By: Josh McDermott, SOU Sports Information Director
ASHLAND, Ore. — With his recent track record in mind, Jon Clement can't be simply dismissed as a dedicated optimist.
The eighth-year Southern Oregon University women's soccer coach and his Raiders are working on a string of three straight winning seasons in which they've amassed a record of 32-18-6. In the program's previous 10 years of existence, they snuck above the .500 mark just once.
No stranger to tweaking the product, Clement has little choice but to do so again while attempting to replace the production of Stephanie Carr (Upland, Calif./Upland), who was fresh out of eligibility after breaking SOU's all-time career goals record during last year's 9-6-3 campaign.
True to form, though, Clement believes the Raiders can be more dangerous around the net than ever — even if they have to make up for the loss of over half their scoring. And with 17 returning contributors who will be joined by a class of nine freshmen, the idea might not be that crazy.
"This team's going to have a different look and a different tactical approach," Clement said. "It's no secret that we lost a two-time all-American who came up with a ton of pivotal goals for us, but we're going to try to open up the game and come up with more cohesive goals this year.
"I would say, across the board, everyone's all for it," he added. "Of all the approaches we've had, this one is pretty enjoyable."
The Raiders will first put it to the test at home with an 11 a.m. match on Wednesday against Holy Names (Calif.).
While Clement plans to systemically reshape the attack in a way that opens up opportunities all over the field, the strength of the team figures to remain on defense. The anchor there is senior Alyssa Bricker (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley), who was selected to the all-Cascade Collegiate Conference's first team after leading the Raiders in minutes played and helping to limit opponents to an average of 1.16 goals per game.
"Alyssa has been amazing so far," Clement said. "She's kind of led with her actions and her soccer's been stellar as always.'
Bricker — who also garnered honorable mention NAIA all-American kudos — is joined defensively by senior Sara Dutra (Hanford, Calif./San Joaquin Memorial), an honorable mention all-CCC performer who started 17 games in 2012, and senior Danielle Stave (Petaluma, Calif./St Vincent de Paul), who started all 18. The Raiders went unbeaten in their last four regular season games to rally for a 5-2-2 finish, good for third in the CCC, before falling in the conference tournament semifinals for the third straight year.
SOU will also lean on the experience and playmaking abilities of forwards Sydney Paulsen (Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley), a senior, and junior Julie Zamzow (Boise, Idaho/Bishop Kelly). Paulsen, a second-team all-CCC selection, recorded a team-high four assists to go with four goals while Zamzow made 16 starts and scored five times, which was tops among returnees.
"We're lucky we have so many leaders," Clement said. "It's not just the captains or the most experienced either; everybody came in ready to go from a physical perspective and that's allowed the intra-team competitive spirit to be really high."
Clement is especially impressed by his junior class of seven, all of whom saw substantial time last season. Paige Kilpatrick (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley), who started 15 contests, and Elise De Jesse (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) have continued to blossom at midfield, and Chloe Welch (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande) has turned into one of SOU's most explosive weapons.
Among sophomores, midfielder Kendra Madaras-Kelly (Boise, Idaho/Mountain View) was pegged by Clement as a potential breakout performer and forward Megan McArthur (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) appeared in all 18 games in 2012 with two goals to her credit. Clement says he hasn't ruled out getting contributions from any of his freshmen, but Lisa Elledge (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) has stood out at midfield.
Sophomore Devon Walker (Yelm, Wash./Yelm ) and freshman Kylie Moltzen (Fremont, Calif./Mission San Jose) will provide fresh faces in front of the goal, and while the position could prove to be a strength, neither has claimed it outright.
"Everyone is vying for time and there's a ton of competition, so it's been fun to watch," Clement said. "We haven't had a slow session yet. We're further along in that we've been able to throw a bunch of new things in the last week and it seems like we're catching on."
Following an eight-game non-conference schedule, the Raiders will open their CCC slate at home on Sept. 28 against Oregon Tech. They were predicted by the league's coaches to finish third. Concordia, the 13-time defending champion, was picked to remain in the top spot.
