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HEADLINES

2005 Women's Soccer Squad Preview

By Mike Hickey, Special to the Record
Lennoxville, Sept. 13, 2005 - The Bishop’s University women’s soccer team does not start the 2005 Quebec University Soccer League until next Friday but doesn’t mean head coach Mike Richardson and his squad has been taking it easy the last few weeks.

The team’s veterans and rookies came back to Lennoxville early and promptly began two-a-day practices in preparation for last week’s participation at an invitational tournament held at Concordia University.

The team posted a 1-1 record at Concordia and then returned home and has practicing once a day with the advent of classes and academic responsibilities.

“There is great potential on this team,” team captain and goalkeeper Aboud said Wednesday night after practice. “Our win against Wisconsin in Montreal was awesome, the entire team played exceptionally well. We are young and we have players from different programmes from across the country. We also have an outstanding coaching staff that is always willing to spend time to help with our athletic and academic needs.”

Bishop’s edged Wisconsin 1-0 on a goal by Lisa Wagner while Aboud picked up the shutout.

The day before they dropped a 4-1 decision to Nipissing University in a game that was closer than the final score.

“The score was 2-1 late in the game when hey scored two goals on penalty kicks on some questionable calls,” Richardson said. “To be fair the referee was consistent throughout the game.”

Wagner scored the lone Gaiter goal.

Aboud is the backbone of the team but she is hardly a seasoned veterans. The Ontario native is in just her second year of university after a banner rookie campaign in 2004 and sees a big difference in the intensity of this year’s players.

“We are more intense this year and the coaches have spent a lot more time working in skills. One of our goals is to make the playoffs. McGill and Laval are the best two teams in Quebec and two of the best in the country. But we have a chance to finish as high as third.”

If the Gaiters can finish in the top four they will secure a playoff spot that has eluded them for five years. To do so they will need strong play from a roster that is loaded with first and second year players. One of the rookies, Stephanie Broadhurst, is no stranger to the Eastern Townships. Broadhurst was a three-sport student-athlete as Bishop’s College School who enrolled at Carleton University. A standout basketball, rugby and soccer player at BCS, Broadhurst decided to restrict herself to intramural soccer in her freshman year at Carleton.

“I didn’t enjoy Carleton, it was too big and impersonal,” Broadhurst said Wednesday. “I thought I would probably be transferring to Bishop’s after a year and by now playing for Carleton, I wouldn’t have to sit a year. I am glad to be studying at Bishop’s and playing soccer. It is a very good team and everyone seems to get along.”

Broadhurst, who played rugby for the Sherbrooke Abenakas this summer, was quick to point out how much Bishop’s has helped her transition back to the Townships.

“The people at Bishop’s have been so helpful,” Broadhurst said. “I took a course in the spring semester and one of the professors spent time with me making sure I was taking all the right courses and didn’t have any problems. It was such a difference, people at Bishop’s really cared.”