soccerfanatic
Active member
Today is my last profile of returning players. I hope to do a game preview tomorrow (Tuesday) and then after the game on Wednesday, give my initial impressions of the first year players. In the meantime, the school has posted their Game Notes for Wednesday's game. TIME TO REALLY GET "SOCCER-EXCITED"... GO BENGALS!!!
Katherine Ford
Writing about Katherine Ford is a challenge, as we hardly got to see anything of her last year. Playing behind Maren Eves (who had an All-Star season with a league-leading defense), Ford was only on the field for a few minutes all season. She played about 15 minutes in the exhibition game against Utah Valley, and then only saw action once in the regular season: just under 20 minutes in the 7-1 blow-out of Southern Utah. Over the 35 minutes in two games, Ford recorded 6 saves and gave up no goals (despite the fact that both teams scored against a stingy ISU defense before Ford took the field.) It should also be pointed out that by the time Ford took the field at SUU, three of the four defensive starters were already done for the game, which probably accounts for the fact that SUU put up five shots on goal during the last 20 minutes, scoring on one, when they only managed to put 6 shots on goal in the first 70 minutes, and none of those real threats. (Few recognize how important that defensive support is to a keeper. With ISU leading 5-0 and only 25 minutes left in the game, Coach took out Henage and Hough together to give the reserves some playing time. The previously ineffective SUU offense immediately mounted a furious attack and, in less than four minutes, Eves lost what otherwise would have probably been a 7th shut-out on the season.)
We were able to see Ford get substantial playing time in the spring, as she and Eves played fairly even minutes. Her first game was a fast-paced indoor game against nationally ranked BYU. BYU blasted a shell-shocked Ford for the first half of the game. However, after she got over her first-game jitters, Ford looked rock solid for the rest of spring ball. In fact, there were times when Ford appeared to out-shine a brilliant Maren Eves. In the only real outdoor game all spring (against Boise State in Boise), both keepers combined for a shut-out against the same team that scored twice against ISU in the fall.
With four keepers on the roster this fall, no one knows who will see playing time at keeper. The fact that Eves is out for the first four to seven weeks leaves the hunt for a keeper wide open, and I would not be surprised to see Ford end up in that role. Wednesday’s game against Northern Nazarene will probably figure heavily in that decision, as I am certain that we will have the chance to see Ford and both freshmen recruits in the goal. As the player with the experience, I look for Ford to start the game.
Katherine Ford
Writing about Katherine Ford is a challenge, as we hardly got to see anything of her last year. Playing behind Maren Eves (who had an All-Star season with a league-leading defense), Ford was only on the field for a few minutes all season. She played about 15 minutes in the exhibition game against Utah Valley, and then only saw action once in the regular season: just under 20 minutes in the 7-1 blow-out of Southern Utah. Over the 35 minutes in two games, Ford recorded 6 saves and gave up no goals (despite the fact that both teams scored against a stingy ISU defense before Ford took the field.) It should also be pointed out that by the time Ford took the field at SUU, three of the four defensive starters were already done for the game, which probably accounts for the fact that SUU put up five shots on goal during the last 20 minutes, scoring on one, when they only managed to put 6 shots on goal in the first 70 minutes, and none of those real threats. (Few recognize how important that defensive support is to a keeper. With ISU leading 5-0 and only 25 minutes left in the game, Coach took out Henage and Hough together to give the reserves some playing time. The previously ineffective SUU offense immediately mounted a furious attack and, in less than four minutes, Eves lost what otherwise would have probably been a 7th shut-out on the season.)
We were able to see Ford get substantial playing time in the spring, as she and Eves played fairly even minutes. Her first game was a fast-paced indoor game against nationally ranked BYU. BYU blasted a shell-shocked Ford for the first half of the game. However, after she got over her first-game jitters, Ford looked rock solid for the rest of spring ball. In fact, there were times when Ford appeared to out-shine a brilliant Maren Eves. In the only real outdoor game all spring (against Boise State in Boise), both keepers combined for a shut-out against the same team that scored twice against ISU in the fall.
With four keepers on the roster this fall, no one knows who will see playing time at keeper. The fact that Eves is out for the first four to seven weeks leaves the hunt for a keeper wide open, and I would not be surprised to see Ford end up in that role. Wednesday’s game against Northern Nazarene will probably figure heavily in that decision, as I am certain that we will have the chance to see Ford and both freshmen recruits in the goal. As the player with the experience, I look for Ford to start the game.
