Article Contributed on: 8/26/2006 2:36:37 PM
Mallorie Kenczewicz to provide scoring punch for Adams State
Adams State Soccer: ASC women's soccer set to take on another season
ALAMOSA, Colo. - The youth movement continues for Adams State College women's soccer head coach Dale Roden and his young Grizzlies. The program begins its fifth year of existence and once again finds it tough going having had nine seniors on last year's squad.
The Grizzlies have been working hard and, in fact, played a trio of exhibition matches last week in preparation for the regular season. Roden felt the team improved in every scrimmage and has used them to gauge his players.
"It has been an enjoyable and very positive experience these first couple of weeks," Roden said. "The student-athletes are continuously evolving, learning what roles each individual fits, overcoming adversity and reaching to set a new level of expectations for themselves."
Seniors Heather Boyd (Lakewood, Colo.), Janine Chumley (Northglenn, Colo.) and Stephanie Burch (Center, Colo.) will share the goalkeeping duties, while Stephanie Bartsch (Bismark, N.D.) makes the move to defense for the 2006 season. Another pair of seniors will see plenty of action from the forward position. Sara Lyles (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Emily Foertsch (Fort Worth, Texas) are being counted on offensively.
Alamosa native Mari Avalos was injured in the second scrimmage and is currently being evaluated. Freshman Desirae Castro (Pueblo, Colo.) also suffered a preseason injury and is also being evaluated.
Sophomores Mallorie Kenczewicz (Evergreen, Colo.) and Holly Miskho (Colorado Springs, Colo.) may provide some of the scoring punch as well. The Grizzlies are relatively deep at the midfield position, as senior Anastasia Martin (Pinetop, Ariz.), junior Amy Hammelev (Colorado Springs, Colo.), as well as sophomores Kyle Hurley (Las Vegas, Nev.), Michelle Reed (Longmont, Colo.), and Ashley Fowler (Fort Worth, Texas) have been vying for playing time.
Freshmen midfielders trying to make their mark for the Grizzlies include Theresa Zachary (Salina, Kan.), Stefani Nygren (Keller, Texas), Ashley Grover (Fort Collins, Colo.), Courtney Dorothy (Stephenville, Texas) and Brooke Sorrell (Kapolei, Hawaii).
Sophomore Kim Williams (Prescott, Ariz.) returns to anchor the defense, and is joined in the backfield by freshmen Courtney Jones (Pueblo, Colo.) and Brook Sorrell (Kapolei, Hawaii). Martin and Hammelev will also see time at the defender slot.
Adams State opens its regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. when it faces visiting West Texas A&M, a team that finished the 2005 season ranked seventh in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional rankings. The Grizzlies will then host New Mexico Highlands on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Both contests will take place at Murphy Field.
"It is an honor to have West Texas A&M back on this year's schedule," Roden said. "They are nationally respected and it is a great benefit for us to play them, especially at our home field."
Visit ASCGrizzlies.com for the latest news and info on Adams State College Athletics.
David Mejia is the sports public information officer at Adams State
College Athletic department.