2008 Women's Soccer Preview
The 2007 NAC Co-Coach of the Year Rolf Zersen is expecting more big things from the MSOE women's soccer team in 2008.
"The season will be very different than last year," Zersen said. "In 2007 we snuck up on teams that did not realize how good we really had gotten. Now they will be ready for us. We will have to rely on the experience that last year's freshmen gained during last season. Now they know what to expect, what teams are good and where they can be beaten."
First Team All-NAC selection Heidi Brehmer scored 12 goals and had six assists during last season. Mindy Donald was named to the All-Rookie Team in the NAC in 2007.
"Our team is definitely skilled and we are able to do things with the ball that we could not do in the past," Zersen said.
After going 2-15 in 2006 as an independent, the Raiders made big strides in 2007 and were 9-7-1 overall with a 7-4-1 NAC record.
"Last season we had a great first half, but fizzled out the last half," Zersen said. "This could be due to the amount of freshmen that were starting and were new to college soccer or it could be that the teams during the second half figured us out. Either way now we have the experience to take us to the next level. We will be trying some new formations to get that additional attack and solid defense."
Senior Leah Kutz and sophomores Megan Gloor and Erin VandenLangenberg will be the goaltenders for the Raiders this season. Kutz recorded six shutouts last season.
"One major leader will be Leah Kutz as this is her last year," Zersen said. "She had a great season last year and I am sure that she wants to prove that it was not a ‘fluke.' In addition, a natural leader on the team is Mindy Donald. She is a great player and motivator. She works hard and the other girl's feed off of her efforts."
Senior Anea Hedin and sophomores Sarah Kislia and Allison Plank will bring experience to a very young team. Hedin scored three goals for MSOE in 2007.
"We are returning seven starters to our program," Zersen said. "They know what to expect during the season and I feel that they will be more prepared for the long haul."
Coach Zersen has brought in a great freshman class for the 2008 season and they will play a big part on this year's team.
"We acquired some outstanding players that can help us all over the field," Zersen said. "They all have experience, are talented and want to help MSOE soccer continue to improve. We will have the largest roster that MSOE has ever had. All of these players are great soccer players however, more importantly they are team players. They understand that they are here to help our program improve to where we will be on the top of conference year after year."
Also, look for MSOE to be on the attack during the 2008 campaign.
"I feel that we will be more dangerous on the attack as we have acquired many new attacking players that will be all over the field (forward to defense)," Zersen said. "This will allow our team to attack with greater numbers and really put pressure on other teams."
