Roadrunners crave NCAA championship
By Josiah Kaanjkaan@mscd.edu

After only losing two games and making an appearance in the NCAA tournament’s semi-final game during the 2008-2009 season, the Metro women’s soccer team is looking to make it back to the championship.

Daktronics All-America goalkeeper Becca Maloney and forward Becca Mays, both seniors, want to go out on top by winning the NCAA championship, and are confident that this season’s team can go the distance. Maloney is so confident in the upcoming team, when asked about the upcoming season she predicted that the team will go undefeated.

“As a team, I know that we’re going to nationals.” Maloney said.

Metro only lost three seniors to graduation, midfielders Vanessa Mais and Jaimie Stephenson, who combined for 15 goals last season, and All-American defender Nicole Cito, but plan to fill the holes left behind with players already on the roster along with the incoming players, Maloney said.

“We had a pretty solid team last year, and we pretty much have the same team from last year,” Mays said.

Mays added that the preseason practices are important for the incoming freshmen and transfer players since it prepares them for Metro’s style of play, and she hopes that it will also allow the incoming players to contribute during the season.

“By the time our first game rolls around we should be fit to play,” Maloney said. “We shouldn’t have any problems.”

During the offseason the Roadrunners acquired two transfer players, forward Aleah Degeneres and goalkeeper Lauren Schaedig, to help fill the void left behind by last season’s seniors. Forward Annie Austin, midfielders Lauren Elise Judal and Alexis Peterson, and defender Hayley Renko are all incoming freshmen that are expected to make an immediate impact for the team, Maloney said.

During the 2008-2009 campaign, Metro’s women’s soccer team put up the fifth best overall record in women’s soccer history with a 20-2-3 record, and made it all the way to the national semi-final game, the third in the past five seasons, where they fell 3-1 to Seattle Pacific University. The Roadrunners lead the RMAC in shots on goal and shutouts, and finished in the top five in goals, assists, and saves.

Maloney finished last season with a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference best 15 shutouts, which included six straight, while leading the RMAC with a .38 goals against average and .927 save average. Maloney is the current Metro record holder for goals against average and save average.

Mays lead the RMAC last season in total number of shots on goal with 131 and in-game winning goals with nine, and finished in the top five in total points, 52, goals, 22, and assists, 8. She ranks third all-time on the Metro leader board in points, points per game, goals per game, shots attempted and shots on goal, and second in game winning goals.

Metro aims to defend its RMAC championship starting August 10 when practice officially starts in preparation for the first game of the season on August 28 against the University of Nebraska-Omaha at Auraria Field.