LIBERTY PREVIEW: Women’s soccer

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: August 21, 2008

LIBERTY’S WOMEN’S SOCCER program was without a head coach until July 2, the day Jessica Celi was hired as the fifth coach in the history of the program. Celi, the only female head coach at LU, replaces James Price, who resigned in the spring. Celi understands that she missed time most in college soccer consider essential to building a strong program. And she’s still learning her personnel.

“I know that God‘s timing is perfect,” Celi said. “I know to the rest of the league and Division I soccer, it looks like it was a late hire. But I know I was hired at exactly the right time.”

Where the late hire date has hindered Celi some is in player evaluation. She pledged when she came in to evaluate everyone with an open mind. She was aware of the statistics from last year, and that she had an outstanding player in midfielder/forward Amy Oberlin, a senior who led Liberty with six goals and 12 points in 2007. Celi, who previously was an assistant coach with the Charlotte Lady Eagles of the W-League, knew some of her players from their exploits in that developmental circuit.

“I was familiar with a handful of the players before I got here,” Celi said. “The rest of them, I wanted to see with my own eyes when I got here. I tried just to come in knowing in that I was new and that I was going to have to look at everyone with brand new eyes.”

THE STANDOUT: Oberlin has been an all-Big South first-team pick the last two seasons and has started all but one match in her three years at Liberty. She was the team’s unquestioned No. 1 option on offense last season, attempting 49 shots, 27 more than anyone else on the team. That said, she was easily marked, and the lack of a second scoring threat proved to be problematic for a team that averaged just 1.5 goals per match. Take away a 9-0 romp against NAIA Southern Virginia, and the Flames averaged 1.06 goals per match.

“She plays with her heart and soul,” Celi said. “She does not quit.”

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Silvia Betancourt, a freshman midfielder from Costa Rica, was the star of Wednesday’s scrimmage against Lynchburg College. She set up Oberlin’s goal with a corner kick, drew a foul inside the box to earn a penalty kick, which she converted, and scored again off an assist from sophomore Elia Lake.

Betancourt fits into the free-wheeling style of offense Celi wants to see take root.

“I guess the thing I was most impressed with was our unity,” Celi said. “Our ability to make good passes and our teamwork together as we worked to create those three goals.”

QUESTION MARK: Liberty never settled on a top goalkeeper last season, as Lauren Kamphuis and Ashley Nyholt split time nearly evenly between the pipes. Kamphuis was more effective, with a 1.29 goals against average and a 3-2 record, compared to a 2.2 gaa and 3-10 mark for Nyholt. To be fair, Nyholt played 354 more minutes than her counterpart.

A third keeper, freshman Karen Blocker, is in the mix. When the Flames scrimmaged LC, Celi asked to split the match into three 30-minute sessions instead of the usual two 45-minute halves. All three keepers got a turn, but Celi said she isn’t ready to name a full-time starter.

LOOKING BACK: Liberty went 6-12 in 2007, 3-3 in the Big South. LU’s season ended with a 3-2 overtime loss to Winthrop in the Big South tournament quarterfinals.

THE SCHEDULE: The full slate can be found here.

The Flames open with six of their first seven matches away from Lynchburg, starting Friday night in Farmville against Longwood. There are three NCAA tournament teams from last year on the schedule—Virginia, which advanced to the third round, High Point, which lost to North Carolina in the first round, and Navy, which lost to West Virginia in the first round. The Sept. 12 Navy match is LU’s home opener.

The postseason tournament will be held Nov. 6-9 at High Point.

THE CONFERENCE: Coastal Carolina was tabbed the league favorite and CCU senior forward/midfielder Ashleigh Gunning was the preseason pick for conference player of the year. Liberty was picked third and received one first-place vote.

The Flames travel to Coastal Carolina and host High Point, which was picked second.