By Eric Groves
To say that the women’s 2000 soccer season was difficult for first year Head Coach Karen Ferguson is an understatement. When asked about the struggles of herLady Cardinals last season, her answer was a succinct one: “Hell. To be blatantly honest, it was hell.” Losing is not something that
Ferguson had known much about during her college career. At the University of Connecticut, Ferguson lost but 12 games, six less than her Lady Cardinals (1-18) did during her inaugural season at the helm. Still, she maintains a positive outlook for the new season and expects the Lady Cards to be much improved.
This year’s edition of the Lady Cardinals will be extremely young, featuring only four seniors. Yet, among those seniors is last season’s leading scorer, the versatile Amber Jolley. Jolley, who can play either forward or midfield, netted six goals and two assists last season. But this year she will not only be counted on to score, but to lead her young team as well.”I think Amber has been a great leader since I got here,” said Ferguson. “She’s done a tremendous job of teaching the younger players our system. She tells them about the past, but certainly tells them, ‘we’re here to build for the future.'” Included in that future is Ferguson’s first recruiting class that features seven freshmen and two junior college transfers.
Thus far, the coach seems pleased with her young troops. “I’m impressed. The young kids have talent,” Ferguson said. “Something that was very important was to bring in underclassmen that had tremendous leadership abilities. And I see it. I see freshmen stepping up on and off the field telling kids to tighten their belt, and that’s good.”
Still, they are only freshman, and there is a lot to learn about soccer at the collegiate level and probably some early lumps to take. “We’re not as fit as I’d like to be,” Ferguson said. “It’s going to take us a while to get to where we want to get. But we do have potential. I think that’s a key word for us.”
While improvements can certainly be expected in this season’s Lady Cards, Ferguson understands patience is of the utmost importance with her young team. “(We’re trying) to lay one brick at a time; one, two, three bricks this season; and five or six the next. And there is light at the end of the tunnel. In three to four years, I think we’ll be a tough opponent nationally.”
One thing is for certain about this young group of Cardinals: they’re ready to take to the pitch and play their first game. “We are getting bored with practices,” said Ferguson. “We’re ready to play today because we’re tired of beating up on each other.”
The regular season kicks of against IUPUI at Cardinal Park on Friday, August 31 at 8:30 p.m.
