Posted: Nov 14, 2004
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Lisa Rusch
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Setting the Scene:
Setting the Scene: The Wittenberg University women's soccer
team enjoyed a breakthrough in 2004, and the hope is that the
foundation is now laid for the program to remain at or near the top
of the North Coast Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Region for
years to come.The Tigers got contributions from a variety of underclassmen, including several precocious freshmen, and were the surprise of the NCAC with an 11-4-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the extremely competitive conference, which was good for third place. Wittenberg then bounced nationally ranked Denison on penalty kicks in the NCAC Tournament semifinals before losing 1-0 to nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan in the championship game.
Postseason Awards:
Following one of the best seasons in school history, the
women's soccer program reaped several individual and team awards.
Head Coach Norm Riker was named the 2004 NCAC Coach of the Year,
and sophomore defensive back Jamie McIntyre
(Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) claimed NCAC
Defensive Player of the Year honors. It was the first such accolade
for both individuals.McIntyre was also awarded first-team All-NCAC and first-team All-Great Lakes Region honors for the first time in her career after making second-team all-conference in 2003. Freshman midfielder Lisa Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) joined McIntyre on the conference first team and then took home second-team all-region honors.
McIntyre has started every game in her two-year collegiate career, including all 20 games in 2004. She spearheaded a tremendous defensive effort as the Tigers allowed just 14 goals all season and recorded 11 shutouts, which tied a school record. In addition, she chipped in on the offensive attack with two assists.
Rusch made an instant impact on the Tigers' offense, much as McIntyre did in 2003 on defense. A starter in all 20 games and the team's quarterback on offense as much of the action moved through her toward the opposition's goal, Rusch led Wittenberg and ranked among the best in the NCAC in scoring with eight goals, five assists and 21 total points.
In addition, junior midfielder Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial)and senior defensive back Meredith Belser (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) garnered honorable mention status. It was Hiscar's third all-conference recognition and the first for Belser.
As a team, the Tigers posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.05 for the 2003-04 school year, which earned the team a National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas Women's College Team Academic Award. This is the fourth time that the program has earned the award.
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Liz Volz
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Youth Movement:
Prior to the season, it would have been difficult to expect
the Wittenberg women's soccer team to put together such a strong
season considering the relative youth and inexperience on the
roster. But as the season wore on, the Tigers proved time and again
that youth was not as much of a factor as a winning
attitude.The 2004 roster was populated by 12 freshmen, all of whom got their opportunities. Seven of them started at least two games during the season, including Lisa Rusch and her twin sisterLindsey Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), who each started all 20 games. They were joined on the offensive attack by freshman forward Sydney Bates (Loveland, Ohio/Milford), who started 19 games.
Also making quite an impression in her first year of college soccer was freshman goaltender Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), who started 17 of the 18 games in which she appeared. She allowed just 13 goals all season, four coming in one game as she attempted to play through a back injury, and she was credited with eight shutouts, a save percentage of .835 and a goals against average of 0.72, all of which were among the best in the conference.
Ten sophomores were on the final roster in 2004, with the biggest contributions coming from the defensive back tandem of McIntyre and Phoebe Gaston (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest), both of whom started every game, and forward Liz Volz (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton), who returned from injury in 2003 to rank among the team leaders in scoring.
Super Seniors:
Just three seniors were on the roster in 2004, but all played
key roles in the Tigers' success.
Goalkeeper Eileen Quinn (Glenview,
Ill./Glenbrook South) earned three letters in
her four years on the roster, including a 2004 season in which she
started two games and made three other appearances. She allowed
just one goal and was credited with three shutouts on the
season.Defensive back Meredith Belser (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) was a three-year starter and letterwinner for the Tigers, and she was rewarded for her contributions with one all-conference designation. She started all 19 games in which she played in 2004.
Midfielder Rachel Ridgeway (Montclair, N.J./The Taft School) earned three letters for women's soccer in her career, in addition to three letters for women's lacrosse. She started seven games in 2004 and made a total of 18 appearances.
The Coach:
Norm Riker (Springfield '92) ended his
third season leading the Wittenberg women's soccer program with a
record of 25-26-6 after his first winning campaign at the
university. After two injury-riddled rebuilding seasons, Riker, the
2004 NCAC Coach of the Year, has a solid foundation now in place,
as evidenced by the program's 2004 accomplishments.Riker, also Wittenberg's assistant men's lacrosse coach the last two years, came to Wittenberg in 2002 from Vassar College, where he had served as an assistant in men's lacrosse and women's soccer for six years. In addition, Riker was Vassar's women's soccer interim head coach in the 2000 season, and he led the team to an 11-7 record. His career record is now 36-33-6.