Dec. 18, 2007

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Welcome to the final 2007 edition of my Coach's Corner, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed and up-to-date on everything Stony Brook Women's Soccer! As I reflect on the 2007 season, several outstanding individual and team accomplishments stand out as highlights.

Our fourth place finish (4-2-2) in the conference earned us our first ever America East home playoff game under the lights at LaValle Stadium. In front of an exuberant home crowd, we defeated Maine 2-1 and advanced to the America East semifinals to face regular season champ New Hampshire. After falling behind 1-0 in the second half, we battled back to tie the game at 1-1 on a goal by Trine Allenberg '09 (Roberts, Wisc.). Despite several good chances to get the go-ahead goal, we were unable to do so and UNH scored the game-winner in overtime to advance to the conference finals.

While we fell short of our goal of winning a conference championship, our 2007 season had many wonderful memories and accomplishments. We had seven seniors fuel one of our best seasons since entering Division I, including a streak of eight consecutive shutouts. Our success can be traced back to last spring when the senior leadership pushed the team to work harder in our running, conditioning and training than ever before.

We also enjoyed several outstanding individual performances including first-team All-America East selections for Jackie Timmes '07 (Mastic, N.Y.) and Brooke Barbuto '09 (Syracuse, N.Y.). Freshman Sarah Dwyer '11 (Laurel, Md.) was named to the conference all-rookie team. Goalkeeper Marisa Viola '10 (Cutchogue, N.Y.) set a school record with 10 shutouts, including a scoreless streak of 863:33 that spanned 10 games. During that stretch, she recorded eight straight shutouts which ranks as the seventh longest streak in NCAA women's Division I history and she ended the season with a save percentage of .878, ninth best in the nation. Most recently, Barbuto (first-team) and Viola (second-team) earned recognition on the NSCAA All-Northeast Region team.

Much of the credit for our successful season must be given to seniors Kelly Bahnsen '08 (Andover, N.J.), Tiffany Fasullo '08 (Setauket, N.Y.), Kristin Mishrell '08 (Roswell, Ga.), Krista Shilts '08 (Fairfax, Va.), Aria Tanzi '08 (Smithtown, N.Y.), Jackie Timmes and Aisling Toolan '08 (Dublin, Ireland). Each, in her own very special way, has contributed to raising the level of our program and provided a solid foundation on which we can build upon. Our future is very bright with an eager group of underclassmen and a talented class of newcomers for 2008.

We also want to thank all of our loyal fans, parents and family members who traveled with us throughout the year. Your unyielding support has positioned us for success for many years to come and we firmly believe that we have the best fans in the country!

On behalf of the Stony Brook women's soccer program, I would also like to wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday season. Thank you for your continued support and Go Seawolves!

Susan Ryan
Head Women's Soccer Coach