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Rosales a 'scary' presence for Warhawks
Madison senior goalkeeper Grace Rosales was a first team all-Liberty District and all-Northern Region selection last season, but she tends to make coach Kurt Kuykendall nervous during games.Rosales often comes way out of the box, directing the defense and cutting down the angle on opposing forwards.
"It's very scary for a lot of coaches, but she's able to do that due to the quality of her ability," said Kuykendall, whose team lost five starters to graduation but has a wealth of young talent and some quality upperclassmen. "She reads the game pretty well, she plays behind the back four pretty well."
Rosales is the anchor of an impressive Warhawks team, one that finished 15-4 last season – the most wins in the five years Kuykendall had been at the helm. Senior midfielder Sara Diggs and her 15 goals (21 total points) from 2007 is back, along with junior forward Carolyn Kragie, sophomore defender Kate Murphy and sophomore midfielders Annmarie Irwin and Sami Kuykendall.
But in soccer, it all starts and ends with a goalkeeper. Someone who will do anything to stop that round object – tumbling toward him or her at a mighty clip – from hitting the back of the net.
"Grace's strength has always been she doesn't make mistakes. And as a former goalkeeper, I know that," said Kuykendall of his netminder, who recorded eight shutouts in 2007. "Grace has always been very error-free [with] good hands, [is] good in the air, [is a] good shot-stopper. She's one of the best goalkeepers around."
Aside from the aforementioned midfielders and defenders, Madison is a relatively young and unproven team as the 2008 campaign begins. And with a flat four defensive look – as opposed to the diamond-shaped one with a stopper and a striker – the Warhawks will put much of the burden on Rosales to instruct her teammates on the back line. Aside from that, Kuykendall noted that the Warhawks' success hinges on how well the younger players shore up their skills and confidence.
Elsewhere in the Liberty District, Langley's new head coach Gretchen Hamm looks to put the Saxons in position to perform well come postseason tournament time. With a young team that boasts just two seniors though, Langley will need to gel up quickly in order to keep pace with Madison and the district's other top program, Stone Bridge.
"There's five sophomores and a freshman on varsity, so those are all kids they haven't played with before," Hamm said. "But I think these are talented, talented kids who have a lot of tools in their toolbox. We're looking to build a dynamic, creative, offensively-driven program."
The Saxons will be without the skills of forward Meghan Lenczyk, who graduated last spring and now plays for Virginia (she scored 6 goals and had 15 points in 23 games last fall). The offensive machine scored 54 goals and tallied 36 assists during her Langley career, and was a 2006 all-American selection.
Senior forward Kelly Germain will take over the offensive reins for the 2008 Saxons, along with senior Libby Bish and juniors Marissa Park and Anna Lenczyk (Meghan's sister). Hamm also mentioned junior Carly Snively and sophomore Taylor Wilk as younger players who should step up.
Another new coach in the region is McLean's Laura Wilson. A graduate of Bishop O'Connell and James Madison University, Wilson's goal is simple: "We want to be competing in every single game, win the games we feel we should win and compete against all the other teams. We just want to keep building every week and see where that takes us."
Junior forward/midfielder Caity Flint is the Highlanders' top player, as she scored four goals in McLean's opener with Wakefield. In a scrimmage against Annandale, Flint notched a hat trick. Senior captains Melissa Belardi and Michelle Zimmerman will add both an offensive and defensive punch, as well as as experience to the fairly young team. Watch for freshman midfielder Andrea Romness to have a big season.
"The transition has been a lot smoother than I thought it would be," said Wilson when asked about the challenges of taking over a program. "As far as the kids being on time for practice, working hard every day, doing everything I've asked them to do, I have no complaints so far. I didn't know how it was gonna work."
Oakton, which finished 6-8 last season under first-year coach Edward Brown, returns some quality players for the 2008 season. Senior captain Devin Grimm, who also shined for the field hockey squad in the fall, is one of the top sweepers in the state. She will play for St. Mary's College of Maryland next year. She is backed by sophomore forward/midfielder Alex Straton, and the other senior captains – Hally Hardtke (defender), Karen Strat (midfielder) and Nicole Peters (midfielder/defender).
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