Total Futbol

Camping Trip: University of Miami Women

 

This is the latest in a series of looks at South Florida's collegiate soccer teams as they prepare for the 2009 season.

Team: UM Women

Coach: Tricia Taliaferro (eighth season)

Conference: Atlantic Coast (Division I)

2008 record: 10-9-3 (3-5-2)

Opened camp: Tuesday, Aug. 4

Key players: F Brittney Steinbruch, F Kate Howarth, M Beverly Goebel, D Brittney MacDonald

Key dates: Aug. 21 vs. Florida, Sept. 24 vs. Boston College, Oct. 4 at Florida State, Oct. 25 vs. North Carolina

Taliaferro's take: "With nine returning starters, expectations are high, the excitement level is high. The drive is there. We have the experience, having played together for a while. It's exciting to open up  against Florida, the No. 8 team in the country. It prepares us for the ACC, which is the No. 1 conference in the country. To be able to play this caliber of a game early is great, because we thrive on these kind of games."

Camping Trip: FIU Women

 

This is the first in a series of looks at South Florida's collegiate soccer teams as they prepare for the 2009 season.

Team: FIU Women

Coach: Thomas Chestnutt (third season)

Conference: Sun Belt (Division I)

2008 record: 4-12-3 (4-4-3)

Open camp: Wednesday, Aug. 5

Key players: F Claudia Cardenas, M April Perry, M Mayara Bordin, GK Melanie Raimo

Key dates: Sept. 25 at Middle Tennessee St., at Sept. 27 at Western Kentucky, Oct. 2 vs. Denver, Oct. 4 vs. North Texas

Chestnutt's take: "We have the possibility to surprise some people this year. Eighteen of our 24 players are freshmen or sophomore, so we're young, but they don't know any better. I think we'll compete this year. We have a vision of where we want this program to be. Will we start to reach that this year? I don't know. We have to take it one day at a time. The potential is there. No question about it. We're at a much better place and we have depth at almost every position."

Upstate New York college coach faces sex charges

As an alumnus of Syracuse University, this story from AP caught my eye. Le Moyne is the Salt City's other school, and apparently, its soccer coach has been up to no good.

Read on:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The former women's soccer coach at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., is facing additional sex abuse charges after two more girls came forward claiming inappropriate behavior.

State police say 28-year-old James Riverso is now charged with 18 more counts, including sex abuse and disseminating indecent material to minors.

Investigators say he sent sexually explicit messages and photos to the victims' cell phones over several months. He's also accused of having a physical relationship with the teenage girls he coached in a youth soccer league.

Riverso resigned as Le Moyne coach after he was arrested last month on charges he sent sexual messages and photos to a 16-year-old girl.

Troopers could not say if Riverso has a lawyer. He's due in court next Thursday.