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Volume 38 Issue 2
September 19, 2000

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MCC Soccer:
Women look to dominate in 2000

BY CHRIS BOWMAN
MESA LEGEND
Submitted September 19, 2000

As women’s soccer begins its fifth season at MCC, the T-Birds will attempt to continue their dominance of the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference under 1999 Coach of the Year Danny Sanchez.

Jim Allen/MESA LEGEND

MCC goaltender Deb Daley has shutout opponents in four of five games.

Last season, MCC was ranked first in the nation for more than a month and finished with a 20-2 record. Their season ended in Utah at the District A playoffs where they lost 2-1 in overtime against Dixie College.

Sanchez, who has led the women to the district playoffs in three of their first four seasons, believes the 2000 squad has a chance to be one of his best.

“We have an extremely deep team this year,” said Sanchez, who is 69-11-3 during his tenure. “In the past, we sometimes had a let-down when we went to our substitutes. But with this team I think we will get a lift from the bench.

“We’ve got a good core of sophomores. We do have some inexperienced players playing key positions, but over our 16 conference games they will jell into a strong unit.”

Two of MCC’s key sophomores, Kori Moore and Heather Bobb, have changed positions in order to improve the team. Moore was a physical sweeper for the T-Birds last year, but she supplied some impressive offense from her defensive position which prompted her move to striker.

“The switch has been hard because at sweeper I knew I was going to have a great game,” Moore said. “I just need to work on my finesse and everything will be fine.”

Bobb is MCC’s leading returning scorer who had success at striker last season, but a move to center-midfielder should help open up the offense. “At my new position I will get to be the playmaker,” said Bobb, who had 11 goals and 10 assists last year. “My role will be to distribute the ball to our forwards.”

MCC opened the season with a smashing 3-0 win on Aug. 25 against Glendale Community College, but lost a 2-1 heartbreaker on the road to Scottsdale Community College on Aug. 30.

A big test for the T-Birds came during the MCC Labor Day Invitational. Two out-of-state powerhouse schools — Lewis and Clark Community College (Ill.) and Johnson County Communtiy College (Kan.) — traveled to Mesa to start the season.

MCC goaltender Deb Daley knotched shutouts in both matches, 3-0 over defending national champion Lewis and Clark, and a 2-0 win over Johnson County.

“She made four amazing saves this weekend,” Bobb said. “Daley has really stepped into a strong leadership position.”

Daley earned her fourth shutout of the young season on Sept. 6 when MCC wipped Paradise Valley Community College 6-0 at home to bring their record to 4-1, 2-1 in ACCAC action.

Newcomer Kristen Purpura has been MCC’s hottest offensive threat. She’s scored seven goals in five games, including a hat trick in the T-Birds victory over PVCC.

Purpura, a senior at ASU,  attributes her fast start to her teammates.

“We play as a unit better than any other team that I have played on in the past,” Purpura said. “I think we can go all the way as long as we keep our heart and head into it.”

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