After taking over as the University of Maryland-Baltimore County?s women?s soccer coach in July, Tara Koleski knew she had a challenge to get her new players to buy into her philosophies so close to the start of practice.
Luckily for her, Koleski inherited a veteran squad capable of making such adjustments. The Retrievers? roster includes 10 seniors and five juniors, one of which is reigning team MVP Jessica Young.
Young, a 5-foot-4 forward from Waldorf, is among the top players in the America East Conference. The former Thomas Stone High standout earned first-team all-conference honors after scoring 12 goals and finishing with 25 points. More importantly for UMBC, she tallied six game-winners.
“She is a tremendous player and athlete,” Koleski said. “I?m confident that she can make any adjustment we ask of her.”
While Young is a great player, Koleski would like to see her stretch herself even more on the field to help keep opposing defenses off-balance while helping her teammates get more involved in the offense. Young currently has a team-high five goals and one assist for UMBC, which is 3-4-1 through Wednesday. The Retrievers begin their America East schedule Oct. 1, when they host Stony Brook.
“Anytime you have a great player, they become a target for an opposing team,” said Koleski, who coached at West Chester University (Pa.) for two years prior to coming to UMBC. “I just want to see her mix it up more on the field.”
That request by Koleski is fine by Young, who wants nothing more than to lead UMBC to a conference title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The Retrievers went 9-9-1 overall and finished sixth in league play at 3-4-1 in 2005.
“[Koleski] wants to push us to the limit because wasted talent is one of the worst things in the world,” Young said. “She?s trying to instill in us we are good and have the talent to win.”
Along with the chance help UMBC contend in the America East, Young could also leave the school after next season as one of the best in the program?s history. Through Wednesday, she has 23 career goals and six career assists.
“It?s definitely a motivating factor to leave the program in better shape than what it was when I got here,” Young said. “That?s a good feeling. We?re trying to win the conference championship and get to the NCAAs, and I know we have the players here to do it.”
YOUNG NOTES
» She earned America East Player of the Week honors for the week ending Sept. 10 after finishing with two goals and an assist in leading UMBC to wins over Temple and Radford.
» She was selected to the America East all-rookie team in 2004 after leading the team in goals (6), shots (57), points (16) while tying for the team lead in assists with four.
