Saints Walkthrough at Camp Randall Before First Game

The St. Scholastica Saints stopped at Camp Randall Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Badgers, last Friday for a walkthrough before its first game. Here are some pictures from that experience.

Brits bring world of experience to CSS soccer

Jermaine Dacres didn’t know where Minnesota was when he was contacted by St. Scholastica men’s soccer coach Barry Chastey in late July 2007 about an opportunity to attend the college and play for the Saints.

The Nottingham, England, native found out two days later after seeing news reports about the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Not long after that, Dacres headed for Duluth to begin his collegiate career.

An ankle injury ended his season after 10 games, in which he managed one goal and three assists. This season, however, the21-year-old midfielder is back in top form — with two goals and four assists in five games — and he brought a friend.

This year, Courtney Bonnick followed Dacres’ path to St. Scholastica via Nottingham. The 21-year-old striker has three goals and one assist for the Saints, second in team scoring to his friend of10 years. St. Scholastica (3-2 overall, 1-0 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) hosts Northwestern (1-4, 0-0) in a UMAC game at 2 p.m. today.

“Jermaine has helped me out a lot,” Bonnick said of his transition into life at college and in the United States. “We stayed in contact via e-mail before I came over.”

Dacres assisted on Bonnick’s two goals in a season-opening 3-1 victory over Hamline on Aug. 30. Bonnick’s lone assist came on a goal by Dacres three games later. In the Saints’ latest win, 2-0 against Concordia-Moorhead on Tuesday, Dacres assisted on goals by Dustin James of Superior and Brandon Stemwedel of Grand Rapids.

“I feel like sometimes if I react quickly, I can almost play blind, because I can kind of sense where [Bonnick’s] going to be on the field,” Dacres said. “So, I can play that blind ball, and nine times out of 10 it’ll end up on his feet or remotely close to where he is.”

They aren’t the only Brits on the team. Freshman goalkeeper Sam Reed is from Eastbourne, England, and Chastey and assistant coach Dave Robinson also are English. Chastey, 33, moved to the U.S. in 2000, and Robinson, 50, has lived in Duluth for 21 years.

The Saints have another pair of international players, sophomore midfielder Toby Peter of Germany and freshman midfielder-defender Asos Amin of Sweden.

Chastey found Dacres through a recruiting service based in Nottingham and was able to get feedback on Dacres from a pair of coaches he knew from there. Soon after arriving in Duluth, Dacres encouraged Bonnick to follow.

The experience the international players have brought to St. Scholastica has improved the team significantly, Chastey said.

“They’ve obviously played, coached at a high level,” he said. “They’ve certainly helped people [on the team].”

Dacres played five games before his initial injury a year ago. He missed three games and returned for another five before suffering a season-ending setback.

“I think I came back way, way too early — way early. I felt maybe 70 percent; my confidence wasn’t there. I didn’t want to do certain things, turn. I couldn’t really cross [the ball]. So I lost a lot of confidence,” Dacres said. “This season I feel like I’m back to where I was at the beginning of last year.”

Here is the video to go along with the article

***Article written by Jimmy Bellamy-Duluth News Tribune***

Court unites Range rivals

Former Greenway High School standout Dustie Richardson was excited to join a club volleyball team in spring of 2005 until she saw Hibbing star Shawna Varichak walk into the gym in Coleraine.

“I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Richardson recalled. “She’s my teammate?”

Varichak had always been Richardson’s nemesis, but the two quickly got over their high school sports rivalry and took their budding friendship to St. Scholastica, where they look nearly identical on the volleyball court and are nearly inseparable off it.

“I have a hard time telling them apart, even on campus,” said former Saints athletic director Tony Barrett. “And then when they pull their hair back and take the court, it’s even harder.”

One thing that is easy to tell is the impact the seniors have had in four seasons with the Saints.

Varichak has gone from 2004 News Tribune Player of the Year to an impact player at the college level. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter was a first-team All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference selection last season. She leads the Saints with 142 kills and is second with 133 digs. She is third in school history with 1,375 kills and 4,165 attacks, not far off the Saints’ records of 1,641 and 4,376, respectively.

“We never got along because we were just too headstrong,” Richardson said of Varichak, whom she first saw in the seventh grade. “Shawna always had the edge in volleyball, but I had the edge in basketball, although she’ll never admit it. Ever.”

Richardson played sparingly her first two years at St. Scholastica before emerging last season to earn UMAC honorable mention honors. This year, the 5-9 middle blocker is first in blocks (25), third in kills (72) and is third in service aces (10).

Varichak was a polished player coming from the renowned Hibbing High School program, but Richardson had to keep working until she eventually made the progress coaches love to see.

“Dustie didn’t see hardly any playing time her freshman and sophomore year, and that drove her crazy,” Saints coach Dana Moore said. “Then all of the sudden, the light bulb just went on her junior year. She stepped on the court with an attitude that she was going to play. She earned it. She just kept working and working until she escalated her level of play.”

St. Scholastica (3-7) has struggled to win close matches but Moore expects her team to compete for a UMAC title. She said it’s a close group, in particular her five seniors.

Varichak lived with Richardson her freshman year and was roommates with teammate Erin Niles of Grand Rapids another two years after that. Varichak and Richardson play intramural basketball together, which is a far cry from the summers they spent battling each other in 3-on-3 tournaments.

“It’s just so funny that we didn’t like each other at all in high school, and now we’re best friends,” Varichak said of Richardson. “I have family in the Coleraine area and I’d hear stuff. Who knew if it was true or not? But once you get of out high school, you kind of leave it at that and realize there are good people no matter where they’re from.”

Varichak has helped push Richardson in academics as well. Varichak is a biology major who might take a year off to do research before going into medical school, while Richardson is majoring in psychology. But it is outside of class where Richardson has truly learned the most about telepathy.

“We were nemeses in high school, but now we’ve grown to love each other. It’s almost like she’s my sister. For real, we even finish each other sentences,” Richardson said. “We like all the same boys, and it’s hilarious. I wouldn’t know who she likes, but I’m vocal and I’ll end up saying what she’s thinking all the time. I’ll have to learn sometimes not to talk so much.”

When asked if they would keep in touch after college, Varichak said, “absolutely.”

“She’s practically my sister,” Varichak said. “She’s family to me and my parents. My parents always call her, ‘Their other daughter.’ ”

***Article written by Jon Nowacki of the Duluth News Tribune***