Time is now for Woodson
By Dave Buschenfeldt
When Sharon Andrulot took over as coach of the Woodson girls soccer team in 2006, she saw the possibility of future success, but knew it might be a few years away. Heading into this season with four seniors and a strong junior class, Andrulot knew that the time was now."I was expecting more success this season with the junior class," she said. "I came in two years ago and picked up six of them. They're finally coming of age, and I lucked out getting five fabulous freshmen [this season]."
With a perfect blend of youth and experience – Woodson starts three seniors and three freshmen – the Cavaliers have had a phenomenal season in 2008. After losing their first game of the season, they have gone undefeated in their last 11 contests, including a 5-1 win over Madison Friday night and a 4-4 tie with McLean Tuesday. Woodson is 9-1-2 overall and 5-0-1 in Liberty District play, and is sitting in first place in the district standings.
"We kind of surprised ourselves at the beginning of the season," said junior Lindsey Ottavio, who scored three goals against Madison. "We didn't know how good we would be. We wanted to be good, but we didn't know how it would add up. We're really excited about how we're making it so far."
The Cavaliers fell to Northern Region favorite Robinson, 2-0, in their season-opener, but since then they have knocked off several other of the region's elite teams, including Stone Bridge and West Springfield.
"We're really a team," Ottavio said. "We don't have star players, we have people all over the field who make big efforts. We work together, we're able to connect."
While Woodson may have no self-proclaimed stars, if one was to pick the Cavaliers' top players, they would look no further than Ottavio and her teammates on the front line. Ottavio, junior Nichole Mercier and senior Diana Weigel give Woodson a three-headed attack that is hard for opponents to stop.
"They're dynamic working together," Andrulot said of her forwards. "They've got speed, they've got strength. They're finally connecting and it's nice to see that happen. It's only going to get better."
Ottavio and Mercier have a longstanding relationship, so working off each other on the soccer field comes naturally to them.
"We have done a lot together," Ottavio said. "We've been friends for a long time. We're a really good combination. We both have speed."
With just one game remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Cavaliers have their sights set high as the playoffs approach.
"Districts is the first goal, so that's what we're thinking about," Andrulot said. "We're trying to come out of districts on top."
Added Ottavio, "We want to continue winning. We want to make it to the district final. We want to make it to states, if possible. We really want to take it as far as we can."