With a core group of players and a dose of newcomers the SF State women’s soccer team is looking to pull themselves up by their shin guards right into the California Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs.

“CCAA. Nothing less,” forward Myriah Johnson said about the team’s goal for the 2008 season.
The Gators finished in third place in the CCAA North Division last season with a 9-9-2 overall, 6-6-2 CCAA record.

The CCAA is split into two divisions, the North and the South Division. SF State will play each team in the North Division twice and the teams from the South once.

To obtain the goal of the CCAA playoffs, the Gators must win their division or one of two wild card spots for both divisions. In the preseason coaches’ pole the Gators are picked to finish fifth in their division.

The team is returning with a core group of talented players that can be very competitive in the CCAA North Division, head coach Jack Hyde said.

“We need to average two goals a game,” Hyde said. “Good teams in the past scored two goals a game and allowed .85 goals against.”

Hyde and the team members said this is a very realistic goal, but the team needs “more scoring” than last season.

“I think it’s possible,” captain and midfielder Robin Bowman said. “We need a lot of shutouts. I’m really confident in the defense.”

Last season’s team scored 1.01 goals per game and allowed 1.25 goals per game.

The team has switched to a three-defender, four-midfielder, and three-forward set to generate more scoring from last years four-four-two scheme.

“It’s starting to grow on me,” captain and defender Morgan Davison said about the new scheme. “At first it was difficult but it clicked really fast as a team.”

The team is returning seven defenders that started over half the games. Returners Davison (Second Team All-Conference) and Lauren Candia (Honorable Mention) started 20 and 19 games respectively out of the 20 the Gators played.

The “No Goal Patrol,” the defense, had an outstanding spring and great first scrimmage in the fall, not allowing a goal, Davison said.

SF State’s keeper Emily Hart returns for her sophomore season after starting 13 games in goal last season and earning a CCAA Honorable Mention. Hart had a 7-5-1 record, allowing .97 goals against and racking up .754 save percentage.

“Excited,” Candia said about this season. “Because of the new people, mostly starters returning, and last season showed we can beat everyone in the league.”

The team is returning 21 players from the 2007 roster and losing only one starter. Johnson said it is unusual for the team to have such a large group of returners. The team came back for spring workouts with the right mentality to go into the 2008 season.

“We set the bar a little higher to be in good shape at the beginning of the season,” midfielder Carly Bliss said.

Of the Gators’ top seven scorers from a year ago, six will be returning.

“There is more positivity (this season),” Candia said. “Everyone wants to be here.”

Leading scorer, Bowman, is coming off a three-goal, one-assist season in which she started all 20 games and earned Second Team All-Conference.

“We’re looking pretty good,” Bowman said. “Solid returning group, we’re really confident after last season.

There is a lot of positivity. I can’t explain it. Everyone is clicking.”

The first three CCAA match-ups come against teams that the Gators were 1-3 against last season — UC San Diego, CSU Dominguez Hills, and Sonoma State.The Gators first game will come on the road against Western Washington University on Aug. 28 and their first home game will be on Sept. 3 against University of Hawaii at Hilo Vulcans.