The Webster University women’s soccer team had zero seniors on the 2012 roster but was not short on leadership.
Coach Luigi Scire, who reached his 200th career win this season, said his three captains — juniors Ally Nikolaus, Kristen Muehlenfeld and Katie Aubuchon — stepped up in a big way.
“They set the tone for everyone else to follow,” Scire said. “They were very well-respected, and the way they conducted themselves helped in establishing the leadership necessary for a successful team.”
Nikolaus also led her team by example with 32 points on 11 goals and 10 assists.
“It never fazed us that we didn’t have any seniors on the team,” Nikolaus said. “Everybody knew their roles, and we were able to come together and do what we needed to do.”
Scire said his team may have looked to be in a rebuilding year because of its inexperience, but the talent he brought in surprised many of Webster’s opponents.
“A lot of the players that came in had very high talent,” Scire said. “It was our job as a coaching staff to be able to mesh the group together.”
The team’s freshmen combined to score 28 of the Gorloks’ 64 goals on the season. Scire acknowledged the ability of freshman Ashley Mess to step into the role of Aubuchon after her season ended due to a knee injury. Mess ended the season with 9 goals, tied for seventh in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Two of those goals came in the semifinals of the SLIAC tournament.
The team won the SLIAC by defeating Greenville College (Ill.) 1-0 on Nov. 2. Nikolaus scored the only goal of that game. In the first round of the NCAA Division-III tournament, Webster traveled to Chicago to play the regional host school, Wheaton College (Ill.), on Nov. 9, 2012. The Gorloks lost 4-0 to Wheaton and ended their season with a 16-6 overall record and a 7-1 SLIAC record.
Runner-up: Volleyball
Click HERE to view The Journal’s pick for ‘Best Male Athlete’
Click HERE to return to the navigation page of The Journal’s 2012-2013 Athletic Awards
Share this post
