forward to having this Colorado native back soon!

Emilee Bohls: Emilee has been a super fun player to watch. She is incredibly speedy and has a great engine. We love seeing her run up and down the sidelines causing havoc for the other team – especially this last weekend in her home state of Nevada.


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PRESEASON HIJINKS

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As you have probably started to see, our team is a lot of fun to be around. They get along great and have become fast friends. One of the things we do every preseason is go out to people in the community and ask for them to host a meal. We eat at about 4-‐6 different places every preseason. It is a great way for our team to come together, but also for us to get to know the people of Cedar City better. There are some really great folks in this town and our fan base is growing every year.

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But before official preseason even began, we should back up and say that the majority of our players have been in Cedar since the beginning of July. They worked camp, ran, lifted weights, spent time together, played pick up soccer and generally lived every players dream … all soccer no school :D All joking aside, because we have incredibly smart young women on this team, they got a lot of quality work done before the official beginning of season. Bonding, fitness, and coaching little kids. It was a great time to be in town and hanging out. Soccer all day, what beats that?


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Preseason really heated up quick with an exhibition game only days into the start of our official time together. The opponent was an unknown team and so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. At the end of the day we walked away with an easy 10-‐0 victory and it was nice to score so many goals. Teams we have had here in the past may have dominated a game but finding the back of the net wasn’t always guaranteed. So pouring in that many goals was really tremendous for our team and got us off on the right foot.

Within a few days of this odd Tuesday game against Western Wyoming CC we had a high quality opponent in Division II Mesa State. People often times equate Division II with being a lower quality team but this is very often not the case. Mesa State has beaten very good DI teams in the past and we knew we could not look past them. After battling an entire game we came away with a 1-‐0 victory off a sweet goal by powerhouse forward Logan Harker. This junior player has started to come into her own just like we knew she would. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to travel with the squad to UNLV and we sure missed her out there. She is a total player and has made great strides in her game. Watch for her to have a break out season and land herself on an all-‐conference team. She is looking great so far in preseason!

Another returner who has been doing well this preseason despite not tallying a point yet is Shelby Green. The fiery midfielder with tricky dribbling and touch passes landed a spot on the all-‐tournament team at UNLV. We think that her exciting brand of soccer is more than just fun for the fans – it also inspires our team to elevate their game and push the boundaries. So keep your eyes peeled for #5 this season!

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Speaking of the UNLV tournament, we came away 1-‐1 on the weekend. The Friday game was literally the most adverse conditions an SUU team has faced during my tenure here as head coach. It was an unbearable 106 degrees outside. Understandably it was hot for both teams, but we traveled 18 for the trip (making only 6 field players available for subbing) while North Texas had enough players to sub in 10. This proved to be somewhat of a difference maker as our players just got worn down as the game progressed. We were also without 4 pretty impactful players. Left home for injury were Logan Harker, Haley Adams, Jessica French and Katie Jones. Logan, Haley and Jessica should be returning this week, but Katie has an LCL injury and her return to play is unknown at this time.

Sunday we rebounded as our Thunderbirds typically do, coming out strong and absolutely controlling the game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Adjusting our formation and defensive pressure proved to be the key to this game, as well as an emphasis on keeping possession of the ball – something we sorely lacked in the Friday contest. As they say, you learn a lot in failing and we would be fools not to come away from such an outcome and not try to be better because of it. So credit to our players for getting their heads right and implementing some changes right away that enabled our team to be successful. The 3-‐1 victory was another demonstration of this years offensive firepower. You will see an exciting brand of soccer from these Thunderbirds as they fly around the field combining passes and hitting shots into the back of the net.


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with clarity on our goal of winning the Big Sky. It becomes difficult to do when you have challenges off the field. Many of you may receive a fundraising letter from one of the players in the next 2 weeks. We ask that you please consider donating if you are able. If you do not receive a letter, please know that we would still greatly appreciate your help. We limit the number of letters sent as a cost saving measure, not as an exclusionary measure. We would of course welcome generosity from anybody who is able. And if you are not able to donate money at this time, consider donating goods, meals, or other items that may help our team out. You would be surprised at all of the things we utilize to propel this team to the next level!!

In advance of that THANK YOU and please contact Becky if you would like to make a direct donation of any sort. Call, text, or email. [email protected] or 801-‐259-‐7190

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Coming up next for the team is another road trip… this time to California. We will face 2 formidable opponents in UC-‐Riverside and Cal Northridge.

UC-‐Riverside is an opponent that we have traded games with over the last couple of years. In our last meeting we topped them and so I am sure they will be looking for revenge. I get the feeling that they didn’t take to kindly to losing to SUU. I say “get used to it”!!

But it will be a tough game, Riverside traditionally has a group of players native to the area who have been playing high level soccer year round since they were 4 or 5. We will face a very pacey and skilled opponent. Expect it to be a back and forth battle. The field surface is turf and our Thunderbirds have always played exceptionally well on it, so while Riverside might consider it an advantage, we secretly know that it is a favorable surface for us J

Cal Northridge just beat up on our Conference foe Portland State 3-‐0. While we try and avoid the comparison of unknown opponents to those we know, this scoreline is not something to ignore. Our team has never played Northridge and all we know is that they are traditionally a strong side with a deep and talented team. Our approach to this game will be similar to all others and the focus is on SUU SOCCER and what we need to do to accomplish our goals and be successful in the game. Hopefully we will be able to travel at full power with all our injured players returning. In the balance is senior Nancy Brich who suffered a twisted ankle in the Corpus Christi game. At the writing of this newsletter her status is unknown, but as a Cali native I am sure she is pushing hard to get back onto the field for this trip.

We would like to thank the Bohls family and the Gomez family for hosting meals while the team was in Las Vegas. This is not only beneficial to the team nutritionally but it also helps us out financially. Our program would not be able to function at the level we currently do without the kindness of our families and those in the community. Meals such as these give us healthy options and allow the team to sprawl out and be comfortable – deepening our bonds. But the bottom line is that these acts of kindness also help so we can afford to purchase all of the players’ gear (just 4 short years ago players were paying “player packages” of $200 towards their gear), and so that we can travel more comfortably – something that helps us win a tight game. So a very gracious THANK YOU to these families and to all of those who contribute to our team. Your

This is ¾ of our goaltending squad. You can see them everyday of training throwing themselves around and pushing the limits. They are a brave and talented group.

WHAT’S NEXT??

Thunderbird Soccer

Issue #1 August 2015

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Thank you again for all of your support. You can see home games streamed live in high definition if you visit our SUU webpage at suutbirds.com and follow the links to the soccer page.

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We also love to see you out on the road so contact associate head coach Kristen Gay if you need information on team accommodations. [email protected] or 701-‐213-‐0022

Please follow the team on social media and feel free to share this newsletter with family, friends, co-‐workers and other soccer enthusiasts!

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