Weekly Lancer Notes: "Johns Has Summer To Remember"

Click Inside for this weeks edition of Lancer Notes where women's soccer assistant Brooke Johns talks about playing for the Lincoln Lady Imps in England and about her summer travels through Europe. We also take a look at the football teams win over Anna Maria and the week ahead while catching up with former soccer back Steph Demake.

September 6, 2010

It’s an offseason Brooke Johns will never forget, that’s for sure. Johns, who enters her fourth season coaching the women’s soccer team, got a rare opportunity to travel overseas and play semi professional soccer for the Lincoln Lady Imps in England. Along with her sister Randi, Johns joined the squad this past winter and had quite the story to tell.

Both girls got the call to travel overseas when Randi made contact with a friend who was friendly with Imps head coach Rod Wilson. Once Randi contacted Wilson, he told them that he would take them on in the middle of the season.

Upon her arrival on the club, Johns was asked to play a reserve utility role where she went everywhere on the field from left back to left wing. Johns previously had experience playing at the collegiate level at Division I Hartford; she played midfield as a junior and then center back in her senior semester. Randi was also a standout forward at UC Santa Barbra where she totaled eight goals and 15 assists in two seasons for the Gauchos.

“I played where ever coach needed me,” Johns said.

In eight games, Johns totaled one assist. Apparently the team’s writers never gave her any credit for the helper, she said with a smile.

Johns was playing on the wing in the second half of a scoreless contest and she saw a good opportunity to make a play.

“It was a ball that got played back to me, I crossed it and some one finished it,” said Johns. “We ended up winning that game 4-0.”

The Imps would finish the season as the runners-up in the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division. The Imps have been division runners up in each of the last four years and as a result of their success, they are now able to move up to the FA Women’s Super League next March.

Johns said that they would train on Wednesdays and Thursdays and then games would take place on Sundays.

“Practices ran for about two hours where we would work on technical and tactical skills along with fitness drills,” said Johns. “We would also lift as a team for an hour before practice.

Both Johns and her sister were housed in a flat owned by a friend of Wilson, who played for the Everton City football club. Because Everton was two hours away, the housemate had permission to train with the team. The trio would also continue to train on their own during the week.

Johns described Wilson as a great manager to play for. Wilson himself was a former Lincoln City player who had been involved with soccer at every level from the youth and professional level.

“Rod was super knowledgeable, passionate and a professional,” said Johns. ”I learned a lot from him.”

One of the things Johns picked up while across the pond was how her role allowed her to put herself in the shoes of her own players. Here at Worcester State, she works for Kevin Cumberbatch, who handles the Lancers technical and tactical aspects of the game. In working for Cumberbatch as an assistant one of Johns’ key roles is to act as a liaison between the players and the coaching staff.

“Since coming back I have tried to emphasize the importance of being a good teammate,” said Johns. “There are only 11 positions on the field and not everyone is going to play, so I have tried to tell them how important it is to have a good work ethic.

“When I played over in England, I asked myself ‘How did I make my teammates around me play’ as a measure of how I did and I tell these girls the same thing.”

After the season ended, Randi, Brooke and a friend flew out and the three spent two weeks in Italy touring Rome, Napoli, Florence, Pisa and other cities in Northern Italy. They then travelled and spent another two weeks in Barcelona and Girona before she went on a solo two week stay in Hann. She capped off the trip with a two week stay to the Stuttgart region of Germany to visit with family and friends. Johns then came home to California in July and spent the rest of the summer with her parents before she came back to Massachusetts.

During her journey around Europe, Johns made an intriguing observation about the different town markets where she visited. Johns admitted that one of the things she liked most about the trip was the chance to sample the local food.

“Overseas there’s no Stop & Shop,” said Johns. “There are outdoor markets with meats, fruits, cheeses, wines, olives from the town or community, made locally. Nothing is made in Chile and then shipped to Massachusetts straight from California. It is amazing how much we rely (in the US) on imports from other countries for our food sources.”

Johns says that she gained an even deeper appreciation for the United States while touring Europe.

“I learned what a beautiful country we really live in,” said Johns. “The US is such a diverse nation. We live in a massive country with such beautiful regions.

“People are so fascinated with other people’s histories and cultures and it’s amazing that we overlook our own. There are people would rather go to another country than travel to Yellowstone or Yosemite.”

One stigma Johns encountered while she was in Europe was how no one believed her when she said that she was a soccer player who played for a women’s soccer team.

“Throughout many of the places we travelled in England, Germany, Italy, women playing soccer is a foreign idea,” said Johns. “Over there soccer is a man’s sport. While there were still a lot of opportunities in Europe for women to play, it’s still a male dominated sport.

“I feel as though we have a lot more opportunities over here to play in this country and it’s easier to get those opportunities.”

If she ever had the chance to do it again, Johns said she would “do it in a heartbeat.”

I think we all know the reason why.

Making It Rain

It’s always good to start off the season with a win, but in doing that in Saturday nights 49-21 win over Anna Maria, the football team ended a couple of losing streaks. While the squad entered the game with a three-game streak dating back to last season, the last time they won in their home opener came in 2005 against Salve Regina in a wild 28-27 win that saw the game-winning touchdown come in the form of a touchdown pass to Steve Kasprzak with 32 seconds left. Worcester State hasn’t played Salve Regina since.

The last time WSU won their season opener came in a 16-8 triumph against Nichols in 2004. They are now 11-15 all-time in the first game of the season, with a 7-6 record at home while they are 4-9 on the road.

As the Lancers look to next Saturday, they look to end a seven game drought to WPI. The last time Worcester State beat the Engineers was a 41-23 win in a 2002 season that would see the football team finish 9-2. With WPI coming off a tough 6-3 loss at Salve Regina last Saturday where the offense mustered 168 total yards, the defense was the story as they only gave up 180 yards with 94 yards on the ground on 40 rushes (2.0 yds per rush). WSU has a good chance start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2002.

The Boynton Hillers are 13-4 all-time against the Blue and Gold since the two teams started playing in 1990.

Old Faces, New Places

While Stephanie Demake is taking it one step at a time right now, she certainly took a big stride when she decided to join the Wheaton College women’s coaching staff as an assistant coach this fall.

She will be working for head coach Luis Reis who has made the Lyons a New England powerhouse as they have captured seven NEWMAC Tournament championships and made ten NCAA Division III Tournament appearances since the field expanded in 2000.

“Everything is just new experience and I am glad I am at a great spot,” said Demake.

Demake studied Communications while at Worcester State and is looking into advancing her career in that field. The three-year standout at center back was a first team All-MASCAC in 2007 and in 2009. She also helped lead the team to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2007.

Demake said that the transition from being a student-athlete to a coach has been a challenge because she’s coming in with a different perspective.

“When you prepare for a game there’s a similar feeling that you get,” said Demake. “You’re nervous and anxious, so it’s good that I am able to know about these things and tell my girls about them. It’s very helpful that I can understand and sympathize with them.”

But a shift from playing at a public school like Worcester State to coaching at a private school like Wheaton isn’t as different as one would think it is.

“While we both play in different conferences and at different kind of institutions, everyone has the same goals,” said Demake. “When you play soccer at this level you want to try to improve as a student-athlete. It’s great when everyone shows up because they want to be here to learn and improve.”

Demake said her objective is to land a head coaching job somewhere in the future, but right now she is taking it one day at a time. She hopes to start taking graduate classes in the spring. Demake also coaches both a U-10 and a U-13 club team on the side.

“I am just hoping for the best,” said Demake. “I am really happy where I am right now.”

With an experienced head coach and three other younger coaches on a team that should contend for the NEWMAC title, it sounds like Demake is taking a step in the right direction.

Bits and Bites

The women’s tennis team won their season opener against Newbury 6-3 as senior Ashley Perkins won her first singles matchup and she combined with classmate Courteney Blais for an 8-0 triumph at first doubles. Sophomore Marissa Boss and Brooke Michanczk also added victories for the Lancers. WSU opens Little East Conference play against Plymouth State on the road. Last season the squad beat the Panthers, 7-2, for one of their four wins a season ago.

The men’s soccer team started out the season 1-2 with a 1-0 overtime victory against WPI before they dropped a pair of 2-0 setbacks to Union and RPI at the Union Tournament this weekend. Head coach Jason Willis said he was pleased with his team’s performance on Friday and Saturday as he cited last year’s results against the same opponents were a pair of losses by scores of 6-0 and 4-0 to the Engineers and the Dutchmen, respectively. The Lancers look to use home field to their advantage when they play St. Joseph’s of Maine on Thursday and Southern Maine on Saturday.

It’s been a tough week for the field hockey team who has lost all three of their matches by less than a goal. They opened with a 3-2 loss to Clark before they dropped a 3-2 setback to Springfield at the Zenatay Invitational in penalty strokes on Saturday. In the tournament final the Lancers lost a 1-0 decision to Brockport State in a game that saw just 10 combined shots on goal by both sides. The squad will try to bounce back with home matches against Westfield State on Saturday and Anna Maria next week.

If anyone can sympathize with the girls who wield the sticks on the field, it’s the women’s soccer team. After starting out the season with a 0-0 double overtime draw to Colby-Sawyer, the Lancers lost a 2-1 extra frame loss to Wheaton, who had been receiving votes in the NSCAA poll. WSU freshman Gaby Gonet netted her first career goal in the setback, but the Lyons scored a late goal and carried the momentum for the overtime win. The squad looks to rebound at home against MIT on Tuesday before they play cross town rivals WPI and Clark next week on the road.

At the Regis Pride Invitational, the women’s volleyball team went 2-4 over the weekend with 3-1 wins against Suffolk and the hosting Pride. The Lancers will look to get revenge after a 3-0 loss on Sunday at the Worcester City Tournament against their first round opponent WPI. Against the Pride Tournament champion Engineers on Sunday morning, WSU lost in three close sets 25-14, 26-24 and 25-20. Worcester State could also face Assumption, who they also lost to 3-0. Versus the Greyhounds, the Blue and Gold were defeated 25-5, 25-23 and 25-16. Freshman Megan Brown was named to the all tournament team after she averaged 8.6 kills and 6.6 digs with four solo blocks.

The cross country season begins on Friday when the men and women harriers head to Fitchburg State for the Jim Sheehan Invitational.