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2009 Women's Soccer Preview

Malorie Harris

2009 Season Preview


The women’s soccer team has one goal for 2009. That goal is to win the AUS championship on home soil from November 6th to 8th in Mount Pearl.


The team, with an all-Newfoundland lineup, will be extremely deep. Walt Mavin will once again be the team’s head coach. He will be joined by assistant coaches, and former Sea~Hawks, Jessica Clarke and Jessica Wade.

The majority of the 2008 roster that led the AUS in scoring will return. Three-time All-Canadian Laura Breen will return up front after participating in the 2009 FISU Games in Belgrade, Serbia.

She will be joined by two-time All-Canadian Malorie Harris who returns for her fifth year, balancing a physically demanding first year in the RNC police studies program with varsity soccer. Talented forward and 2008 AUS second team all-star Nichole Adams will also be relied upon to find the back of the net for Memorial. Fifth year Leslie Pope will provide leadership on the veteran team. The team will also expect to get a spark from the return of talented athlete Vicki Thistle. Thistle, a basketball All-Canadian, returns for her second year of Sea~Hawks soccer. In 2006 Thistle booted four goals.

On the backline Memorial will rely on veterans Ashley Dawe, Laura Tilley, Leighanne Tobin, and Julia Whitten to keep the opponents at bay. Tobin was a 2007 AUS second team all-star. With such depth Coach Mavin will likely use Breen in the backfield on occasion.

The midfield will be anchored by 4th year Samantha Hansford, Harris, and Pope.

The team will welcome a talented group of rookies to the lineup this season. Keira Eavis, Erin Edwards, Lauren Windsor, Heather Williams, and Paula Whitten all gained experience at the Canada Games this past summer. Other rookies joining the team this year are Katie Gale, Jamie Warren, Laura Pittman and Kim Hickman.

Eavis and Pittman will look to take over in net for departed keeper Jenine Bursey.

Coach Mavin feels that the team will be right in the championship mix. He said, “The AUS is a tough league. The pace is fast and the players are very talented. There are no weekends off in such a short season. However if we work hard and make the right decisions then we have the talent to win.”