Women end soccer year

All things considered, this much can be said for the SF State women's soccer team: the 1995 Gators will go down as the most successful squad of the decade, finishing Northern California Athletic Conference play with no less than four victories to their credit.

There is, however, one crucial footnote that puts this point into clearer perspective and casts a bit of a dark shadow over that accomplishment. During the past seven years, SF State has accumulated an NCAC record of 6-42-8, and has never finished better than fourth in the six team conference.

This year's squad stands at 7-12 overall and 4-5 in the NCAC, with one game to play. The Gators wrap it up Saturday when they host Cal State Hayward, a team they thumped 7-0 earlier this month..

"We have to approach this one just like any other game," said assistant coach Karyn Shipp. "We can't take anything for granted just because of last time's result. If the girls don't show up to play, then Hayward could beat us."

This recalls a familiar theme for the Gator women in 1995, one which set the tone for the topsy-turvy campaign -- showing up in force.

Co-captain Bettina Neubauer spoke of a propensity for different individuals to show up "game-ready" on very different occasions. With no synchronization, it was hard for the Gators to ever find any path of consistency throughout their schedule.

"It was a season of ups and downs for sure," said Jack Hyde, now in his 15th year as head coach. "It's always hard (losing), but nothing's for sure in this game. You've got to go out each game and do battle, and every game is a risk."

With victory celebrations held to a minimum, the Gators relied on the "F" word as a rallying cry for most of the season.

"This season was definitely fun," said senior midfielder Erica Carter. "The girls are the reason I was out there."

"It was a fun season," Hyde agreed. "I enjoyed it very much."

But Hyde also didn't underscore the fact he saw definite improvement from his squad over the course of the season.

"For sure," he said. "There's no doubt about it. I think the girls showed their resilience, especially in coming together as a team down the stretch.. If we play together, we play real well."

But what's it going to take for SF State to produce a team that consistently finds its way into the win column?

"It's going to take a couple of goal scorers," said Hyde. "They may come from the group of freshmen we have right now, or they may be transfers. But that's what we've got to have."

[ Golden Gater Online October 26, 1995 ]

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