City Newspaper Archives - 3/2007

SPORTS: Rhino women push for more notice

Published by Ryan Whirty on Mar 13, 2007
Jacquie Lacek knows the Rochester Rhinos women's team hasn't gotten much attention up to this point. But, she says, that attention has to be earned. And, she says, "This year is a great year to do that."

That's because the Rhinos will be hosting the 2007 W-League final four at PAETEC Park in August, a marketing coup that will give the Rochester women an opportunity to show that they - as well as the entire W-League - deserve respect. The Rhinos' fortunes will be magnified because, as the host team, they will receive an automatic bid to the league semifinals.

"It's very exciting for all of us," says Lacek, an Aquinas grad, "because it gives us a chance to use our stadium to promote the women's league. Every team wants to get to the final four. To get a bid will motivate us at the start of the season and will help us represent the program."

The Rhinos women received other big news recently - that Willie Fitzpatrick, an assistant coach with the Rhinos men's team, will take the helm as coach of the women's squad. Fitzpatrick takes over a team that went 4-8 last season, its first in the amateur W-League, the country's highest level of women's soccer.

"He's very knowledgeable, and he's been around the game a very long time," Lacek says. "He'll bring a lot of insight and the discipline we'll need to get to the next level."

Fitzpatrick is excited about the opportunity - and the possibilities. "We're hoping to attract the best players possible," he says. "They might be from this area, or they might be from outside the state or outside the country."

With wins, he says, the recognition will come. "That will change," he says of the team's low profile, "especially with us hosting the final four. That should create a buzz. It's a very good time for the women's league."