Milwaukee picked to win 2008 women's soccer regular-season title
Aug. 11, 2008
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team has been selected as the favorite to win the Horizon League regular-season championship, according to the results of the League's preseason poll released Monday (Aug. 11).
Milwaukee, which has topped the regular-season standings for the past eight years, received seven first-place votes from the League's head coaches for a total of 63 points. Loyola University Chicago, which has won the League championship for the past two years, placed second with 58 points including two first-place votes.
Wright State University (47 points) edged Butler University (46) by one point for third place in the voting, while the University of Detroit Mercy and Valparaiso University tied for fifth with 31 points apiece. Cleveland State University and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay tied for seventh with 19 points each. Youngstown State University (14) rounded out the field.
Only Penn State University (10 consecutive years atop the Big Ten Conference standings) boasts a longer regular-season conference winning streak than UWM, which owns a 48-1-3 mark while winning the regular-season title in each of the last eight years.
The Panthers' only bump in the road during the 2007 League schedule came at Detroit (Sept. 30) where they tied the Titans (0-0) on Sept. 30. Following the tie, UWM finished the League slate 6-0 before losing to Loyola in penalty kicks in the final of the League championship.
This season, the Panthers return three First Team All-League members in senior goalkeeper Erin Kane, senior midfielder Sarah Teegarden and junior midfielder Kate Megna. In 2007, Kane notched 66 saves, posted a goals against average of 0.73 and recorded 10 shutouts, while Teegarden and Megna combined to score seven goals on the year.
Loyola finished second in the regular-season standings with a 7-1-0 League mark last fall and captured the Horizon League Championship and an automatic NCAA Championship berth following a victory over Milwaukee in penalty kicks in the tournament final.
The Ramblers return eight starters from last year's 14-9-1 group, including the League's top returning scorer in junior Cynthia Morote-Ariza. Last year, the Chicago native was selected as the Player of the Year after she netted 17 goals and broke her own school-record for points in a season with 43. Fellow junior Jackie Vera also returns to the mix this season following a 2007 campaign that saw her receive First Team All-Horizon League honors.
Wright State posted a school record 13 wins in 2007. WSU has won 36 games since Pat Ferguson took over as head coach three years ago. This season the Raiders return Jessica Rooma, who set career-highs in every major offensive category as she scored six goals, 14 points and totaled 41 shots. Rooma also tallied four match-winning goals en route to becoming the first WSU player to be named to the Second Team All-Great Lakes Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Butler returns 15 letterwinners and nine starters who led the squad to a 5-3 League mark and a fourth-place finish. The Bulldogs feature players that accounted for all 30 of their goals scored and all but two of their 22 assists. Forward Angie Muir leads the BU offensive attack as she returns for senior season. Last season, Muir led the team with 10 goals and six assists and is the team's active leader with career totals 22 goals and 16 assists.
Detroit returns eight starters from last year's squad that finished sixth with a 2-3-3 League record in the League standings. In 2007, the Titans recorded a goals against average of 0.87 and posted six shutouts on the year. Junior forward Emily Kiely returns as one of the Titan's top scorers. Last season, Kiely started all 19 games and was named the Titans Offensive Player of the Year finishing second on the team with 12 points, including five goals.
In Valparaiso's first season in the Horizon League, the Crusaders posted a 4-4 League record and a 10-9 overall mark. The Crusaders' 10-9 overall record marked the fourth straight winning season for Valpo. This season, former assistant coach John Marovich takes over as head coach and has 14 returning letterwinners from last year's squad. Valpo features four returnees that are among the top 10 in school history in career goal-scoring. Senior Kendall Brown is tied for third (18) on the career list, while fellow senior Lori Johnson is sixth (12) all-time. Junior Sarah Jewell is tied for seventh (11) on Valpo's all-time chart, while senior Jackie Thomas is tied for 10th (8) on the career list.
In 2007, Cleveland State finished in the League's top five in points, goals, assists and collected its first-ever win in Horizon League play. The Vikings will attempt to build on that momentum with the return of senior Jennifer Wieand, who broke school records for goals (8), points (19), shots (63) and shots on goal (38).
Green Bay also welcomes in a new coach in 2008 as Trevor Warren will look to get the Phoenix back to its winning ways. Warren boasts a 103-38-7 all-time collegiate coaching record in eight seasons. Green Bay returns eight starters this fall, including sophomores Laura Hayward and Chelsea Lyons, who aim to have an impact for the second straight year. Hayward was selected to the League's All-Newcomer team while Lyons lettered this past winter for the women's basketball team.
Youngstown State welcomes back nine starters and 17 letterwinners. On offense the Penguins will rely on the experience of junior Jordan Gapczynski who led the team last season with 52 shots. Sophomore forward Lauren Brennan also returns to the mix after she tied the school record for most goals in a game with four against Howard (Sept. 16).
The Horizon League season opens Friday, Aug. 22, with six of the nine teams in action. Cleveland State, Green Bay and Youngstown State kick off their respective 2008 seasons on Sunday, Aug. 24.
An automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament is on the line in the League Championship, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 29, when the No. 9 seed travels to the No. 8 seed. The top four seeds host quarterfinal-round action on Sunday, Nov. 3, before the highest-remaining seed hosts the final weekend of the tournament. Semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 9, with the League champion crowned on Sunday, Nov. 11.
The winner of the Horizon League Championship will attempt to continue the circuit's string of success in recent years. A League entry has reached the second round of the NCAA Championship in three of the last four years.
NOTE: The Preseason standings can be found in the .PDF version of this release
