Yanez was an outstanding keeper for Tennessee. She isn't as tall as most pro keepers--and I hope that doesn't keep her from getting on the roster of a major club soon--but her reactions are excellent and she is a very forceful presence when it comes to getting the defenders focused and organized properly. She is ambitious and has had a lot of high-level coaching, even before coming to Tennessee.
When Yanez was, maybe, a junior, Pensky recruited Ashley Orkus as another keeper for us---a top prospect. I believe she stayed for one year, during which time Pensky & staff also got a commitment from Lindsey Romig--another top prospect who played on a couple of Youth National Teams for the United States. I think because Orkus didn't want to sit on the bench behind Romig, after sitting behind Yanez for a year, she opted to transfer to Ole Miss. There she became the consensus best keeper in the SEC ---3rd team All America as a junior and 1st team AA last year. Let's just say out goalkeeping recruiting as been very good---and we've another good one arriving in July.
I actually had some reservations about Romig her first couple of years. I wasn't quite sure how good she was, and she sometimes seemed to make questionable decisions. I don't think she quite has Yanez's leadership qualities in net, and she also got dinged up a lot. But last year she seemed to become a truly dependable keeper--and made two of her best saves all year in the SEC title match against Arkansas. I think she still needs to show more in terms of leadership and getting the back four in sync--that job fell to French last year--but she continues to grow and is in position to have a strong senior season.
The spring-game photos above sparked a thought (I have many!). Of the three freshman who were so influential last year, I think the one who intrigued me the most was Jordan Fusco. While everyone was wowed all year by the talented Huff, and C. Rain was a revelation, I found myself wondering what made Fusco so effective as an attacking midfielder. She was a top prospect, with good height, athleticism and pace--but I wouldn't say that her athleticism and pace are exceptional. She wasn't a starter to start the year--but was one of our first subs--and yet from her first game, it was uncanny how much better we were after she entered the game, especially in attack. I don't know enough to explain why that was/is--but my sense is that she reads the game extremely well and knows how to find space on the field; her positioning almost always seems sound. Over the course of Pensky's tenure, I'm not sure we've had a certifiable attacking mid--and to be a truly good attacking team you need one. And now we have one.
One last note about Krikorian: While I knew he'd done incredibly well at FSU, I didn't know just how well. In his 17 years with the seminoles, his team made the Final Four (the College Cup) 11 times. That is amazing. The Noles made the Elite Eight 15 times in his 17 years. Damn. The good news for the rest of the teams in Div. 1 soccer is that there is almost no way his successor will do that well--logic and the math gods are against it. The new coach could win another natty this year, given the experienced talent on that team, but achieve what Krikorian did? Almost impossible!
When Yanez was, maybe, a junior, Pensky recruited Ashley Orkus as another keeper for us---a top prospect. I believe she stayed for one year, during which time Pensky & staff also got a commitment from Lindsey Romig--another top prospect who played on a couple of Youth National Teams for the United States. I think because Orkus didn't want to sit on the bench behind Romig, after sitting behind Yanez for a year, she opted to transfer to Ole Miss. There she became the consensus best keeper in the SEC ---3rd team All America as a junior and 1st team AA last year. Let's just say out goalkeeping recruiting as been very good---and we've another good one arriving in July.
I actually had some reservations about Romig her first couple of years. I wasn't quite sure how good she was, and she sometimes seemed to make questionable decisions. I don't think she quite has Yanez's leadership qualities in net, and she also got dinged up a lot. But last year she seemed to become a truly dependable keeper--and made two of her best saves all year in the SEC title match against Arkansas. I think she still needs to show more in terms of leadership and getting the back four in sync--that job fell to French last year--but she continues to grow and is in position to have a strong senior season.
The spring-game photos above sparked a thought (I have many!). Of the three freshman who were so influential last year, I think the one who intrigued me the most was Jordan Fusco. While everyone was wowed all year by the talented Huff, and C. Rain was a revelation, I found myself wondering what made Fusco so effective as an attacking midfielder. She was a top prospect, with good height, athleticism and pace--but I wouldn't say that her athleticism and pace are exceptional. She wasn't a starter to start the year--but was one of our first subs--and yet from her first game, it was uncanny how much better we were after she entered the game, especially in attack. I don't know enough to explain why that was/is--but my sense is that she reads the game extremely well and knows how to find space on the field; her positioning almost always seems sound. Over the course of Pensky's tenure, I'm not sure we've had a certifiable attacking mid--and to be a truly good attacking team you need one. And now we have one.
One last note about Krikorian: While I knew he'd done incredibly well at FSU, I didn't know just how well. In his 17 years with the seminoles, his team made the Final Four (the College Cup) 11 times. That is amazing. The Noles made the Elite Eight 15 times in his 17 years. Damn. The good news for the rest of the teams in Div. 1 soccer is that there is almost no way his successor will do that well--logic and the math gods are against it. The new coach could win another natty this year, given the experienced talent on that team, but achieve what Krikorian did? Almost impossible!
