Women's Soccer Hosts St. John's
Oct. 4, 1999
CAPTAIN BASS SEES NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: Sophomore Deidre Bass, one of two team captains on the 1999 season, is enjoying her best year as a Hurricane. Bass, from Coral Springs (Stoneman-Douglass), is currently tied for second on the team with 11 points off of four goals and three assists in 11 starts. As a freshman in ’98, Bass tallied just one assist, while starting all 19 matches.
Last week, Bass had a combined one goal and three assists in a two matches, a 3-0 win over Lynn and a 6-2 loss to Syracuse. The double-assist effort was the first of her short collegiate career. In addition, she scored the game-winning goal for the Hurricanes in the season opening victory over Florida State (3-0) and the game-winning assist against Lynn.
Among the 10 players who were on UM’s inaugural women’s soccer roster last season, Bass is the lone member to have started in the program’s all-time 30 matches.
McWHINNEY ON PACE TO SET UM SINGLE SEASON SCORING RECORD: Freshman Allison McWhinney has recorded 20 points through UM’s first 11 games of the season. The 20-point total has already landed her at No. 3 in the all-time single season scoring column. By that figure, McWhinney is on pace to score 35 overall points throughout the remainder of the regular season (19 matches). The team-record for scoring is 27 points, set by Jenny Sanchez last season. Nina Wathne has the second-highest single-season total with 23 points scored in ’98.
Her eight goals this season also places her behind Sanchez in the single-season goals scored column. Last year, Sanchez led the team with 11 goals.
Not only does McWhinney (Danvers, MA/Danvers) lead the rest of the team by at least nine points, she also has a team-high eight goals and places second in assists with four in 11 starts. She is also tied for the team-high in game-winning goals and game-winning assists. She scored game-winning goals in UM’s home opener against Long Island and on the road at Providence in the Hurricanes first-ever BIG EAST match. Her game-winning assist occurred in UM’s 4-0 win over Central Florida.
GOMEZ TIES SECOND PLACE ON UM’S SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS LIST: With her assist on Jordan Sims’ goal against Syracuse, freshman defender Lisa Gomez (Boca Raton, FL/Spanish River) pushed her 1999 assists total to six. The six assists tie her with former Hurricanes Katherine Sund for second-place on the all-time single season assists list. Earlier in the season Gomez tallied a school record for consecutive games with an assist with four.
CAPTAIN WATHNE DELIVERS CLUTCH GOALS: Lone senior Nina Wathne (Haudesund, Norway), one of two team captains on the 1999 season, is tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals. She recently tallied the game winner in UM’s 3-0 win over Division II No. Lynn and in UM’s 4-0 victory over Central Florida. For her career, Wathne has a team-best four game-winning goals. She is currently tied with Gomez for third on the team with eight points, off of three goals and two assists.
UM RECORDS SHUTOUT NO. 6 OVER DIVISION II NO. 1 LYNN, 3-0: The Hurricanes doubled its assist total from a year ago with six, following a 3-0 shutout of Division II No. 1-ranked Lynn. Nina Wathne recorded the game-winner, while Deidre Bass had the assist. Six of UM’s first 10 games resulted in a shutout victory for the Canes.
With the win, Head Coach Jim Blankenship defeated the team he left to take the head post at Miami a year and a half ago. Blankenship was head coach at Lynn for 12 seasons earning three national titles, finishing runner-up four times and was named National Coach of the Year five times.
UM WINS FIRST-EVER BIG EAST MATCH AND PLAYS AGAINST FIRST NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENT: Miami traveled to the Northeast to face Providence and No. 18 Boston College to open up BIG EAST play. The Hurricanes defeated the Friars, 2-0, at Glay Field for their first conference win ever. The match with BC marked the first time Miami had faced a nationally ranked opponent. BC was ranked No. 18 in the NSCAA and Soccer America rankings at the time of the match.
UM, SWINSON RECORD FOURTH SHUTOUT OVER UCF: UM recorded its fourth shutout of the season, 4-0, over visiting Central Florida. Nina Wathne, last year’s No. 2 scorer, scored her first points of the season with the eventual game winning goal in the 10th minute. Allison McWhinney had the game winning assist. In her Hurricane debut as a starter, Elizabeth Swinson (Boca Raton, FL/Boca Raton) recorded six saves in goals while the UM defense allowed UCF nine shots.
UM MATCH WITH FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL RESCHEDULED DUE TO HURRICANE FLOYD THREAT: Miami’s Sept. 14 scheduled match with cross-town Florida International was postponed till Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. due to the threat of Hurricane Floyd to the South Florida coast.
MIAMI, SANCHEZ SCORE GOALS AGAINST FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Hurricanes recorded a new team-record with six goals scored against Florida Atlantic, all in the first half. Of those six goals, sophomore forward Jenny Sanchez added a new school-best four. In the game Sanchez recorded another team-best nine points.
HURRICANES SHUT OUT MAINE 2-0, SPLIT MATCHES AT BLACK BEAR INVITATIONAL: The Hurricanes won their third consecutive match to start the season with a 2-0 shut out of Maine in the first match of the Black Bear Invitational in Orono. UM outshot the Black Bears 26-13, including goals from Jordan Sims (Bradenton,, FL/Bradenton Academy) and Allison McWhinney. Sims, a transfer from FSU, scored her first collegiate goal off an assist from Florida transfer Alexis MacKenzie. Goalkeeper Rachel Elsby (Boca Raton, FL/Spanish River) recorded three saves in the win. In the second game, UM fell to New Hampshire, 2-1. The goals were the first given up by UM on the season. McWhinney scored UM’s lone goal.
UM, ELSBY RECORD SHUTOUT NO. 2 AGAINST LONG ISLAND: The Hurricane defense was in full force against Long Island, as the UM “D” held LIU without a shot the entire first half en route to a 2-0 win. Miami, which scored both of its goals in the first half, outshot the Blackbirds 6-0 in the first half and 14-7 for the game. Rachel Elsby recorded three saves in the game.
UM KEEPS EDGE IN ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST FLORIDA STATE: Miami defeated Florida State, 3-0, to open the season on Aug. 29. It marked the Hurricanes second win over the Seminoles in as many seasons, moving the short-lived team’s all-time mark to 2-0 against FSU. UM defeated FSU, 4-2, at Gulliver Prep in its inaugural 1998 season.
SIMS ENJOYS RETURN TO TALLAHASSEE: Sophomore midfielder Jordan Sims played her first season at Florida State, appearing in eight games. As a starter for the Hurricanes in 1999, Sims had the game winning assist against the Seminoles in UM’s season opening, 3-0, win in Tallahassee on Aug. 29.
ELSBY SHUTS OUT SEMINOLES IN 3-0 WIN: Goalkeeper Rachel Elsby recorded 10 saves in the Hurricanes 3-0 win over FSU, while also defending the Seminoles 23 overall shots on goal. The 10 saves tied her career-best, from last season’s win at Jacksonville.
UM PICKED FOURTH IN THE BIG EAST NORTHEAST DIVISION: In its first season of competition in the BIG EAST, the Hurricanes were picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Division behind Connecticut, Syracuse and Boston College. UConn and Syracuse both qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament. Miami was picked ahead of St. John’s and Providence. Notre Dame was picked to win the BIG EAST’s Mid-Atlantic division.
HURRICANES SECOND-YEAR ROSTER BOASTS 13 NEW FACES: Of the 24 rostered players on the Miami women’s soccer roster, just 11 remain from the 1998 Inaugural squad. Thirteen newcomers grace the UM roster in ?99, including four sophomore transfers.
In addition, inaugural squad member Jana Escribano (Valrico, FL/Bloomingdale) will be making her collegiate debut in ?99 after redshirting last season with an ankle injury.
