When the Portland State women’s soccer team convened for training camp this summer, a slew of introductions were in order. First, the players had to meet their new coaching staff: head coach Laura Schott, who served as former Viking coach Tim Bennett’s top assistant for the previous three years, and assistants Melanie Langley and Janine Szpara.
Then, there were the 10 freshmen and one transfer who were also newcomers to the South Park Blocks. With all the new faces joining the organization this year, one might have assumed that lack of stability would be the team’s foible.
Fortunately, welcoming the newcomers were 15 returning letter winners, including four out of the five Viking players named to the All-Big Sky team in 2007 (junior goalkeeper Cris Lewis, junior midfielder Dolly Enneking, sophomore midfielder Frankie Ross, and junior midfielder Nathalie Wollmann).
Lewis, who currently ranks second on the Vikings all-time career saves list, was one of the many integral players returning to the squad this year. As the starting goalkeeper last season, Lewis was part of the group that qualified for the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2004.
With so much transition in the organization, she knew it wouldn’t be easy getting back to that level of play. “There were definitely some growing pains,” Lewis said. “It’s hard getting that many new players and teaching them the ropes.”
Those growing pains included a lackluster offensive attack for much of the first half of the season, which led to a 1-9-2 record in the non-conference portion of their schedule.
Their early tribulations left them vulnerable to the defeatist attitude that Schott would repeatedly warn them against.
“With so many young players, bouncing back from those losses was not a given by any means,” Schott said.
At the start of conference play on Oct. 10, the sense of urgency that seemed to be lacking from the team’s play finally emerged.
The Vikings carry a record of 4-1-1 going into the final game of the regular season on Friday against Sacramento State, the Vikings have achieved one of the greatest turnarounds in the program’s history. Lewis attributes their success within the conference season to an intensity drummed up by the team’s veteran core.
“All of us upperclassmen know how important conference is,” Lewis said. “I think our passion rubbed off onto all of the rookies. You only have one shot at each team.”
Though many of the team’s starters returned to the line-up this year, the fresh talent of the rookies has pushed the veterans to higher reaches.
“The rookies brought in some competition for the veterans and it’s brought the overall play of the entire team way up,” says Lewis.
Just a few of the freshman making an immediate impact on the team are forward Kala Renard, defender Toni Carnivale, and midfielders Amanda Howie and Esty Geiger.
Renard, who has recently seen an increase in playing time up front, is currently fourth on the team in total points, scoring two goals and dealing out three assists thus far in her rookie campaign.
“The freshman impact has been huge,” said Schott. “They came into training camp prepared to play, and I feel comfortable having them out there.” When Schott took the helm at the start of the season, she had one simple intention: build a program.
By guiding the team through the adversity of a difficult schedule to their second play-off berth in as many years, it seems that Schott has laid a strong foundation for her goal.
And with the Vikings’ expected to lose only three seniors at the end of the season, their prospects for next year are looking good. But Schott knows that any successful team is always a work in progress, and that her squad must continually work to better itself.
“There are still some things to work through,” she said. “There will be changes, but I think everybody gets along. They trust each other, and that’s important.”