Women´s Soccer Gives Ritch 100th Career Win

Corwyn Ritch picked up his 100th career win Saturday. (File Photo/Antonio Morano Photography)

SAN ANTONIO — Statement-making play and a strong force on the field granted the St. Mary’s women’s soccer team its first victory on the season Saturday.

Armed with an impassable defense and a couple of sharp shooters, St. Mary’s earned a calculated 3-1 victory over Wayland Baptist at the Northside ISD Soccer Field, putting the first victory in the books for the Rattlers (1-1) this season.

The victory also gave head coach Corwyn Ritch his 100th career victory, adding another highlight to a career that has already seen him become the program’s all-time wins leader in his 12 seasons at the helm.

Jamey Coronado (Jr., San Antonio) twice connected in the game and Kaitie Kasperitis (So., Corpus Christi, Texas) also found the back of the net in a defensive showcase that saw the Rattlers deny the Pioneers from attempting a single shot in the first half.

The Rattler offense took the defense’s lead as Coronado sliced her first goal from 20 yards out, assisted by Emilie Snelson (Sr., Fairview, Texas), seven minutes into the game. Wayland Baptist’s zero-shot half starkly contrasted the Rattlers, who had seven shots before halftime.

“Once we’re amped up we’re unstoppable,” said defender Annia Olivares (Sr., El Paso, Texas), who was a main component in Saturday’s Rattler defense. “And we have that drive to win and we all want to win for each other.”

A low foul count raised the intensity of the game in the second, and heighted aggressiveness seemed to further charge the Rattlers as defense remained strong, allowing just three shots. But the Pioneer’s leading scorer, Jessica Bell, was able to net her third goal of the season with a header past Paola Ostos (Jr., El Paso, Texas).

“We came with the mentality that we were going to hard,” Olivares said, “and not let anyone past us. We wanted the win and we wanted a shutout, but unfortunately they scored. But that’s OK because we did really well.”

Wayland Baptist’s sole goal for the game came after another show from the Rattlers as last season’s lead scorer Kaitie Kasperitis (So., Corpus Christi, Texas) began her season’s goal tally with an unassisted strike after dribbling past several defenders for a clear shot for a 2-0 lead. The Pioneers matched her goal, but their momentum was short-lived as Coronado again found the back of the net less than a minute after Wayland Baptist’s goal celebration.

“My [mindset] is to just play for the team,” Coronado said. “We need to work for each other. The harder we work for each other, the easier it’s going to be to win.”

St. Mary’s balanced offense and defensive game had 15 shots on the day with 10 shots on goal, limiting the Pioneers to three shots, all of which were on goal. St. Mary’s goalie Paola Ostos (Jr., El Paso, Texas) had three saves for the day and her first victory as keeper.

Ashleigh Wells (Jr., Dallas) was geared for her first goal on the season, making three shots on goal, but was just shy of hitting the net. Coronado and Kasperitis both had two shots on goal and Leah Snelson (Jr., Dallas), Ronika Cavazos (Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas) and Brianna Shafer (Fr., Castroville, Texas) each had a look at the net.

The Rattlers will launch their Heartland Conference play Wednesday against Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas at 5 p.m. 

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men’s basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men’s golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men’s golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary’s also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary’s student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.

    

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Corwyn Ritch

Corwyn Ritch enters his 12th year as the head coach of the St. Mary's women's soccer team needing just one more victory to reach career win No. 100.

Last season, Ritch coached a prominent team that made its way into the Heartland Conference Tournament as the third seed after an 8-8-2 record that included the berth of a star in the making in freshman Kaitie Kasperitis. Kasperitis scored a team-high 11 goals and 26 points on the season that earned her a chance to represent the Rattlers and the U.S. on the American National Soccer Team in Italy over the 2012 summer.

Along with Kasperitis' success, the Rattlers had five players receive All-Conference honors last season that included two players making First Team in returning forward Leah Snelson. Returning players Kasperitis, defender Ashlyn Leighton and midfielder Amanda Cardoza made the Second Team.

And Ritch did that after coming off one of the best coaching performances of his career in the 2010 season.

Taking an unheralded team that few outside of St. Mary's expected much from, Ritch led the 2010 Lady Rattlers team to double-digit victories, countless postseason honors, a victory over the nation's sixth-ranked team and a near berth in the regional tournament.

The Rattlers, boasting a squad heavy on freshmen, finished second in the Heartland Conference with an overall record of 10-6-2 on the season. It was their first 10-win season since 2006, and nearly enough to qualify for the South Central Region tournament.

Gaining confidence and rhythm as the season progressed, St. Mary's finished the year 9-2-2 over its final 13 games.

Ritch saw senior Carolina Hernandez make the Daktronics All-Region team, while Hernandez and fellow senior Melinda Gentry both made first-team All-Heartland Conference. Annia Olivares, Ashley Condrin and Andrea Gregg each were voted onto the second team. In addition, the Rattlers garnered eight Heartland Conference Player of the Week awards (five defensive, three offensive).

Ritch has helped the St. Mary's women's soccer program become one of the top programs in the Heartland Conference, posting a record of 99-92-19 (including the Heartland Conference title in 2002) since taking over the team in 2001. He has posted six winning seasons, all of which with double-digit win totals.

During his time in San Antonio, Ritch has helped to produce 44 All-Heartland Conference honorees, including one Player of the Year and one Goalkeeper of the Year.

Ritch earned Heartland Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2002 after his team went 13-7-1 and won the Heartland Conference Championship. In his first season as coach, he led the Rattlers to a 10-6-2 record and an appearance in the Heartland Tournament Championship. The team ranked as high as 23rd in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) polls and placed second in the Heartland Conference.

In 2007, Ritch enjoyed one of his best coaching jobs, leading the team to a 9-10-1 record, overcoming injuries that nearly crippled his team. The Rattlers lost seven starters over the course of the season and had both goalkeepers injured. Even so the Rattlers were still able to compete with the best in the South Central Region. They posted wins over Texas A&M-Commerce, Angelo State and nearly scored an upset of Division I Texas-El Paso, falling by just a 2-1 count. The Rattlers had five players earn All-Heartland recognition.

In 2005, the Rattlers went 13-6-1 and finished runner-up in the Heartland race. Kyle Hyslop, Kennie Boxill and Deann Lopez all earned All-Heartland Conference for their play.

In 2004, the Rattlers won the Heartland Conference regular season title and advanced to the tournament championship game thanks to a 10-8-2 overall record.

During the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Ritch also served as head coach for the Rattler men's soccer team and posted a 22-15-3 record during that time, including a pair of Heartland Conference finals appearances.

Ritch played for St. Mary's from 1990-1994. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at St. Mary's with a minor in chemistry. He has since acquired his United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National Coaching License.

Following his graduation, Ritch coached the men's club team at Our Lady of the Lake University and the boy's varsity team at Southwest High School in San Antonio. He has trained players in various age groups and settings including individual sessions, camps, and club teams. Ritch was the trainer for the San Antonio Strikers Soccer Club '84 and '85 teams as well as the Lady Lions '86 Club team. He was the assistant men's and women's soccer coach at St. Mary's for 2000 and is currently director of the Total Soccer Camp.

2012 St. Mary's Women's Soccer Roster