Turning Back Time: An in-depth look at the 2010 season and a PAC Championship Three-Peat for W&J women's soccer

Written by Aaron Thompson, Sports Information Director at W&J

This feature is an extensive look back at the 2010 Washington & Jefferson College women's soccer team and its quest for a third straight Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament title.     
  
Meeting Expectations
In the world of sports – expectations can often make or break a team. A decade ago, expectations were sky high for the 2010 Washington & Jefferson College women's soccer team.

The Presidents entered the campaign as back-to-back Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament champions and were in search of a third straight league title.

"As reigning champions, our team definitely had added pressure to uphold our title," Chrissy (Pagano) Marcius. "I think what made us so successful was having that drive and determination to defend our title as champions. Head coach Pete Curtis had such confidence in us, which allowed us to be successful."

Despite the loss of four All-PAC performers from the 2009 championship team, which included First Team honorees Spencer (Kidd) Ahrenholtz and Karly (Dornenburg)  Hresko, as well as starter Tiffany (Jamieson) Sherred, the Presidents returned a bevy of talent that included sophomores Dawn (Hardman) Murphy, Kelsey (Spangenberg) Kraus,  Lauren Reynolds and Marcius, along with junior Elizabeth (Lippert) Bendick. Junior goalkeeper Stephanie (Bosak) Saussol, who piloted W&J to the 2009 title in her first season as the starter in net, also returned for the 2010 squad. Team captains Hannah (Olsen) Shaner, Alex (Jones) Findlay and Sharon (Harrington) McCray would be counted upon to serve as the leaders as the Presidents made their run at a third straight title. 
 

"Steph started her W&J career as the understudy to an incredible goalkeeper, and an even bigger personality – 2008 PAC MVP Jackie (Bralj) Foltz. So, as a smaller, less-physically imposing goalkeeper, there were many questions she needed to answer between the posts going into 2009. Boy, did she answer them! From 2009-2011, Steph was, quite simply, amazing. Never the type of keeper to be screaming at her defenders, Steph did her talking with her hands and her athleticism. Not once did I go into a game, against any opponent, with anything other than absolute faith in Steph's ability to keep us in a game or, at times, save us. She was brave beyond belief, and played through pain on many occasions.  Through it all, she was the model of consistency and reliability. We simply could not have accomplished what we did without Steph's quality between the posts.  When she played her last game, I made the comment, "How could such little feet leave such big shoes to fill?" Steph should be cherished for what she was, one of the finest goalkeepers in the history of W&J soccer."
 

AN INFLUX OF NEW TALENT
A group of newcomers aren't often expected to make an immediate impact during their first year of college, especially for a program coming off of back-to-back conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. That however was not the case for the 2010 team.

"I think that our 2010 freshman class for women's soccer was as good as, or better than, any ever recruited to W&J, in any sport, during my 11 years at the institution," said former W&J head coach Pete Curtis. "The influx of new talent into an experienced group of seasoned winners proved to be a terrific mix. The experienced players helped harness the natural enthusiasm and confidence of the freshmen and ensured that the expectations, from game-to-game, were not only demanding, but also realistic."

Leading the way for that group was Holly Shipley, who made an immediate splash offensively after her arrival from Southmoreland High School. Shipley became a four-time All-PAC First Team honoree, a two-time PAC Player of the Year (2011 and 2013) and the first All-American in program history. She currently ranks second or tied for second in program history in the following categories: goals (61), assists (33) and points (155). She led the team with 13 goals, 11 assists and 37 points, all of which ranked among the best in the PAC. She tied for the league-high with five game-winning goals.
 

Katie Kelly, Marissa Pattison and Bianca Rajan undertook starting roles as well in their first season. Kelly appeared in 19 games (17 starts) while Pattison gained playing time in 20 games with 17 starts. Rajan, who came to W&J from Haiku, Hawaii, appeared in 20 games (15 starts).

In addition to that quartet, Nikki (Eden) Hladik, Ariel Shasko, Dani Span, Jourdan Gottlieb, Cheyenne Mangold and Sarah Zeh, provided depth and varied skill sets for Coach Curtis to utilize. All told, the 10 first-year players combined to score 35 of the 58 goals in 2010.

Samantha Gribowicz completed the freshmen class, as she served as the backup to Saussol in goal. Gribowicz was effective in limited opportunities, as she compiled a 4-0 record with 0.18 goals against in nine matches (three starts).

 
1-2 OFFENSIVE PUNCH
Shipley and Marcius played a major role in leading the offense, not only in 2010 but the years to follow. The tandem combined for 23 goals and 13 assists while also accounting for seven of the 14 game-winning goals during the 2010 championship season.

"When it comes to Holly and I, we were very similar players in how we moved off the ball, our speed and our decision making," Marcius said. "We were both very confident, determined players. I knew that if I could beat my defender down the line and send a cross in, Holly would be there to put it in the back of the net."

Both rank among the top six on the all-time goals list at W&J, with Shipley tied for second most at 61 and Marcius in sixth place with 32. Additionally, their unselfishness often set up each other and teammates for scoring opportunities of their own. Shipley ranks tied for second with 33 assists with Marcius just behind with 32 to rank fourth.

"Both Chrissy and Holly had the two innate qualities that separate the best from the rest – pure pace and desire," Curtis said. "Neither was willing to accept second best, and both would give everything for the good of the team. Both worked incredibly hard at their game."

Curtis acknowledged that despite the differences in stature, both were able to be wildly successful at the Division III level.

"Holly was a bigger athlete, and her game was all about strength, power, and physicality – she was the worst nightmare for defenders used to physically dominating strikers," he said. "Chrissy was a smaller, more fragile-looking player, who was a very graceful mover and seemed to glide across the turf. To go with her terrific natural speed, she had amazing endurance and I really pitied the defenders that had to try and match her over 90 minutes. She also had the mental fortitude of a linebacker, and no amount of intimidation or fouling would ever phase her."
 
 

THE 2010 REGULAR SEASON
Despite the lofty preseason expectations for the two-time defending PAC Tournament champions, the Presidents opened the season with a 3-4 overall record. The team responded with eight straight victories, earning back-to-back non-conference victories over Marietta (1-0) and Franciscan (5-0) to complete the month of September. W&J then followed with wins against Grove City (3-1), Bethany (1-0 OT), Waynesburg (2-1), Chatham (9-0), Geneva (1-0) and Saint Vincent (8-1) to extend the streak. The Presidents outscored their opponents by a 30-3 margin from Sept. 22 through Oct. 19.

"Given that our conference schedule never began until October, I always used the month of September as, in many respects, an extended preseason, with formation, team balance, and personnel experimentation commonplace," Curtis stated. "The fact that we were trying to assimilate 11 new players into that particular team and have the freshmen grasp a new playing philosophy was always going to present challenges. I knew what we had and that it just needed a little nurturing. It was simply a question of putting in the right ingredients, at the right time, and giving it time to brew."

Thomas More snapped W&J's eight-game winning streak near the tail end of the regular season. The Saints used an unassisted goal in the 107th minute to outlast the Presidents in a hard fought battle that handed the Red and Black their first and only loss to a PAC opponent all season.

Coach Curtis thought that loss helped as motivation for his team over the final week of the regular season and the postseason.

"I think it was important in many respects. Firstly, that game showed the team that sometimes, as well as playing with skill, discipline, and determination, you also need a little bit of lady luck on your side," he said. "Although it was a very competitive contest, the Thomas More goalkeeper was much the busier and, on another day, we could easily have won by a couple of goals. The ball just didn't bounce our way. Of course, to lose in sudden-death overtime was tough to take; however, it only served to greater incentivize the girls' desire to get the job done down the stretch."

THE PAC TOURNAMENT
In each of the two previous seasons, the Presidents entered the PAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the four-team format. That meant the Red and Black would have to earn the title by winning a pair of road games.

They claimed a pair of 1-0 road victories to capture their initial title in 2008. A goal by Ahrenholtz in the 103rd minute pushed the Presidents past Westminster in the PAC Semifinals before Jess (Vogel) Swartz scored off an assist from Ahrenholtz in the 94th minute to deliver the dramatic game-winner goal to beat Thomas More in overtime of the PAC Championship.

"No matter how old I get, the vision of Jess Swartz's diving header at Thomas More, in sudden-death overtime, to win our very first conference championship, in 2008, will never leave me."

The following year, Molly (Schmotzer) Macioce scored from Ahrenholtz in the 105th minute of play to push W&J past Thomas More, 2-1, in the PAC Semifinals in Kentucky. Marcius then recorded the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Grove City in the 2009 PAC Championship match, a win that gave W&J back-to-back conference titles.

In 2010, the Presidents earned the No. 2 seed and were set to host No. 3 Grove City in the PAC Tournament Semifinals. A familiar foe in a familiar situation with a trip on the line to the PAC Championship match.

After a scoreless first half, it was the Wolverines who broke the ice with the initial score in the 59th minute of play. Grove City took the 1-0 edge on an unassisted goal by Hannah Yang, who was named 2010 PAC Player of the Year.

However, just like the 2008 and 2009 PAC Championship teams, the 2010 squad was up to the challenge. With less than a minute to play and their chances of a three-peat dwindling, the Presidents looked to one of their best to even the score.

"I remember looking up at the clock and seeing we had under 20 seconds remaining. It all happened so fast. The ball was played in from around midfield by Emma (Leonelli) Donahey. It was then deflected on by Liz Bendick from just outside the 18. I was so determined that I tracked down the ball, looked up to see the goalie coming out, remained composed and kicked it right past her into the back of the net," Marcius recalled. "After scoring the goal, I honestly was in total shock. There was a picture taken that captured the moment so well. The looks on everyone's faces were priceless. We filmed all of our games, so watching it back the next day was amazing. After that, we knew we could not let this one slip away. We had to finish this dramatic ending with a win."

The scoreboard read W&J 1, Grove City 1 with just 5.1 seconds remaining on the clock. The Presidents recorded five of the six shots during the two overtime sessions but the game remained tied and would be decided on penalty kicks.

Watch: Marcius game-tying goal against Grove City in 2010 PAC Tournament Semifinals

"Coach Curtis would have us practice PKs at the end of each practice. I knew we were all prepared," Marcius said. "We had a great group of girls, who could remain calm under pressure. We had an amazing goalkeeper in Steph. We were confident that we could get the job done and elated when we did."

W&J was successful on all three opportunities as they edged Grove City by a 3-1 margin to clinch the match and a spot in the PAC Championship game against Westminster.

After surviving what Coach Curtis called "a game for the ages" to advance past Grove City in the semifinals, the Presidents seemed poised to win a third straight title and this time they would have a chance to do so on their home turf, as No. 4 seed Westminster stunned No. 1 Thomas More in penalty kicks in the other half of the semifinals.

The Presidents and Titans had faced each other just a week earlier, as the Red and Black secured a 3-1 win in the regular season finale.

After a scoreless first half, the Presidents used a trio of second half goals to cruise to a 3-0 victory in the PAC title tilt. Shipley, playing in the title match as a freshmen, had a hand in all three goals.
Shipley scored off an assist from Murphy just 1:36 into the second half to give W&J a 1-0 edge. Shipley scored again less than four minutes later, using another assist from Murphy to help the Presidents double the advantage. Shipley then assisted Marcius for the final score, which came in the 61st minute. That was plenty of support for Saussol and the defensive unit, which posted their ninth shutout of the season.

Marcius believes that several factors led to a decisive victory over Westminster in the PAC Championship match.  

"There was always a heated rivalry between us and Grove City," she said. "Knowing we had defeated them and knowing that Thomas More had been knocked out, we had confidence that we could carry our momentum from our dramatic semifinal match win and get the final job done in the championship."
 

NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
The 2008 team made history in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. First appearance, first victory for the program and first NCAA postseason win for a W&J women's team sport.
The Presidents earned their first victory in dramatic fashion, as they advanced past Marywood University in penalty kicks in an opening round match at Alexandre Stadium.

After playing to a 1-1 double overtime draw, the Presidents and Pacers went to a shootout to decide who would pick up the victory in their first NCAA appearance. W&J moved off after converted 5-of-6 attempts to edge Marywood by a 5-4 margin. Hresko pushed the Presidents on with her clinching tally.

W&J advanced to play perennial contender Messiah, who was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time. The Presidents were eliminated from the NCAAs with a 6-0 loss to the Falcons, who would go on to finish the season at 24-0-2 and secured the National Championship.

The Presidents traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich. to play Calvin College in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and faced Illinois Wesleyan in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Three straight PAC titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances helped raise the bar for W&J women's soccer. 

"These teams showed that championships are possible at W&J in any sport," said Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness, who served as the Sports Information Director at W&J during the three-peat. "It took 18 years for us to celebrate our first league title in women's soccer. When reading about this amazing three-year run, I hope our current student-athletes are inspired to continue to work towards their own championship memories."

REMEMBERING THE THREE-PEAT
The class of 2012, which included Saussol, Findley, Bendick, Courtney Kirker, Jamie Ketner and Vicki Kowalewski, were a part of all three PAC titles. That group amassed 55 wins overall during their four-year run. The class compiled a stellar 28-5-3 record against PAC competition from 2008 through 2011. The group also had a flair for the dramatic, as all four decisions in the 2008 and 2009 PAC Tournaments were one-goal victories. W&J recorded at least 12 wins in each of their four seasons on campus. 

Only two W&J programs have been able to accomplish a three-peat since the 2010 women's soccer team reached the mark. The football program won consecutive titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Meanwhile, the men's golf team actively holds the title of three-time defending PAC champion, as the squads in 2018, 2019 and 2020 finished atop the conference. 

"Our women's soccer program had some very talented players in the mid-2000s who raised the level of the program, but we still needed to take that next step," said McGuinness. "The women on these teams made that leap. Looking back, I think the program was finally able to do so because Coach Curtis was an excellent, highly-tactical coach.  Plus, we had a very tight-knit group of women who loved soccer and played for each other.  These students were successful on the field and in the classroom and now, they are all very successful as professionals in their work careers." 
 

FINAL THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
"We had a blast," Curtis said of winning three consecutive PAC titles. "Even though the personnel changed, from year to year, the philosophy was always the same – leave it all on the field and never back down."

Curtis said he appreciated the journey and build up to those championship seasons.

"I think the greatest thrill, for me, was making those early teams believe that they could actually be successful, when for so long they just didn't," Curtis said. "Seeing those girls grow in confidence, embrace my philosophy, and mature into champions was a wonderful experience."

Talent, hard work and a lack of complacency were among the contributing factors that led to three straight championship seasons. Curtis expressed the importance of the leadership group within the team during the string of success.  

"I have to note the leadership and commitment of Hannah (Olsen) Shaner, who captained the team for three-and-a-half years – such a responsibility for so long."
 

Curtis compiled a program-record 132 wins in his 11 seasons at W&J. He claimed three PAC Coach of the Year awards, produced four PAC Players of the Year and 59 All-PAC honorees, including 26 on the First Team.

Curtis holds a great appreciation for everyone who contributed to the success.

"As we became more and more successful, the faces changed, but the philosophy stayed the same," Curtis said. "I loved my time with those girls and their families, and can't thank them enough for the joy and wonderful memories that they gave to me."

"It was such a great group of players, a terrific blend of youth and experience that had speed, size, technical ability, physicality, and an amazing will-to-win. Lastly, I want to thank every one of the girls for the commitment, the good times, and the friendship we shared during those wonderful seasons. I cherish it."
 

2010 WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE WOMEN'S SOCCER ROSTER
 
NO            NAME                                    YR                 POS                  HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
00             Stephanie Saussol              Jr.                   GK                   Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin
0                Samantha Gribowicz          Fr.                   GK                   Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park
2                Ariel Shasko                         Fr.                    M                    Irwin, Pa./Irwin
3                Emma Donahey                 So.                   M                    Hilton, N.Y./Hilton Central
4                Holly Shipley                        Fr.                    D                    Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland
5                Jourdan Gottlieb                  Fr.                  M/F                   Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel
6                Bianca Rajan                       Fr.                  M/F                   Haiku, Hawaii/King Kekaulike
7                Dawn Murphy                      So.                  M/F                   Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny
8                Alex Findley                          Jr.                  M/F                   Pittsburgh, Pa./ Upper St. Clair
9                Cheyenne Mangold            Fr.                  M/F                   Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas/Texas Military Inst.
10             Marissa Pattison                  Fr.                  M/F                   Claysville, Pa./McGuffey
11             Kate Kelly                             Fr.                    M                    Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park
12             Hannah Shaner                  So.                    D                    Elizabeth, Pa./ Elizabeth Forward
13             Cency Middleton                 Sr.                    D                    Mattapoisett, Mass./Williston-Northampton
14             Lauren Reynolds                So.                 M/D                  Irwin, Pa./Norwin
15             Elizabeth Bendick               Jr.                    M                    Yonkers, N.Y./Hackley
17             Chrissy Marcius                  So.                   M                    North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin
18             Sharon McCray                   Sr.                    D                    Corry, Pa./Corry
19             Sarah Zeh                             Fr.                     F                     Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan
20             Courtney Kirker                    Jr.                  M/F                   Mattapoisett, Mass./OId Rochester
21             Kelsey Kraus                       So.                    F                     Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley
22             Jamie Ketner                        Jr.                  D/M                  Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township
23             Nikki Hladik                          Fr.                  M/F                  Renfrew, Pa./Butler
24             Dani Span                            Fr.                  D/M                  Baden, Pa./ Quigley Catholic
25             Vicki Kowalewski                 Jr.                    M                    Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Pete Curtis
Assistant Coach: Brighid Wood