CHC women seek second NCAA bid

by Tom Utescher

Last fall, Chestnut Hill College’s women’s soccer squad became the first CHC team in any sport to participate in an NCAA Division III tournament. As undefeated champions of the Atlantic Women’s College Conference, the Griffins received an automatic bid to the NCAA dance, and on November 12 they lost a first-round match on the road at Stevens Tech to end their season with an overall record of 16-2-1.

It was the first year that women’s soccer was played at the college and more than half of the players on the roster (13) were freshmen. There were no seniors at all on the squad, and there are none this year, either.

In fact, there are only two juniors in the 2004 program; forward Annie Ruckdeschel was the second leading scorer in the nation in Division III and ranked 14th in assists, and defender Johanna Gelber is a transfer from Elmira College.

The large sophomore contingent includes the returning starter in goal, Krista Deflaviis, along with defenders Bridget McAneny, Amanda Schlitzer, and Ashley Throckmorton. Erin Bagdasarian can be employed on defense or in the midfield, while Morgan Nichols and Stephanie Williams are pure midfielders. Fellow sophs Maureen Dugan and Meghan Smith can play mid or forward.

The far-flung freshman class boast players from points as distant as Puerto Rico (forward Lucinda Merino) and Maine (defensive midfielders Amanda Favrau and Rebecca Howell). Frosh Florence Johnson, who can play at forward or back, hails from New York State, and the other two rookies are Montgomery County natives, midfielder/striker Stephanie Horning from Lansdale, and defensive midfielder Debra Stearns from Horsham.

Last year’s assistant coach, Michelle Mocarsky, has now taken over the head role for the Griffins, and she’ll be helped out this year by her former college teammate from Arcadia University, Julia Bergson-Shilcock.

Within the confines of the AWCC, Chestnut Hill should still be the wolf in the sheep pen, but for the 2004 campaign the Griffins have added some tougher non-conference opponents, such as Rowan, Stockton State (NJ) and Drew University.