2011 Women’s Soccer Preview

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Key Players: Courtney Barg (Senior, Midfielder), Melissa Henderson (Senior, Forward), Mandy Laddish (Sophomore, Midfielder), Jessica Schuveiller (Senior, Defender), Elizabeth Tucker (Sophomore, Midfielder).

Notes: The defending national champs return seven starters in 2010, including first-team All-American Henderson. Also joining the squad are seven freshmen who will try to vie for one of the four starting spots open.

Stanford Cardinal
Key Players: Emily Oliver (Sophomore, Goalkeeper), Teresa Noyola (Senior, Midfielder), Lindsay Taylor (Senior, Midfielder), Camille Levin (Senior, Midfielder).

Notes: Stanford, the 2010 national runner-up, is returning all but two starters from the 2010 season. First-team All-American  Noyola and Taylor will be looked to amp up their scoring efforts after graduating Christen Press who accounted for 60 of the Cardinal’s goals in 2010.

North Carolina Tar Heels
Key Players: Hannah Daly (Junior, Goalkeeper), Kealia Ohai (Sophomore, Forward), Crystal Dunn (Sophomore, Forward), Courtney Jones (Senior, Forward).

Notes: The Tar Heels, ranked No. 3 in the preseason NSCAA Coaches’ Poll, return 10 starters to the 2011 roster, including 2010 All-American Dunn. The squad, which averaged a national-best 3.04 goals per game in 2010, will try to carry over its offensive dominance into this season.

Grand Valley State Lakers
Key Players: Kayla Addison (Junior, Forward), Ashley Botts (Junior, Forward), Erin Mruz (Senior, Midfielder), Chelsea Parise (Junior, Goalkeeper). 

Notes: The Lakers return two first-team All-Americans from 2010 in Botts and Mruz to help bolster the defending national champs. After leading the nation in goals-against average, save percentage and shutout percentage in 2010, GVSU will need to make up for the defensive loss of All-American defender Jenna Wenglinski. 

UC San Diego Tritons
Key Players: Kristin Armstrong (Senior, Goalkeeper), Sarah McTigue (Senior, Forward), Hayley Johnson (Junior, Defender).

Notes: Defensively, the Tritons return goalkeeper Armstrong, a second-team All-American, who had 15 shutouts and 76 saves in 2010. The team will have to make up for the loss of Annette Ilg on the offensive end; Ilg led the team with 11 goals last season.

Saint Rose Golden Knights
Key Players: Christina Cuffari (Senior, Midfielder), Sydney Bond (Sophomore, Midfielder), Carmelina Puopolo (Sophomore, Forward). 

Notes: The Golden Knights will have to make up for the loss of three first-team All-Americans. The squad returns four offensive powerhouses in Cuffari, Bond, Puopolo and Gianna D’Errico, who combined for 42 goals in 2010.

Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls
Key Players: Rebecca Roth (Senior, Goalkeeper), Katie Kuykendall (Junior, Midfielder), Megan Ryan (Senior, Midfielder). 

Notes: In 2010, the Cowgirls led the nation in scoring offense and won-lost-tied percentage, thanks in large part to graduating senior Amy Kuykendall who had 28 goals on the season. Her sister, Katie, had 24 assists in 2011 and will be looked at to fill in the gap as even more of an offensive threat in 2011.

Messiah Falcons
Key Players: Alexandra Brandt (Junior, Midfielder), Corinne Wulf (Junior, Forward), Autumn Reilly (Senior, Goalkeeper), Alicia Frey (Sophomore, Midfielder).

Notes: The Falcons will feel the loss of Amanda Naeher, who was fifth in the nation in goals per game notching 32 goals for the national runner-up in 2010. Reilly, who had an impressive 21 shutouts last season, returns to protect the goal and hopefully help lead the squad back to national title contention.

Otterbein Cardinals
Key Players: Adrienne Novak (Senior, Midfielder), Molly Kroger (Junior, Forward), Alyssa Hale (Senior, Defender/Midfielder).  

Notes: Defense was huge for the Cardinals in 2010 as they led the nation in saves and shutout percentage, behind graduated goalkeeper Tara Carter. Another huge defensive loss will be Jenny Knox, first-team All-American and Ohio Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season. 

• The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of six ACC teams in the preseason Top 25 and they will play eight of the other Top 25 teams during the course of the 2011 regular season.

• Theresa Wagner is set to lead Dartmouth, after spending three seasons at Stanford as an assistant where she helped lead the Cardinal to three consecutive College Cup appearances.

• The NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet approved a standardized date formula for the Women’s College Cup to ensure that the women’s final will always be the weekend before the men’s championship.

• Gareth O’Sullivan, who led Christian Brothers to a national championship in 2002, takes over at Clayton State and will try to improve on the 6-12 record from 2010.

• Grand Valley State begins the season as the top-ranked team in the nation after winning its second consecutive national championship in 2010. The Lakers did not allow a goal in five playoff games last year thanks the play of junior goalkeeper Chelsea Parise.

• West Florida’s 2010 top-ranked offense will have to find goals elsewhere to make up for the loss of the nation’s top scorer Shakira Duncan.

• Timothy Moody takes the Roger Williams helm after becoming SUNY Potsdam’s winningest coach with 41 victories in his five seasons.

• Hardin-Simmons has won eight consecutive American Southwest Conference titles. They also currently have a 132-game unbeaten streak in ASC league play.

• Messiah will add Erin Hench (2009 NSCAA/Adidas NCAA Division III National Player of the year) back to the squad, who missed nearly all of the 2010 season with a knee injury.

• Wheaton (Ill.) will return 21 of the 25 players on the team, including 10 of 11 starters.