Pacific program continues building

Pacific’s women are hoping to turn small improvements into big ones in 2009

By Blake Timm

The Forest Grove News-Times, Sep 9, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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Over her first three seasons as Pacific’s head women’s soccer coach, Joy Boswell has seen her squads make improvements in terms of baby steps.

As she begins her fourth season leading the Boxers, Boswell believes this will be the year when small steps turn into larger, much bigger leaps toward the upper half of the Northwest Conference standings.

“I am very excited,” Boswell said of her current group of players that includes 11 returners and nine newcomers. “It’s a really good group. I think we are ahead of where we were last year.”

Getting a good start will be important for a Pacific team that started strong in 2008, but faded under the weight of a number of close losses as the conference season commenced. After winning their first three NWC tilts last year, the Boxers went winless in all but one match the rest of the way. Five of those losses came in one-goal matches.

Where things change in 2009, according to Boswell, is in ability and attitude. The freshmen entering the program bring a new intensity, while the corps of returners is ready to prove themselves again after finishing well short of their goal last year.

“The players who have been with us for the last two or three years have been saying that they’re excited,” Boswell said. “They feel the team is above and beyond where they were last year. To me that says a lot.”

While the majority of players will be slotted into regular positions, the roster will feature a lot of interchangeable parts. It is quite possible that a number of players could play anywhere from the back to the forward spots at any given time. That flexibility is something Boswell is looking forward to utilizing as the season progresses.

“We have a lot of depth this year that we didn’t have last year,” Boswell said. “If the group that is playing isn’t doing what needs to happen, we now have the depth to change it out and create a new look.”

Pacific, which has started the season with two losses and a tie, will look to get on track Saturday with a 7 p.m. home game against Northwest Christian at Lincoln Park Stadium.