Preseason Interview with Alex Alavi and Safiyah Riddle
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's soccer team will be seeking a return to postseason play after falling just one spot short in 2015. The Fords will have plenty of experience on their side when they look to accomplish that feat as Haverford graduated just two players from last fall. Haverford went 11-5-1 in 2015 and completed its first unbeaten non-conference slate in program history.
In addition to the wealth of returning players, the Fords will also be lifted by the return of several players who missed time in 2015 due to injury plus the addition of six incoming freshman. This group will look to help Haverford to its first postseason bid since 2013 when the Fords earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Haverford will lose its top goal scorer from a season ago but has three players back who each scored five goals in 2015: senior Ali Lopez and juniors Anna Dekle and Raina Fitzpatrick. Lopez and Fitzpatrick will both be looking to crack the starting XI for the third season in their Haverford careers. Also returning to pace the offense is Skyler Ellenburg who led the team with six assists in 2015. She will also look to be entering her third season as starter for the Fords.
Seniors Kristen Fiore and Alex Alavi look to provide veteran leadership in the offensive third. Fiore scored three goals a season ago while Alavi will be in her second season as a team captain. Juniors Sofia Licata and Kendall Logan will bolster the offense. Logan missed last season after a strong start to her career when she scored a goal and tied for the team lead in assists as a freshman. Leanne Ludwick adds an infusion of youth into the Fords' attacking unit.
In addition to Ellenburg and Fitzpatrick in the midfield, Krista Federici will join her junior teammates as she has a goal in each of the past two seasons after playing 14 games last fall. Sophomore Maryanna Solecki played in all 17 games last season and made 12 starts. She will be joined by classmates Grace Mathis, Hannah Krapes and Isabella Gross who will be looking to continue their growth from 2015. Freshman Abby Singer joins the midfield contingent in 2016.
Defense is where the Fords have the most experience. Team captain Abby Letts was a second-team All-Centennial Conference selection last season and has started each game during the past two seasons. Katie Safter was an honorable mention All-CC defender as a freshman. She also started every game in 2015. A combination of players emerging throughout the season and players returning from injury should make for a very solid defensive unit.
Abby Crowley started 10 of the final 11 games on defense as a freshman. Another Haverford co-captain, Safiyah Riddle, earned a starting spot in the preseason last year and was part of a defense that allowed just one goal in the first four games before an injury cut her campaign short. Sydney West made 13 starts on defense as a freshman while junior Taylor Cross started during her first two seasons but saw her 2015 season cut short by injury. Returning from injury will be senior Tori D'Acunto who started games in each of her first two seasons before an injury left her sidelined in 2015. Kelly Brown and Tori Fleischmann will provide valuable experience in the defense as freshmen Kendra Greisman, Kelsey Smith, and Lindsay Wytkind join that unit.
In goal, senior Kathy Prescott was named the starter and posted the second-lowest goals against average for a single season at Haverford (0.63) before suffering an injury in the 11th game of the year. Sophomore Ali Weiner made the final six starts of the year and did not miss a beat as she posted two shutouts and allowed just 0.97 goals per game down the conference stretch. Julie Hanss will add a third goalkeeper option to the roster this fall.
Head coach Jamie Schneck will be entering her 10th season with the Fords in 2016. She has led the team to seven conference playoff appearances, including the 2012 Centennial Conference Championship season. Her teams have made the NCAA Tournament twice under her watch.