One step at a time

After coming just three minutes short of appearing in their first SUNYAC title game in 2009, the 2010 Fredonia State Blue Devils women's soccer team is ready to continue on their journey for that illusive conference title.

"The girls have been working hard so far," said Chris Case, head coach and 2009 SUNYAC Coach of the Year for women's soccer. "They're just trying to get comfortable with the environment here within our program. We're not quite there yet but we're getting closer each day to the level we need to be at."

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, the Blue Devils were not viewed as a team that posed a serious threat to other conference foes. They were ranked eighth in the 10 team SUNYAC preseason poll, not expected to make much noise. The Blue Devils proved everyone wrong, finishing with a 6-2-1 record against conference teams and 11-5-3 overall, for second place in the SUNYAC. After a first round bye they faced Cortland in the conference semifinals, only to lose 3-0 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie could not be broken in two overtime periods. Prior to the start of the 2010 season the Blue Devils are ranked fifth, sharing the slot with Brockport. As the 2009 Blue Devils proved, anything can happen.

"We're always trying to take steps forward," Case said. "Last year was a huge step in the process. We got within three minutes of the conference championship game. We were one of the final teams being debated on for a national bid [to the NCAA tournament]. What we need to do is just make sure we pick up where we left off."

The road ahead will not be easy for the Blue Devils. The 2010 schedule promises to be rigorous, with games against nationally ranked Johns Hopkins University and their always-challenging SUNYAC counterparts. The Blue Devils will be forced to take all of this on without the help of their two leading goal scorers from last season. Case knew he would lose Lauren Heilweil to graduation but did not expect to be without Reilly Condidorio as well.

Condidorio was injured during a summer league game in which she tore her ACL and MCL as a result of a collision with the goalkeeper. She will miss the entire 2010 season while she rehabs her knee.

"I didn't think I hurt it that much," said Condidorio, a junior early childhood education major and forward. "I didn't think it was that bad until I found the results out. It was heartbreaking."

Condidorio's and Heilweil's 20 combined goals (10 each) accounted for half of the team's total goal output for 2009. In their absence, Case will be looking to many of his upperclassmen players to step up their game and contribute on the scoreboard in a big way this year.

"It's just going to be a matter of time before we find out if someone's going to be able to fill Reilly's shoes," Case said.

One player looking to step up her game this year is senior Julie LaPolla. Last season, LaPolla recorded seven goals and 17 points, good for second and fourth on the team, respectively.

"[LaPolla's] someone who really works hard and we'll be looking to her for some much added scoring," Case said.

LaPolla will serve as one of four captains for the Blue Devils this season. Joining her will be senior Nicole Campbell and junior Lyz Dembrow. Condidorio was named captain as well.

Joining these four will be a new-look team this season. Out of the 27 active players on the roster, 15 (13 freshmen and two transfers) are new to the program. Even though the roster is filled with players who have never donned the Blue Devil blue and white, there is little doubt surrounding the veterans that the new players will be able to contribute immediately and help to sustain last season's success.

"We have a lot of new players who have a lot to offer," said Dembrow, a junior childhood education major and defender. "If we can build on the energy and how much we did and go from there, we'll see what we can do this year."

One new player showing a lot of promise for her freshman season is Taylor Wingerden. As a high school senior at Palmyra-Macedon, Wingerden was named Player of the Year for her league and was named to the All-Greater Rochester first team as a forward. She hopes to continue that success at Fredonia and hopefully help bring home a SUNYAC championship in the near future.

I just want to play well and not give up," said Wingerden, a liberal arts student. "It's been a lot of fun so far."

While the team will be missing several of their key players from last season, they acknowledged that there is no reason to bet against themselves winning a conference title. There is already a sufficient amount of high-quality talent on the roster.

"They have a chance," Condidorio said. "If they work hard and the freshmen get going and find the chemistry they need to succeed, I think they can do it. There's a lot of talent on the team this year."

Potential is the word that can best describe the upcoming women's soccer season. Case mentioned that the team has plenty of it and he trusts that all of the players will give their best effort day in and day out.

"Each game is important and there are a lot of good teams in our conference," Case said. "I think there's potential for anyone to be there, including Fredonia, when the end of the season comes around."