2007 Season Recap

Women’s Soccer Puts Together Another Solid Campaign; Finishes Year With 9-8-0 Record

The Malone College women’s soccer team, led by second-year head coach Kelly Gray, completed yet another successful season in 2007 by posting a 9-8-0 overall record with a 3-4-0 mark in the American Mideast Conference North Division. The Pioneer women finished fourth among eight teams in the competitive AMC North, one spot behind Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College which placed third in the standings to earn the division’s final bid to the conference tournament.
 
Although the Pioneer women fell short of qualifying for the 2007 playoffs, the squad tallied its ninth consecutive winning season and enjoyed plenty of memorable moments including a four-game winning streak midway through the season. This quartet of victories was capped off by a dominating 13-0 home triumph over Kentucky Christian University on September 27th. Junior forward Aleesha Denmeade (Hoover H.S.) posted an incredible nine points in the convincing win over the Lady Knights as she lit up the scoreboard with three goals and three assists.
 
Other 2007 highlights included a 5-0 triumph over Bethany (WV) College on September 15th and a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Indiana Institute of Technology on October 15th in the squad’s final home contest of the year.   
 
Denmeade paced the Malone offense this season by piling up a team-high 32 points with 13 goals and six assists. In addition to her impressive performance on the field, Denmeade also worked hard in the classroom and was recognized as an NAIA Scholar Athlete. Junior midfielder Vana Morgan (West Branch H.S.) also earned the honor.
 
Junior forward Alysia Ramirez (San Jose, CA) made substantial offensive contributions throughout the year as she earned All-AMC North Second Team and NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) All-East Region honors after scoring six goals and dishing out three assists. Freshman midfielder Katie Heckman (Mars, PA), an All-AMC North Second Team and NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention selection, played well in her first collegiate season as she posted two goals and two assists.
 
Junior goal keeper Merisa Salazar (San Jose, CA) garnered both All-AMC North Honorable Mention and NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention recognition after posting 95 saves in 16 games with a 1.72 goals-against average and three shutouts. Fellow netminder Sam Brown (Jr., Butler, PA) also logged solid minutes in front of the goal this season as she appeared in eight games, recording a 1.37 goals-against average and one shutout. Brown was tabbed NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention following her impressive year.
 
Senior midfielder Fleur Wynne-Morgan (County Kerry, Ireland) wrapped up her final season in a Malone uniform by registering a team-leading seven assists in addition to notching four goals.
 
Other important contributors in 2007 included freshman defender Vanessa Schmidt (Lake H.S.) and freshman midfielder Lauren Armbrust (Chippewa H.S.). Schmidt, who was voted All-AMC North Honorable Mention, tallied one assist and helped lead a stingy Pioneer defense that posted six shutouts on the year with a 1.53 goals-against average. Armbrust collected NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention accolades after notching two goals and two assists.
 
Although Malone will lose three talented starters to graduation, the majority of the roster will be back for the 2008 season. This large group of returning letter winners will be joined by a number of skilled recruits next fall as the squad looks to carry on the winning tradition of Pioneer women’s soccer with another successful year.
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