Friday, June 7, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – The second weekend of action in the inaugural W-20 season starts tonight. W-20 features 21 teams aligned in four regional divisions - North Atlantic, Midwest, New England and South Atlantic - playing 8-10 regular season matches from May through July, with a national championship set at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
A total of 12 teams will receive bids to the national championship. Here is a look at the teams that will compete for the three South Atlantic Division bids this year.
CAROLINA ELITE COBRAS
An extension of the Carolina Elite W-League squad, the Cobras will be led by Andrew Hyslop during the 2013 W-20 season.
Several players already rostered for the W-League squad will aso suit up for the W-20s, including CESA youth club standout Savannah McCaskill, a midfielder who is committed to the University of South Carolina for 2014. Defender Kaleigh Kurtz is also rostered for both teams, and will bring her talents to the University of Richmond this coming fall.
Between the pipes, the Cobras will look to Maggie Grisell, who just completed her freshman year at Furman University. Furman teammate Emily Graves, also coming off her freshman year and also a CESA youth alum, appeared in 20 games on defense for the Paladins in 2012 and should help anchor a tough Cobras back line.
LAKE NORMAN SC
Stephen Chaconas’ Lake Norman squad includes a number of college-level talents.
Emily Rusk, a freshman from the University of Alabama, will spend some time between the pipes for Lake Norman this summer. Rusk posted two shutouts while at Alabama, and will benefit from the experienced cover of sophomore defender Lindsey Byrne from UNC Wilmington. Byrne had three assists last year with Seahawks.
Emilee Engelhaupt joins Lake Norman SC from Eastern Tennessee State University. A versatile midfielder, Engelhaupt started 17 games for the Bucs and tallied an assist.
The attacking standout, Megan Curan, hopes to bring some of her success at Gardner Webb to the club table. A sophomore with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, Curan has five goals and four assists in her collegiate career.
Ashley Hartert will try to aid Lake Norman going forward after putting in several good shifts for Campbell University and notching three points.
SOUTHERN SOCCER ACADEMY
Jim Belay will lead Southern Soccer Academy through this year’s W-20 season. A relatively young squad, SSA will be powered by fresh legs such as Rebecca Calder, Sarah Whitney, Carlie Couch, and Claire Belay.
Calder recently finished her freshman year at the University of Louisiana Monroe. With the Warhawks, Calder proved to be a defensive bulwark and tallied an assist from the back. Whitney is a rising goalkeeper out of Garfield High School who put together six shutouts last year.
Couch, a forward, entered her senior year at Tift County with 100 goals and 29 assists in her career, and even though she just finished her last year in high school, Couch committed to Furman University to play soccer in her sophomore year.
Midfielder Belay recently capped off her first year with the Columbus State Cougars. She was on the field for 23 games and found the back of the net twice while putting together four points as a freshman.
TRIANGLE FC
Triangle FC will bring together some of the best talent in North Carolina this summer. Starting up top, Rachel Harris, a redshirt freshman from North Carolina State, will bring her experience to the Triangle FC attack. After missing out on the entirety of last season, Harris bounced back and recorded three goals, two assists, and eight points in just 386 minutes with the Wolfpack.
Harris will have her chances paved for her by the industrious Megan Fish. Fish just finished her second season with the University of Central Florida, where she provided three assists from her role in the midfield.
Cydney Smith and Melissa Periere will team up at the back to close down the gaps. Smith is coming off an impressive year with Campbell University, where she took in 17 starts in a primarily defensive position. Periere just finished out her year with Belmont Abbey, where she found time in 18 games and took home an assist.