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'Runners ready for kickoff
Sanchez scrambles during offseason to fill seniors' void
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Photo by Jessica Oleksy/oleksy@mscd.edu The Metro women’s soccer team huddles together before an Alumni game Sunday, Aug. 13 at Auraria Campus. The Roadrunners were undefeated last season but were ousted from the NCAA Elite Eight when they lost a shootout. The Roadrunners have been picked to finish first in a recent RMAC poll.

Despite an undefeated and spectacular season, one missed kick in Seattle last November left the Metro women’s soccer team short of the ultimate goal every team dreams of from opening day — the NCAA championship.

One of the most successful Division-II teams in the country in recent years will attempt to bounce back in the 2006 season with a team full of experienced seniors seeking their second championship in three years.

But despite losing 10 letter winners — five of them starters — the Metro women seem poised for success in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference yet again. Head coach Danny Sanchez believes that success will come at the hands, or perhaps the feet, of the returning starting seniors. The team also expects to rely heavily on other select backup veterans that will soon find themselves in starting roles.

“We’ve been pretty good from spring and leading up to this week,” Sanchez said. “All of our returning players have done a good job and shown excellent quality as far as leading the group and leading the team.”

It certainly helps that the Roadrunners’ starting core begins with RMAC Player of the Year, All-American and All-RMAC senior Kylee Hanavan. Hanavan narrowly finished second behind now-graduated Regis forward Kate Murphy in points and goals on her way to a career year.

Metro’s arsenal also includes second-team All-Region and All-RMAC player senior Kira Sharp, as well as junior keeper Rachel Zollner and veteran juniors Nicole Cito and Vanessa Mais.
Due to the previous years’ losses, however, several players may have to become accustomed to new positions.

“I think, with this team especially, positions are going to be really contested,” Metro athletic director Joan McDermott said. “There’s some key players returning but they’ve lost a lot of key players, too.”

For example, Sharp, who played a pivotal role at midfield last season, may move up to the front line to help the team’s offensive attack as a striker, according to Sanchez.

Other positions, though, will likely be determined closer to the opening of the regular season.

“The competition is excellent and everybody’s still in the mix,” Sanchez said. “We’re looking at some different players at different positions and we won’t know until we get to the real games.”

The Roadrunners welcome nine new players to the team this year. The newbies are mostly inexperienced when it comes to college-level competition. Five of the recruits are freshmen and one is a sophomore. Only Montana State-Billings transfer Alyssa Wolfer joins the team as a senior.

McDermott noted that Sanchez has worked well with young teams in the past. “Any team that Danny coaches is going to be good,” McDermott said.

Sanchez is optimistic about the influx of new players and cited freshman midfielder Jessica Brown, freshman fullback Jenna Oney, freshman midfielder Becca Mays and junior midfielder and Mesa Community College transfer Amanda Nance as possible new standouts.

“They’ve all showed very well in the preseason,” Sanchez said.

The Roadrunners begin the season against West Florida on Aug. 25 at Auraria Field and open RMAC competition against Adams State on Sept. 1, also on their home field.