The future looks bright for women?s soccer at Sacramento State. The team will return next year with a solid nucleus of talent that has acquired playoff experience.

“We?ll have no gaps or weaknesses on (next year?s) team,” said head coach Sandra Asimos.

Injuries at the beginning of the 2001 season set the team off to a rocky start, as the Hornets lost their first three games. The Hornets rebounded from their rough start and finished the season with a 5-11-2 record, taking fourth place in the Big Sky Conference.

“We got stronger as we went along, and were competitive in all our matches,” Asimos said.

The Hornets? fourth-place finish matched them against top seed Weber State University in the opening round of the Big Sky playoffs. The Hornets lost the match 2-0 to the Wildcats. Eight Hornet players made the Big Sky All- Conference list in 2001. This is the most conference recognition the women?s soccer team has received in a season in the program?s history.

Junior forward Lisa Wrightsman was the only Hornet to receive first team All-Big Sky honors. Wrightsman finished the season tied for second in the conference with nine goals, which moves her into second place in Hornet career goals with 25. Wrightsman will need 11 goals in 2002 to pass the all-time mark of 35 set by Paula Guarda, who finished her Hornet career in 1997.

Second team honors went to senior defender Mattea Stranger and sophomore defender Amber Dragomir. Stranger and Dragomir led a steady Hornet defense, nicknamed “the rock”, which allowed just 1.7 goals a game.Honorable mention honors went to sophomore midfielder Katie DeClercq, senior midfielder Summer Douglas, senior forward Lori Kerswell, senior midfielder Naomi Ennis, and sophomore defender Stacey Rowell.

Kerswell?s three assists on the year moved her into second place in career assists with 12, leaving her six behind Guarda for the all-time record.

Sac State will be losing eight members of its 2001 team, which has forced Asimos to recruit over a third of the team for 2002. Asimos has faith in her recruiting class and believes they will be strong assets for the upcoming season.