file photoNo one usually earns praise for selfishness. However, women’s soccer head coach Wendy Dillinger proposes that her women, in order to succeed in soccer, “almost need to be selfish.”
“Forwards especially need to have the instinct that when they get the ball they go to the goal, go to goal, go to goal,” Dillinger said. “Right now, most of our players are not selfish. They do not have that mentality. They need to be more aggressive.”
Dillinger knows her squad excels in two essentials of soccer: possessing the ball and transitioning quickly. Additionally, she would like to see her players do whatever it takes to finish the opportunities they create in front of the opponent’s goal.
“We keep possession really well, but there is not always purpose to that,” Dillinger said. “What we are looking to develop is more of a sense of what we want to do once we get the ball.”
“We have some people who can shoot; they can create those opportunities,” she continued. “It’s just a matter of getting the ball in the goal. Instead of playing possession at midfield we need to play possession in the attacking third where we’re closer to the goal and have the opportunity to score.”
Any solid soccer team can hold possession of the ball, but only the truly great teams take full advantage of their opportunities.
“If you don’t capitalize on any of the 90 opportunities you create, you’re going to lose,” Dillinger said.
Ironically, if the Bears can acquire this sense of selfishness, everyone will benefit. A lack of offensive hunger may be the one obstacle standing between the Bears and their goals of winning the University Athletic Assocation (UAA) title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament this season.
Dillinger sees in her players all the other elements necessary for the team to succeed this season.
“We have 31 players on the team and even though only eleven play at once, all 31 are going to contribute to our success'” Dillinger said. “We don’t have a weak link. Everyone on this squad helps us and has a great attitude, heart, drive, and commitment.”
Seniors Lindsay Farrer, Megan Drews and Brenda Harpole form a trio of team captains. Farrer, who is back from a broken foot last season, is a role model of work ethic, Drews provides essential leadership, and Harpole has been dubbed by Dillinger as “the heart and soul of our team.”
Bringing the group together is goalkeeper Charlotte Felber, whose acrobatic stops make her one of the top goalies in the UAA.
“I would say the number one contributor is Charlotte Felber, or ‘Lottie.’ She’s phenomenal. She kept us in a number of games last year. She is arguably the best keeper in the conference,”said Dillinger.
If these veterans were the only ones wearing the red and green, Dillinger would still have confidence in the team. However, she is happy to have seven new freshmen that have given the Bears a new dimension.
“They are very talented, very athletic,” Dillinger said. “All seven of them will see a significant amount of time. Two or three will probably end up starting for us right off the bat.”
Dillinger praised defender Megan Bowen, forward Sara Schroeder, midfielders Talia Bucci, Maila Labadie and Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn as future stars.
“Their style of play, expectations and work rates fit right in,” Dillinger said. “They definitely raised the level of intensity and athleticism as well. They bring kind of a new perspective in terms of what we were looking for. We needed to add a little bit more urgency in our attack and those players bring that.”
Last season, the team compiled a record of 10-5-3 and finished fourth in the UAA conference. Dillinger sees her team as a dark horse candidate for this year’s conference title.
“I think we are going to be the silent team that sneaks up on a lot of people this year,” she said.
Because of that confidence in the program and the aspirations of becoming contenders for a national championship, the Bears have deliberately scheduled tougher opponents this season.
Washington University will again face conference rivals Chicago and Emory, ranked No. 14 and No. 25, respectively, in the NCAA Pre-season Top 25. In 2002, the Bears lost to both teams by a one-goal margin that came within the last five minutes of each match. Also in the conference are No. 13 New York and No. 21 Rochester.
Three other top 25 teams will take on the Bears before the conference matches begin. No. 22 St. Thomas will challenge the Bears, but more importantly, Dillinger’s squad will battle No. 5 Wheaton and No. 10 DePauw this weekend in the first two games of the season.
“Obviously picking up Wheaton and DePauw was huge for us,” Dillinger said. “They are traditional national powerhouses.”
In order for the Bears to attain that lofty status, the freshmen will have to play selfish, offensive-minded soccer.
“We have the potential with the freshmen,” Dillinger said. “It’s just as matter of developing it.”