Women's Soccer
2009 Feature
 

last updated 10/03/2009 09:06 AM

Hard work yielding huge results for KU women’s soccer team

KUTZTOWN, PA. (September 28, 2009) – Early during preseason practice, one of the freshman players went hard into senior Raven Chiara (Jamesburg, NJ/Monroe Township) for a tackle. Standing off in the distance with his arms crossed and nodding approvingly while a smile creased his face was third-year Kutztown University women’s soccer coach Erik Burstein.

Although Chiara was caught off guard by the tactic, deep down she loved it.

“I would have never tried to tackle a senior when I was a freshman,” Chiara said. “But on this team everybody is equal and it’s all about winning. We all respect each other regardless of class. Everybody is close and I love playing on this team.”

Although Kutztown is loaded with talent, skill, desire, heart, personality and grace, Burstein has established a team-first concept. Egos are checked prior to practices and games. His approach and experience has helped the Kutztown women’s soccer program enjoy several memorable moments, happy times and victories.

The Golden Bears (7-2-1 overall, 5-1-1 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division) look to continue their early success as they begin the October stretch drive. Kutztown, ranked 24^th in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll, is currently in second place with 16 points, two behind league-leader West Chester.

“I am thrilled with where we are, but we still have a lot of games to play and plenty of challenges left to face,” Burstein said. “The second half of this season will be much more challenging, especially with our conference games. Truth be told, we have not really achieved anything yet. We have not qualified for the playoffs and we have not yet secured a winning season. We had a great start, and the girls have been truly fantastic, but it is where we finish that concerns me most.”

Recently, Burstein won his 50^th career game as head coach. Prior to his 28 victories at Kutztown, Burstein won 22 matches as head men’s soccer coach at Rutgers-Newark. Burstein has made quite an impression during his stint as head coach. Last season, the Golden Bears earned a national ranking for the first time in school history, enjoyed an 11-match unbeaten streak and qualified for the PSAC playoffs. This season, the bar has been significantly raised.

“I have a strong appreciation and respect for this game and what it has done for my life,” Burstein said. “Having been given the opportunity to work for this program, these remarkable players and this great university mean more to me then I can express. It is so much more than a job to me.”

This season has been better. They have spent three weeks ranked in the NSCAA Top 25. Recently, they were ranked ninth nationally and first overall in the Atlantic Region. It was the first time in program history that the Golden Bear women’s soccer program cracked the top 10. While the early season success is great, Kutztown knows there is more work to be completed if it wants to play deep into November’s crisp chill.

“It was nice to be ranked ninth and it felt good,” junior defender Chelsea Deeter (Langhorne/Neshaminy) said. “It’s definitely nice to have that memory but we’re concerned about where we finish at the end of the year. I am sure when I look back on this season; I will feel honored that I was a part of the first team in Kutztown history to be ranked in the top 10.”

Burstein has more energy, passion and excitement for coaching and the sport of soccer than all of the Phillies fans combined who attended last year’s World Series parade. Burstein gets the most out of a talented group of players. He knows when to use his voice to cajole, motivate, encourage, scream, and joke with his team. More importantly, he sure knows how to use his fingers to send a text message.

“They are usually followed by a few exclamation points,” Kutztown junior Kelly Bushe (Neptune City, NJ/Neptune) said. “He always cracks a lot of jokes. It’s a nice a balance and sometimes he knows we need that.”

Burstein does everything quick from letting players know what he wants them to do either before entering the game or when removing them from one. He walks fast and talks quickly. He could make a good auctioneer because of the speed in which his mouth moves. The team enjoys the high standards that he has set for them.

“He always expects us to be better than our last game,” Bushe said. “He prepares us well. The demands are high but they have helped us grow as soccer players and as students. He’s the best coach I’ve ever had. I know I’ve grown more as a soccer payer in the last two years under coach. I’d rather be here than anywhere else.”  

This season, the wonderfully balanced Golden Bears have received at least one goal from 11 different players. Shannon Pennock (Mansfield, NJ/North Burlington) leads the Golden Bears with six goals, two assists and 14 points. She has two multi-goal scoring games this season. Last year’s leading goal scorer Chelsea Bressler (Cleona/Annville-Cleona) has scored five goals. Bushe has scored four goals and freshman Molly Cooper (Palmyra/Palmyra) has tallied three goals.

Overall, Burstein has received contributions from everybody in the lineup. Chiara has provided leadership. Deeter along with the midfield duo of Jen Tice (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional) and Jen Pyne (Wall Township, NJ/Wall) has provided toughness. Freshmen Julia DiFerdinando (Chadds Ford/Garnet Valley), Sarah Black (Hershey/Lower Dauphin) and Stephanie Barnett (Blandon/Fleetwood) has provided speed and playmaking ability all over the field. Freshman keeper Alyssa Hackelberg (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) has posted four shutouts and she continues to improve with each game.

Freshmen Morgan Muracco (Sewell, NJ/Paul IV), Rhea Weaver (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin), Kelly Rozembersky (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury) and Megan Zimmerman (Warminster/William Tennent) and sophomores Laura Hearn (Wall, NJ/St. Rose) and Emily Froehlich (Perkasie/Pennridge) have also been key performers for the Golden Bears. Freshman defender BrieAnn Shipkowski (Manheim/Manheim Central) has played every minute of the season for KU.

“I would love to take credit for the success we have enjoyed over the past three years, but in truth, our success is attributed to the players who represent and have represented this program,” Burstein said. “Their talent, commitment, hard work and desire to be great are the reasons we continue to achieve. Without these remarkable people in the program, we would not be where we are today.”

The team had its strongest preseason camp according to Burstein. The players returned from summer vacations driven and focused. The players lifted weights, worked out on their own and aced the grueling series of timed laps around the track at the beginning of camp. That determination has carried over into the season as the Golden Bears opened with a bang by defeating then-eighth-ranked Mercyhust, 2-1, in overtime.

Kutztown will be looking to finish strong as it returns home Saturday to meet Davis & Elkins College in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Keystone Field. Then the Golden Bears begin an arduous five-game road trip that concludes on Oct. 20 at West Chester in a match that could have PSAC regular season championship implications.

“We just have to keep working hard and listening to coach,” Chiara said. “We want to keep this going for as long as we can. We’re all having fun and we’re all excited about the challenges that are ahead.” 

--KU--