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| 2011 Freshman of the Year Abbi Edwards. (Pat Gallagher | The VDT) |
After winning 11 games in the program’s inaugural season in 2011, the Blazers are looking to avoid the infamous sophomore slump, a decrease in productivity and wins from last season.
“We avoid that by staying focused,” said goalkeeper Olivia Mills. “We don’t even address the sophomore slump, because we don’t believe it is going to happen. And it is not going to happen. We are focused and we just need to focus on what we need to do to be the best in the game.”
With such a young team last season, the Blazers took the Gulf South Conference and South Region by surprise, finishing the year with an 11-6-2 record and knocking off heavily-favored West Florida in the first round of the conference tournament. The young Blazers lost in the conference championship game to more-experienced North Alabama.
This season, some believe the Blazers will take a step back from what they did in 2011. The coaches in the conference picked the Blazers to finish third, coming in after the two teams they faced in last year’s conference tournament.
But to the Blazers, those predictions mean nothing. Following picture day in August, Heinz told The Times preseason rankings are based on last season’s performances, and have no bearing on this season’s outcome.
The young Blazers, with plenty of experience, are looking to prove their coach right.
“We are definitely ready,” Mills said. “We have been preparing all summer. This hasn’t just been two weeks. Preseason has gotten us even more ready. We are getting fluid with each other — really working hard to put a performance on.”
In order for the Blazers to move forward, instead of backwards like many expect, this season, Heinz has reiterated to her team throughout the preseason about all the “unfinished business” the Blazers have after last season.
Heinz said the Blazers even had unfinished business from games they won in 2011.
“A lot of the games we won were only by one point,” Heinz said. “So to me, it could have finished in a tie, it could have finished in a loss.”
For Heinz, she said a comfortable victory in 2012 is a 3-0 shutout.
“I believe mistakes are going to happen in the game,” Heinz said. “And if you only have one goal, a mistake could cost a goal, and you don’t have enough to win it. We need to get more goals to make sure they are secure wins.”
That motto by Heinz will be a driving force for the Blazers this season. The team has T-shirts made with the saying “Unfinished Business” on them to remind the players of their goals this season.
The Blazers return a bevy of players this season, including 2011 conference Freshman of the Year Abbi Edwards and preseason All-GSC selection Arielle Sabina, one of just six upperclassman on the roster this season. VSU only has two seniors.
Along with returners, Heinz is looking towards several new players to be productive keys this season, including Rebecca Bonilla, a 5-foot-2 freshman midfielder, Kim Alderman, a 5-foot-3 midfielder/defender and Shelby Jennings, who is fighting an injury and will miss the first week of the season. Jennings is a 5-foot-8 freshman defender from Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee. Lauren Hale, a sophomore, will rotate in from the bench.
“We have about four that are mixing it up,” Heinz said. “It just makes them work even harder. And now, they had a few mistakes and they just had to work through them. Now, they make mistakes and they may be coming off the field. The level is definitely higher.”
The Blazers open their season Friday against Coker, an NCAA Division II member from the Carolinas Conference. Last season, the Blazers opened their season, and program, at home and earned a dominating 6-0 shutout victory over Georgia Southwestern. VSU is looking to repeat its opening day magic.
“I hope we are going to set the tone in the first game with a win,” Heinz said. “Any game that we play, not only is our opponent going to be tough, but so is our plays and things like that. I hope we have a good showing. I hope we make the crowd proud and, of course, get the win.”
The season-opening shutout was one of many for the Blazers. Then-freshman goalkeeper Mills posted eight shutouts in 17 starts. She earned every decision for the Blazers in 2011.
“She wants more shutouts,” said Heinz of her sophomore goalie. “That wasn’t enough. I think our back line will help by giving less shots on her. ... I think any stats in a year, that is a great thing. But I believe her, our backs and our team can achieve more than that.”
Following Friday’s game, the Blazers open conference play at Delta State on Sept. 7. Altogether, Valdosta State’s schedule features eight home games this season, with away games in non-conference action at Montevallo (Ala.), Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) and Queens College (N.C.).
The Blazers’ conference road trips aren’t much better, either. Three of VSU’s seven road conference games are bus trips that exceed 10 hours one way.
“We had a little bit of travel last year,” Heinz said. “We are getting ready to find out (how we handle it). We have to find creative ways to rest the kids. It is going to be a learning curve. It is going to be something new this year that none of us have taken on.”
