Jeff Yoder | Echo
The women's soccer team is ready to test their preseason training as they take the field for the season opener tonight against Madonna University at 4 p.m.
Head coach Scott Stan and the Trojans are fielding a team that is nearly half freshmen. After graduating 10 seniors in 2012, the team has added nine first-timers to its 20-player roster. Last year's squad went 13-5-1 on the season but waved goodbye to a host of starters like Kim Cleary and Cara Johnson.
"We really look different as our team is down from 24 players to 20 players and nine of those players are freshmen," Stan said. "Nonetheless, we look very talented and highly motivated."
The freshman additions for the 2013 campaign include two goalkeepers, Anna Miller and Claire LaValley; three defenders in Meghan Sulka, Fayth Glock and Brienna Kruit and three midfielders in Rebekah Pack, Shelbi Lowe and Katie Wierenga. Shannon Jacobsen rounds out the newcomers as the lone freshman forward.
The seven field players hail from the Midwest (specifically Indiana and Illinois). Miller and LaValley are from Pennsylvania and Colorado, respectively.
The Trojans expect to start five underclassmen in Friday's opener. Sophomore Courtney Selle will get the nod at center mid, and a quartet of freshmen including Wierenga, Glock, Lowe and Jacobsen will also start.
"With only 20 players, each player will play a key role in our success," Stan said. "Different players will step up from game to game to fill very important roles based on who we are playing against."
Even with many new faces, some important members of the team will be back. This includes juniors Amanda Roden, Dani Goecke and experienced keeper Kristiana Griffith. Senior Anna Mercaldo will provide leadership in the midfield, and a pair of senior roadblocks in Christi Dithrich and Stephanie Kerstan seal up the back line.
The women's club may seem slotted for a rebuilding year, but don't count them out yet. The best statistical news for the Trojans in 2013 is that they return two of their top three goal scorers from last season in senior Molly Drooger and sophomore Madison Thompson.
Drooger played for the Charlotte Eagles, a Division III professional team, this summer. At Taylor last season, she netted a team-high 14 goals and broke the Taylor women's all-time scoring record.
"Molly will probably go back to Charlotte again next summer after graduation," Stan said. "From there we hope to see her playing professionally in Europe."
To get the most out of the new team, Stan and his coaching staff maintain the same approach that has led them to a .594 winning percentage over the past three seasons.
"The faces may change, but the expectations do not," Stan said. "We will train smart and hard to try to achieve the same level of success or even better each year."
The Trojans will host Madonna University today at 4 p.m. and Asbury College tomorrow at 4 p.m.
