Beavers' season not one for the highlight reels

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Jan. 17, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

Although the 1998 Beavers soccer season was not one for the highlight reels, departing coach Dan Rogers says it was one more building block in a young collegiate program.

The Beavers, in their third year, finished 1-16 overall and dead last in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

But for a brief moment, early in the season, the sun shined on the Beavers when they scored a 2-1 victory over St. Scholastica -- notching their first home win ever.

Their season would not improve from then on.

Marred by injuries, player-to-player animosity and a lack of experience, the Beavers ground through their remaining games, dropping 16 straight.

"After the first game, the team and I felt it was going to be a good year," said Rogers, a second-year coach whose record is 2-28. "But we had some players quit, and some injuries. The team didn't give up though, and they improved throughout the season."

On the positive side, the Beavers did gain that win, and they greatly decreased the number of goals they allowed.

Now Rogers says it is time for a new coach to take the team to a higher level.

He was originally asked by BSU to coach because they were in dire need.

He signed on for two years. And now that those years are up, he says he would like to concentrate more on his teaching at the Red Lake Middle School -- something which has suffered during his two soccer season.

"As a part-time coach, I can't put in the time the program deserves. They need somebody with more flexibility," he said in an interview this fall. "This isn't where (the program) should be. For it to do better, there needs to be a new coach."

The bright spots

For every dark cloud, and the Beavers saw their fair share of them in 1998, there is supposedly a silver lining.

Here are the good things that happened this year:

• On Sept. 3, the Beavers beat the St. Scholastica Saints 2-1 on goals by Deidre Pantzke and Hannah Carter, giving the Beavers their first home win ever and the program's second overall.

• On Sept. 23, they lost 2-1 in overtime to Minnesota-Crookston in Crookston, narrowly missing their second win.

• Late in the season, Bemidji State holds Moorhead State to a 5-0 win in Bemidji, improving from a 17-0 loss the year before.

• Pantzke, a middlefielder/forward who started playing soccer two years ago, was selected to the All-NSIC team for her solid defensive play. She was the only one to earn the honor. She scored one goal and had an assist this season, while being one of five Beavers to play some time in goal.

• Freshman Kristy Hodapp, a former Lumberjack, led the team in scoring with five goals, even though for much of the year she was out due to injury. She only played in eight games. "Kristy was always there, even during her injury," Rogers said. "She had the ability to pick up loose balls, but her stats were down by not playing in all the games."

• Starting freshman goalie Angela Ziebol, finished with a 1-12 overall record, allowing 61 goals in 1,068 minutes in the net. She finished with an impressive .718 saves percentage and a 5.14 goals against average. "Angela came from an excellent program, and it was hard for her to take the losses," Rogers said. "She was disheartened by the amount of scoring against her. During the season, she lost confidence and wasn't playing up to her level."

• And finally, junior midfielder/defenseman Carrie Cameron, a transfer to BSU, developed into a tremendous defensive talent. "She made a good tandem with (Deidre) Pantzke," Rogers said.

Outlook

The Beavers have a handful of talented athletes that could produce good things in 1999, if the entire team returns, according to Rogers.

And even though he won't be coaching the team next year, Rogers is in the process of recruiting players this winter to bolster the numbers of the program.

"They will be excited to play for a new (full-time) coach," he said. "And I'm hoping to have the program set up for the new coach -- managerial things, hotel and travel reservations and schedules -- so they can spend time on coaching.

"It's been a good two years (for me). There's been some tough times, but it's been good," Rogers concluded. "With the players we had, we got as far as we could have."