Overlake prepares for title hunt: Led by six talented seniors, Owls look to go all the way

For The Overlake School girls’ soccer coach Sally Goodspeed, the upcoming 2009 season represents four years of buildup for something special.

Overlake, which has made it to the Class 1A state tournament three straight seasons, is fielding one of the strongest senior classes the program has seen, consisting of six players who have played on the varsity squad since freshman year.

“I think we look pretty good,” said Goodspeed, a seventh-year coach who has coached the Owls to three straight state tournament appearances. “I’ve been very pleased with how things have gone the first couple weeks. We have a lot of returners and some fresh new faces, and they’re meshing well together from the start.”

SUPER SENIORS

All six seniors — Ceci Votta, Courtney Phillips, Maya Marder, Allison Risa, Susannah Kelly and Claire Krueger — on the team contributed during last year’s state quarterfinal run, and Goodspeed is confident that, with experience on their side, this could be the Owls’ year.

Overlake’s roster has really no holes anywhere on the field, starting with an incredibly solid backfield.

“Ceci Votta, our goalkeeper, has been a starter for her whole career and puts a lock on the back of the net,” said Goodspeed, adding that Votta was a big part of the team’s 10-shutout season in 2008. “It’s nice to have somebody of her level of talent behind you, because you can take risks.”

Helping Votta in the backfield will be Phillips, a “good leader” whom her coach wants to see be more vocal on the field.

“She’s quick, makes good decisions and is very patient... she will find ways to get up into the attack.”

Commanding the offense for the Owls will be a formidable trio, consisting of Marder and Risa, both first-team all-league midfielders, in addition to Kelly, a forward and the team’s leading scorer in 2007.

“Maya is always going to be around the ball ... she makes a big impact and helps make her teammates better,” Goodspeed noted. “(Allison) has great ball skills, we’re trying to find somebody that can put the ball in the back of the net consistently, and she’s a likely person to do that.”

Kelly has had injury problems in the past, but is back and healthy this year.

“She’s been a great leader,” commented Goodspeed on her senior forward. “She works extremely hard and has made a commitment to being here in really good shape.”

Rounding out the Owls’ “super six” is Krueger, a solid contributor who plays outside midfield or forward.

“She’s the kind of kid that you always want to have on your team because she’s very coachable, she listens, executes and does all the dirty work.”

TOUGH TEAMS

Overlake’s league, 1A Emerald City, looks to be extremely tough this year with defending state champion Seattle Academy returning a strong team and top-tier programs Bush, Cedar Park and Bellevue Christian always a threat to make the playoffs.

“We definitely had some tough matches with (Seattle Academy) last year, and we always look to measure ourselves against that team,” Goodspeed noted. “There’s no easy match on our schedule. Every game is extremely competitive. We cannot take a night off, ever.”

Added Phillips, “We need to come ready to play every day, and not take any games lightly. We need to have a consistent season.”

Early in the season, the Owls’ goal is just to take it game-by-game and earn a fourth straight trip to state, where anything can happen.

“We want to be back there, that’s for sure,” said Goodspeed, adding that her six seniors want to finish strong. “We’d like to improve upon last year’s quarterfinals finish and get farther, but at this point you have to take it one day at a time and keep them focused on the task at hand, how we get there and what that process is.”

The players are ready to make their mark on the Emerald City League, and eventually, the state tournament.

“We definitely have a good core group of kids that have played soccer and been around soccer a lot,” said Marder, who led the team in assists last year. “We know how to play with each other, and successfully. We did well last year and there’s a lot of us returning.”

Contact Redmond Reporter Sports Reporter Tim Watanabe at twatanabe@redmond-reporter.com or (425) 867-0353, ext. 5054.

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