Aug. 29, 2007

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Buffington Era Starts at Pacific Lutheran

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran hosts UC Santa Cruz, Friday, 4 p.m.; PLU at Evergreen State, Sunday, 3 p.m.

BUFFINGTON ERA BEGINS: Lynnette Buffington, who cut her collegiate coaching teeth at Tacoma Community College and then at Villa Julie College in Baltimore, begins her Pacific Lutheran women’s soccer coaching career on Friday when the Lutes host nationally ranked UC Santa Cruz. Two days later, the Lutes travel to Olympia to take on Evergreen State. While coaching at Villa Julie from 2003-06, Buffington improved VJC’s winning percentage from .139 to .714, as well as winning two conference championships and leading her 2006 team to the round of 32 in the NCAA Division III national tournament. Buffington, a native of Tacoma, graduated from Stadium High School and from Gonzaga University in 1996.

ABOUT THE SLUGS: The UC Santa Cruz Slugs – yes, the Slugs – will bring their No. 8 national ranking to the Parkland campus in the season opener for both teams. UC Santz Cruz finished the 2006 season with a 17-0-4 record and was eliminated from the NCAA postseason tournament in a shootout with Hardin-Simmons (Texas).

SEASON OUTLOOK: “Our goal is to commit to an organized system and gain experience with a young team,” Buffington says of her first PLU squad. “We have a good returning core, and a group of new players that are adapting quickly to the new system.”

The team returns three players who started at least half of last season’s games, two on defense. Juniors Bré Greenman and Lauren Meyer will look to pass on their experience to the younger players, while Meyer and sophomore defender Meredith Newby will look to be more influential in the team’s attack strategy. Midfielder Melissa Buitrago, the only senior on this year’s squad, started 15 games last year and Buffington expects a very “positive year” out of her leader. She will be joined at the midfielder position by returning juniors Amanda Crawford and Lauren Northcutt, as well as sophomore midfielder/forward Jill Trumbull, all of whom played in at least 18 of the team’s 20 games last season.

Junior Christina McDuffie, a 2005 second team All-Northwest Conference selection that was limited by injuries last season, and sophomore Monica Beard, will anchor the forward position in what Buffington describes as their “defining year.” This duo will seek to replace almost all of the offense from last year, as returning players accounted for only four of last season’s 24 goals. Goalkeepers Amanda Tschauner and Kamryn Morgan, both juniors, will take over the duties split by Tschauner and Alyssa Blackburn last season. Tschauner started nine games in goal last season, compiling a 4-4 record with three shutouts and an average of 1.1 goals allowed per game. Both will be pushed by freshman Stephanie Cordes, who will be looking to earn playing time at goalkeeper.

Key newcomers to this year’s team include freshmen defender Megan O’Rourke and midfielder/defender Courtney Walker, as well as junior defenders Carly West and Lisa Gilbert. Out of the 23 players on this season’s team, 12 are playing soccer for PLU for the first time, 10 of them freshmen. “There will be freshmen starting,” said Buffington. “Experience is the key for this season. At this point everyone knows and can execute the system, and we are working on vision and organization. Our key for this season is development, and our goal is to finish higher in the conference and to increase our regional and national rankings.”

- PLU -