Sports

Runners ready to go

Fall teams ready for more championships

By Matt Gunn
gunnma@mscd.edu

As the summer ends, Metro's fall teams begin a new season with hopes of defending championships, reaching new levels of success and building a legacy.

Joining soccer and volleyball is a new lineup. Metro's cross country team will put their traffic-dodging skills to the test in their first year of existence.

The Roadrunners look to expand their success in both men's and women's soccer as each defends a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship. The women's team also has the defense of an NCAA title on its mind following last season's success. Soccer season begins at Auraria Field on Friday, Aug. 26.

Women's soccer lost one game in 2004 en route to the national championship. Not only a first for the school, the 'Runners made history as the first soccer team in Colorado to win a national title. Coached by Danny Sanchez, Metro knows nothing but success with one Elite Eight finish, two Final Four appearances and a national championship in the past three years. This formidable team outscored opponents 104-11 in 2004 and is returning both senior Mandy Allen and sophomore Sarah Leonhard as goalkeepers in 2005.

"(Goalkeeper) is by far our deepest position on the team," said Sanchez.

The Roadrunner women are replacing five seniors and will feature nine new players on the 2005 squad. The team's leadership will come from a strong upper class of seven seniors and six juniors including All-American forwards Kylee Hanavan and Amy Leichliter, and the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Defender, Stephanie Prouty.

The challenge of a new season lays ahead featuring games against Central Oklahoma, Minnesota State-Mankato and perennial rival Regis University.

Like the women, the Metro men's soccer team has some RMAC championships to defend. The 'Runners enter the 2005 season after a school best 15-4-2 finish in 2004 and their second consecutive conference title. In a RMAC preseason poll Metro was picked to finish second this year, a prediction they intend to prove wrong.

"Our goals are to get to the NCAA tournament," said head coach Ken Parsons, "and along the way Challenge for the RMAC regular season title, defend the RMAC Tournament championship and finish in the top three in the region," which includes teams from Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

In 2004 the Roadrunners also scored a team record 64 goals while only allowing 17. Of their 15 wins, 11 came via the shutout. With nine starters returning from last season, another goal will be to build on the impressive numbers they put up one year ago.

The strong upper class features 2004 NSCAA All-Midwest juniors Preston Borrego and Phil Owen. Also returning: All-RMAC Regular Season player Antonio Porras and All-RMAC Tournament goalkeeper David McReavy.

The upcoming season will prove to be a strong test for the Roadrunners who will face both a strong non-conference schedule mixed with the best the RMAC has to offer in Colorado School of Mines and Fort Lewis College. Winning both the regular season and the conference tournament could be the key to an NCAA postseason berth.

A new group of Metro athletes will break ground this fall. The cross country team will compete in both men's and women's events starting Sept. 2. The 'Runners will learn fast as they're thrown into the nation's top cross country conference.

Blame it on the thin air of the mountain states or the healthy lifestyle, but each of the past 15 years an RMAC team has captured the national championship. Metro's head coach Peter Julian is guiding the team up a steep learning curve.

Cross country's busy season includes stops at the Universities of Colorado and Nebraska before conference competition begins. Metro's first new team this decade is paving the way for next year's new sports: track and softball.

The Roadrunners are ready to compete in 2005 and each team is a contender in their sport. The fall season officially kicks off Friday, Aug. 26, with soccer. Games start at 2:30 p.m. for the men with the women following at 4 p.m. Cross country begins racing on Sept. 3 at the University of Colorado Time Trial in Boulder.