LADY FISHERMEN OPEN WITH SOCCER WIN
When Jim Flint took over as head coach of the Astoria girls soccer program two years ago, he began what he felt would be a four or five year project of building to a competitive level. If Wednesday's season opener is any indication, the Lady Fishermen may be ahead of schedule.
Astoria dominated its match with the visiting Central Panthers on the way to a 1-0 victory at the Warrenton soccer complex, outshooting the visitors 13-1.
Astoria also opened last season with a victory, but notched just one more win on the way to a 2-9-3 finish. However, they competed in nearly every match during the season and lost a number of close games. Flint hopes that his team can take the next crucial step this season and learn to take advantage of offensive opportunities and put the ball in the back of the net.
"The area we struggled in today was finishing," said Flint. "We created a ton of opportunities and we need to learn how to finish. We will be working with great intensity with our forwards to take their opportunities early and learn how to finish.
"When you dominate a game and win 1-0 you still win. It could have been 5-0 with the opportunities we created. I estimate we had the ball 70 percent of the time. That’s a dominating performance!"
Despite owning possession throughout the match yesterday and limiting the Panther to a single shot and no corner kicks, Astoria did not score until the final five minutes, when junior striker Charlene Harber came out of a scramble in front of the Central goal to notch the game-winner.
Astoria returns eight starters from last year's team, which finished seventh in the 8-team Special District 1 with a record of 0-5-2. Among those lost to graduation were Janae Poe, an athletic defender who is playing at Pacific Lutheran University, one of three Astoria graduates currently on college rosters.
This year's squad is comprised of seven seniors and a strong core of ten juniors, including Harber, one of the state's top 4A athletes, who was hampered by persistent asthma and an assortment of injuries in 2006. Harber is beginning the season with some calf strain issues, but when healthy is a devasting combination of speed and size, two things this year's squad has an abundance of. Flint believes a new regimen of medication will keep his best offensive weapon on the field longer this season.
Six-foot, one-inch senior defender Kristina Wilson has the team's strongest leg. Wilson handles most of Astoria's set plays last year, but will likely get in the mix on corner kicks this year to take advantage of her height. Astoria's senior tri-captains all play on the back line of their flatback-four zone defense, with Wilson and 5-9 Lynae Huber on the inside and 5-10 Brooke Schauermann on the outside along with junior Katie Beck, another player who hopes to overcome asthma to be a consistent contributor.
Switching from a 4-4-2 defensive-oriented alignment to a 4-3-3 look will give Astoria more attacking players this season and lead to more goal scoring for a team that found the net just eight times in 14 games last season.
"Our ability to finish is what prevented us from having a breakout year last year," said Flint. "That’s why we switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 because it’s a more assertive offense that will allow us to get players forward."
Juniors Jordan Crownover and Melissa Law, both recognized on the all-Cowapa League team in '06, will be in attacking midfield positions with rapidly-emerging junior Sarah Pope playing more of a defensive midfield position.
Juniors Shelly Gregory and Dani Stevens are first-year starters at the forward positions flanking Harber up front.
Elizabeth "Bug" Coggins, a junior, was a revelation in goal last year in her first year of soccer. Gordon Thomsen joins Flint's staff as an assistant to help coach up Coggins, who displayed outstanding hands and quick feet, but is still learning the details and skills of the position. Kevin Speer, who assisted with the Astoria boys along with Thomsen last year, will coach the fowards, while Cathy Aydt joins the staff as J.V. coach, doubling the number of coaches from last year. All have helped institute a conditioning regimen that has Astoria ready to run.
"Last year we had a tendency to die in an 80 minute game and that’s when we would be exposed," said Flint. "We are the fittest we have ever been."
"We know we are fit and that’s the foundation of soccer. You step on the field and you need to be able to play a full 80 minutes and go hard a full 80 minutes. It won’t take us a third of the season to get match-ready."
Flint's goal for this season is to compete for a spot in the district playoffs, no easy task in a district that includes three teams that reached last year's state quarterfinals.
"They have improved as a group. They are not the team that finished last year. They are not the same team. Our dominating play tonight is an example. We’ll see how we do this weekend at the Catlin Gabel mini-tournament because we will see some quality sides".
Astoria will face Gladstone, Westside Christian and Pleasant Hill on Saturday, starting at 8:45 a.m. Each game will be 30 minutes long, split into 15 minute halves. The top four of eight teams will advance to semifinals and finals. Catlin Gabel is in the opposite bracket, along with Valley Catholic, North Bend and 6A Rex Putnam.
Astoria returns home to face R.A. Long at 6:00 p.m. on Sep. 11. After non-league tilts with Philomath, Gladstone, La Salle and Montesano, the Lady Fishermen open district play at Scappoose on Sep. 26
HEAD COACH: Jim Flint (3 yrs, 6-18-4)
ASST COACHES: Gordon Thomsen, Kevin Speer, Cathy Aydt (JV)
2006 RECORD: 2-9-3 (0-5-2 Special District 1 7th)
LAST PLAYOFF: 2001
LAST LG TITLE: none
LAST STATE PLAYOFF: none
KEY LOSSES: Janae Poe (D, 4-yr starter), Maren Holyoak (M, 3-yr starter), Stacy Law (M)
RETURNING ALL-STARS: Kristina Wilson (SR, D), Bug Coggins (JR, GK), Mel Law (JR, MF)
RETURNING STARTERS: 8
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 8
Astoria dominated its match with the visiting Central Panthers on the way to a 1-0 victory at the Warrenton soccer complex, outshooting the visitors 13-1.
Astoria also opened last season with a victory, but notched just one more win on the way to a 2-9-3 finish. However, they competed in nearly every match during the season and lost a number of close games. Flint hopes that his team can take the next crucial step this season and learn to take advantage of offensive opportunities and put the ball in the back of the net.
"The area we struggled in today was finishing," said Flint. "We created a ton of opportunities and we need to learn how to finish. We will be working with great intensity with our forwards to take their opportunities early and learn how to finish.
"When you dominate a game and win 1-0 you still win. It could have been 5-0 with the opportunities we created. I estimate we had the ball 70 percent of the time. That’s a dominating performance!"
Despite owning possession throughout the match yesterday and limiting the Panther to a single shot and no corner kicks, Astoria did not score until the final five minutes, when junior striker Charlene Harber came out of a scramble in front of the Central goal to notch the game-winner.
Astoria returns eight starters from last year's team, which finished seventh in the 8-team Special District 1 with a record of 0-5-2. Among those lost to graduation were Janae Poe, an athletic defender who is playing at Pacific Lutheran University, one of three Astoria graduates currently on college rosters.
This year's squad is comprised of seven seniors and a strong core of ten juniors, including Harber, one of the state's top 4A athletes, who was hampered by persistent asthma and an assortment of injuries in 2006. Harber is beginning the season with some calf strain issues, but when healthy is a devasting combination of speed and size, two things this year's squad has an abundance of. Flint believes a new regimen of medication will keep his best offensive weapon on the field longer this season.
Six-foot, one-inch senior defender Kristina Wilson has the team's strongest leg. Wilson handles most of Astoria's set plays last year, but will likely get in the mix on corner kicks this year to take advantage of her height. Astoria's senior tri-captains all play on the back line of their flatback-four zone defense, with Wilson and 5-9 Lynae Huber on the inside and 5-10 Brooke Schauermann on the outside along with junior Katie Beck, another player who hopes to overcome asthma to be a consistent contributor.
Switching from a 4-4-2 defensive-oriented alignment to a 4-3-3 look will give Astoria more attacking players this season and lead to more goal scoring for a team that found the net just eight times in 14 games last season.
"Our ability to finish is what prevented us from having a breakout year last year," said Flint. "That’s why we switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 because it’s a more assertive offense that will allow us to get players forward."
Juniors Jordan Crownover and Melissa Law, both recognized on the all-Cowapa League team in '06, will be in attacking midfield positions with rapidly-emerging junior Sarah Pope playing more of a defensive midfield position.
Juniors Shelly Gregory and Dani Stevens are first-year starters at the forward positions flanking Harber up front.
Elizabeth "Bug" Coggins, a junior, was a revelation in goal last year in her first year of soccer. Gordon Thomsen joins Flint's staff as an assistant to help coach up Coggins, who displayed outstanding hands and quick feet, but is still learning the details and skills of the position. Kevin Speer, who assisted with the Astoria boys along with Thomsen last year, will coach the fowards, while Cathy Aydt joins the staff as J.V. coach, doubling the number of coaches from last year. All have helped institute a conditioning regimen that has Astoria ready to run.
"Last year we had a tendency to die in an 80 minute game and that’s when we would be exposed," said Flint. "We are the fittest we have ever been."
"We know we are fit and that’s the foundation of soccer. You step on the field and you need to be able to play a full 80 minutes and go hard a full 80 minutes. It won’t take us a third of the season to get match-ready."
Flint's goal for this season is to compete for a spot in the district playoffs, no easy task in a district that includes three teams that reached last year's state quarterfinals.
"They have improved as a group. They are not the team that finished last year. They are not the same team. Our dominating play tonight is an example. We’ll see how we do this weekend at the Catlin Gabel mini-tournament because we will see some quality sides".
Astoria will face Gladstone, Westside Christian and Pleasant Hill on Saturday, starting at 8:45 a.m. Each game will be 30 minutes long, split into 15 minute halves. The top four of eight teams will advance to semifinals and finals. Catlin Gabel is in the opposite bracket, along with Valley Catholic, North Bend and 6A Rex Putnam.
Astoria returns home to face R.A. Long at 6:00 p.m. on Sep. 11. After non-league tilts with Philomath, Gladstone, La Salle and Montesano, the Lady Fishermen open district play at Scappoose on Sep. 26
HEAD COACH: Jim Flint (3 yrs, 6-18-4)
ASST COACHES: Gordon Thomsen, Kevin Speer, Cathy Aydt (JV)
2006 RECORD: 2-9-3 (0-5-2 Special District 1 7th)
LAST PLAYOFF: 2001
LAST LG TITLE: none
LAST STATE PLAYOFF: none
KEY LOSSES: Janae Poe (D, 4-yr starter), Maren Holyoak (M, 3-yr starter), Stacy Law (M)
RETURNING ALL-STARS: Kristina Wilson (SR, D), Bug Coggins (JR, GK), Mel Law (JR, MF)
RETURNING STARTERS: 8
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 8
posted by Matt Richert at 10:19 PM
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