2009 Season Statistics

Playing one of the most challenging schedules in all of the NCAA Division II, Central Washington University finished its 2009 women's soccer season in fourth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings and two wins shy of a .500 overall record.

Coming off its best women's soccer season in nearly a decade in 2008, when the Wildcats went 10-7-3 and received their first recognition in the Division II West Region polls in school history, Central was picked to finish third in the 2009 preseason GNAC coaches poll behind defending national champion Seattle Pacific and Western Washington, which lost to SPU in the 2008 national quarterfinals.

Central's 2009 campaign got off to a rocky start in southern California, where the Wildcats lost three straight matches -- though the first two came against the eventual top two teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association's South Division in Cal State L.A. and UC San Diego. After a healthy 8-0 victory over Northwest University in the Wildcats' first game back in their home state on Sept. 2 -- a match in which junior Kaycie Hutchins (Port Orchard/Bellarmine Prep) tied a CWU single-match record with five assists -- Central divided a pair of matches in Nampa, Idaho. The Wildcats then earned a 2-1 victory in their final non-league contest of the year in their home opener against soon-to-be GNAC member Simon Fraser on Sept. 13.

The start to the 12-match conference schedule was an uncharacteristic one for Central, who suffered a rare 3-1 home loss to Montana State Billings. The resilient Wildcats bounced back against rival Western Washington two days later, keeping the Vikings scoreless for 110 minutes and walking away with a scoreless tie. CWU then lost 2-0 one week later against Seattle Pacific in a match that was closer than the final score indicated, as the Wildcats held the Falcons scoreless until the 53rd minute and played step-for-step with SPU through the opening half.

A monumental 3-0 shutout win at Montana State Billings gave the Wildcats their first conference victory heading into a season-long four-match home stand, but Central managed just three goals in those four contests and dropped three of four including 2-0 defeats against Western Oregon and Western Washington.

With three of their final four matches of the year on the road, Central blanked Northwest Nazarene 4-0 on Oct. 24 and followed that victory up with a 3-1 upset of then-sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific at home on Halloween afternoon. Sophomore Amy Pate (Federal Way/Thomas Jefferson HS) scored the Wildcats' first two goals in the win over the Falcons, which snapped an eight-match losing streak in the head-to-head series between the two schools and gave Central arguably its biggest win in school history. A 3-1 revenge victory at Western Oregon four days later had the Wildcats in position to finish at the .500 mark overall and one match over .500 in GNAC competition entering their season finale at Saint Martin's, but after rallying from a 2-0 halftime deficit with a pair of goals by freshman Carson McKole (Oak Harbor) forced overtime, the Wildcats were stunned by the Saints with the game-winning goal eight minutes into the first overtime period.

Although they finished just shy of the .500 mark and had just one conference player of the week -- Pate following the win over Seattle Pacific -- Central was well-represented among the all-conference teams. Senior defender Jessica Andrews (Spanaway/Bethel HS), a mainstay in the back for the Wildcats over the past four years, earned first-team all-GNAC honors. Hutchins, who tied for the conference lead with eight assists and totaled 18 points, and sophomore Serena Tomaso (Enumclaw) both earned second-team all-conference accolades while three others -- senior Amber Easterbrook (Kent/Kentwood HS), junior Ellie Eckroth (Auburn/Auburn Mountainview HS), and sophomore Hillary Franks (Yakima/West Valley HS) -- were all honorable mention selections.

In addition to the on-field successes and accomplishments by the 2009 Wildcats, Central also set a program record with nine academic all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference team selections. With the exercise science major well-represented -- six of the nine academic all-GNAC picks are enrolled in the program -- the Wildcats tied for the most academic all-conference choices in the league. Easterbrook was a third-time selection, while Eckroth, Hutchins, and junior Annie Weisbeck (Spokane Valley/Central Valley HS) were all second-time picks.

Among the team awards that were handed out at the season-ending banquet on Dec. 6, Andrews added team Most Valuable Player recognition to her first-team all-conference honors. Franks was voted as the team's Most Inspirational Player, while sophomore Katelyn Scobba (Vancouver/Prairie HS) was tabbed as the Most Improved Player, having switched from an outside midfielder position to forward in 2009.

Although Central Washington is losing just three players to graduation, those three players have all had lasting impacts on the program. Andrews, Easterbrook, and Monique Cornier (Puyallup/Emerald Ridge HS) all wrapped up their collegiate careers with the Wildcats in 2009, having combined for 201 career matches played including a school-record 76 starts by Andrews. Easterbrook, who started 64 of her 73 career appearances, finished her career with school records for wins (30), ties (10), and shutouts (20), while ranking second all-time in career saves (315) and goals-against average (1.13).

The Wildcats should be well-stocked for the 2010 campaign, with the goal scorers for 30 of their 33 goals from 2009 expected to return. Hutchins, McKole, Tomaso, and freshman Kelsy Villegas (Graham/Graham-Kapowsin HS), who all shared the team lead with five goals each, are all expected back next fall.

TEAM AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Player: Jessica Andrews. Most Improved: Katelyn Scobba. Most Inspirational: Hillary Franks.

GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS
First Team All-GNAC: Jessica Andrews. Second Team All-GNAC: Kaycie Hutchins, Serena Tomaso. Honorable Mention All-GNAC: Amber Easterbrook, Ellie Eckroth, Hillary Franks. Academic All-Conference: Jessica Andrews, Gwenna Carie, Monique Cornier, Amber Easterbrook, Ellie Eckroth, Hillary Franks, Michelle Mohn, Annie Weisbeck.