HBU: THE GEM OF THE CITY (Blog date Dec 21, 2012)

Houston Baptist University were the gem of the city. Their emphasis on speed and transition made the Huskies a joy to watch. Sophomore center forward Natalie Hager spearheaded an offensive drive that constantly moved the ball and moved it fast. Of all the center forwards I had the pleasure of observing this year, Natalie was the most consistently effective. She's great in the open field, getting to the ball often not just on the run, but on a sprint leaving many a defender struggling to recover. At the top of a build-up, Natalie was equally effective, her lightning-quick feet able to create moves and cuts that made her dangerous even in a crowd. For the past two seasons, Natalie has lead the Huskies in goals scored, this year with eight, recognized with a second straight selection to the All-Great West Conference First Team. 

Of course, Natalie would never have been able to do it without a midfield that could keep up with her. Fellow All-Conference junior Molly Missimer anchored a midfield prolific at sending through-balls and crosses for Natalie and Canadian striking partner Taylor Gibson to connect with deep in opposing territory. Together, Natalie and Taylor produced 15 of HBU's 31 goals on the season, enough to earn both of them two of the three forward spots on the All-GWC First Team. 

But many of the most effective offensive drives implemented by HBU did not originate in the midfield. They were created by the Huskies' inspirational senior captain Arielle Rodriguez, who, in the opinion of this observer, was the top defender inside the Beltway. Employing extremely high level cognitive skills, Arielle routinely turned defensive takeaways from her right back position into instant fast breaks with the highest quality first touch I saw all year. With her speed and control, she could take forward space, and then deliver a devastating pass to punish opposing teams scrambling to get back. A veteran of the HBU squad that won the Great West Conference championship two years ago, Arielle's leadership and on-field architecture will be difficult to replace, as she graduates and moves on to bigger things, such as a mission to build water wells in poor communities in Costa Rica over spring break, for which she was fund-raising with bake sales on the sidelines.

Arielle will surely be missed on the back line, but the core of HBU's offense will remain intact next season, with Natalie, Taylor, and Molly all returning, along with junior Amina Radoncic, who finished tied for second on the team in assists. I surmise that next year's Husky squad will be even quicker. 
 

HBU captain Arielle Rodriguez (4) confronts Delaware State's Danielle Valente (23)...

...and turns a defensive takeaway into an instant fast break. The best defender inside the Beltway, Arielle was a key to HBU's transition game.

A split second after I snapped this shot, Natalie Hager (13) finished this HBU counter-attack with her next touch, blasting the ball past Delaware State goalkeeper Katelyn Koslosky into the far corner of the net. The sophomore striker lead the Huskies with eight goals on the season. 

(All photos by Kokoy Severino.)

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 19 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master in Educational Leadership degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk students. He returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and conducts soccer training sessions for economically disadvantaged youths.

"This blog is to document the intensity, the depth, the passion, the strategic and tactical nuances, the stars, the spectacular play that I witness in the women's teams at the college level. And in doing so, it is my hope that others might be inspired to discover for themselves the beautiful game brought by the women." (Kokoy, from blog entry dated Nov 4, 2012)