CSS Womens Soccer Picked Consensus #1 In UMAC Coaches Poll

Aug 24, 2012

Northland Sports Online

The College of St. Scholastica was tabbed as the unanimous favorite to win the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship in 2012 according to a poll of the league’s coaches. The Saints have won eight straight conference titles, and will look to repeat as UMAC champs again in the upcoming season.

2012 UMAC Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll

1. 49 Points – College of St. Scholastica (7 First Place Votes)

2. 40 Points – Northwestern College (Minn.)

3. 38 Points – University of Minnesota Morris (1)

4. 33 Points – Bethany Lutheran College

5. 22 Points – Northland College

6. 19 Points – Martin Luther College

7. 13 Points – North Central University (Minn.)

8. 10 Points – Crown College

1. College of St. Scholastica Saints

2011 Overall Record: 16-5-1

2011 UMAC Record: 11-0-1

2011 UMAC Finish: 1st

Starters Returning: 10

Starters Lost: 5

In addition to the run of conference championships, St. Scholastica is coming off its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth conference tournament title in the last five years. The Saints’ season came to an end following a 5-2 defeat to third-ranked and unbeaten Trinity (Texas) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. St. Scholastica scored two goals against Trinity, who had only allowed four goals prior to that game throughout the regular season.

Head coach Dave Reyelts once again returns a majority of his starters from a season ago, but noticeably gone is two-time UMAC Defensive Player of the Year Megan Flesvig (Duluth, Minn./Proctor HS) and goalkeepers Bailey Mahlum (Bismarck, N.D./Bismarck HS) and Molly Bergmann (Walker, Minn./Walker-Hackensack-Akeley HS). Mahlum holds the program record for most wins in career.

The Saints welcome back 2011 UMAC Player and Rookie of the Year Kelsey Kehtel (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS). Kehtel led the conference with 20 goals and 44 points in her freshman campaign. Other goal scorers that are back are senior Andrea Beatt (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) and junior Taylor Cunningham (Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire Memorial HS). Both combined to score 14 goals in 2011 and both were first team All-UMAC choices.

Second team All-UMAC choice senior midfielder Joey Moore (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) returns as does junior first team all-conference defender Maggie Dolan (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS).

2. Northwestern College Eagles

2011 Overall Record: 11-7-1

2011 UMAC Record: 8-3-1

2011 UMAC Finish: T-2nd

Starters Returning: 6

Starters Lost: 5

Northwestern returns six players from a 2011 squad that tied for second in UMAC play. This year’s campaign features four Eagles players who have earned all-conference recognition. Headlining the Northwestern returners are 2011 UMAC All-Conference First Team selections Lauren Cleope and Rebekah Carrizales. Cleope led the team with eight assists and had nine goals in last year’s run. NWC finished second among UMAC teams in goals scored, but Cleope will need assistance on offense this season after the graduation of Rebekah Kirby, who tied the program’s record for career goals in 2011. Besides Cleope, no returning player scored more than five goals last season. Francie Piche, a junior transfer from North Dakota, will help fill in Kirby’s void up top. Head coach Josh Pettit will rely on an experienced backfield in Carrizales and seniors Heidi Anderson, Susan Delain, Jessica Monson, and Katy Hoppe. The Eagles will have a new face in goal, with juniors Emily Johnson and Sarah Stenson competing for the starting goalkeeper spot. Stenson appeared in three games in 2011, allowing two goals in just over 200 minutes of play.

3. University of Minnesota Morris Cougars

2011 Overall Record: 11-7-1

2011 UMAC Record: 8-3-1

2011 UMAC Finish: T-2nd

Starters Returning: 9

Starters Lost: 2

Minnesota Morris, who came in just two points below Northwestern, will look to improve off last year’s tie for second place finish in the UMAC. The Cougars return nine regular starters from last year’s team including five all-conference selections and one all-region player in Katie Kestner. On offense, UMM welcomes back scoring threats in Christina Mollan, Rachael Berns, Ally Heida and Zoe Bergstrom. Throughout the entire team, the Cougars return players who scored 59 of their 89 points last season. All-UMAC keeper RiAnne Metz returns to anchor the defense. She will be aided by returner Katie Kester, an all-region defender, Kali Cordes and most of the Morris midfield. Three new additions to the roster all play defense which will add more depth to the Cougars’ back line.

4. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings

2011 Overall Record: 8-8-3

2011 UMAC Record: 4-5-3

2011 UMAC Finish: 4th

Starters Returning: 8

Starters Lost: 3

2012 will mark the start of a new era for Bethany Lutheran. For years, Joelle Pipal was the cornerstone on which much of the BLC offensive attack was built. With Pipal’s departure due to graduation, the Vikings will look to a solid core of returning players and a talented group of newcomers to fill the void. Offensively, the Vikings will look to the leadership of All-UMAC honoree Paige Taylor and the return of Maggie LaPlante to improve on last season’s downturn in scoring. Goalkeeper Alexa Mowery anchors a veteran group that has led Bethany Lutheran to consecutive UMAC Tournament appearances. All six defensive starters return for the Vikings, including four All-UMAC recipients in Mowery, Jacqui Bonrud, Kindra Fairburn and Hannah Spaulding.

5. Northland College LumberJills

2011 Overall Record: 5-11-0

2011 UMAC Record: 3-9-0

2011 UMAC Finish: 6th

Starters Returning: 4

Starters Lost: 7

Northland looks to make an impact in the UMAC conference this 2012 season. As head coach Amanda Evans enters her second season, the LumberJills continue to improve and develop. With the loss of four of the team’s top five point-scorers from last year, there are big holes to fill on the Jills roster. Northland will look to a large incoming freshman class to step up and contribute right away. Northland welcomes eight new faces this year. Lindsey Concon, a local Ashland, Wis. player who won all-conference honors in high school will be one of them. Others who should contribute right away are midfielder Lynn Dohrman and Shakara Merrill. Northland will look for leadership to continue from its two seniors, Briana Wallace and UMAC 2010 Goalkeeper of the Year, Sarah Weed. Forward Jess Jaeckel and UMAC All-Conference defender Sarah Hudson will also be expected to make great contributions in 2012.

6. Martin Luther College Knights

2011 Overall Record: 8-8-1

2011 UMAC Record: 4-7-1

2011 UMAC Finish: 5th

Starters Returning: 4

Starters Lost: 7

Martin Luther hopes to build on last season’s .500 record in the hopes of reaching its goal of making the UMAC Tournament with a top four finish in the conference. Bethany Schultz and Hannah Mattek return to lead the offense for the third straight season, with both having been named All-UMAC performers in each of their first two seasons. Schultz scored six goals in her sophomore campaign after netting 12 as a freshman and also led the team with 75 shots in 2011. Mattek scored four goals and finished with 11 points last season, and has scored 13 career goals in two seasons in the program. On defense, the Knights must replace three starters and will need to rely on returning starters Emily Marggraf and Alydia Lee. Marggraf has played everywhere in her first three seasons for the Knights, and could play midfield or defense this season, while Lee has started each of her first two seasons in the program on defense. Jessica Lomker is a two-year starter who returns after taking the 2011 season off, while several other newcomers will be looking to make early contributions.

7. North Central University (Minn.) Rams

2011 Overall Record: 9-10-0

2011 UMAC Record: DNP*

2011 UMAC Finish: DNP*

Starters Returning: 7

Starters Lost: 4

North Central begins UMAC associate membership in 2012, looking to improve on last year’s campaign in which the Rams went 9-10 and had two players named to the Association of Division III Independents All-Conference team. The Rams return their leading scorer from 2011 in forward Christina Goodman. Goodman recorded eight goals and four assists while starting all 19 matches. North Central will lose the eight goals that Alyssa Slone scored last year. Despite losing some of their scoring punch, Rams returners still accounted for 12 of the 18 assists recorded in 2011 including junior midfielder Marissa Dean, who recorded two goals and three helpers last year. NCU’s defense must replace Bethany Burkman, but returns Noelle Stordock between the pipes. Stordock started all 19 games for the Rams in 2011 and will have the potential to be among the team’s all-time career leader in GK minutes played by the end of 2012. She had a 1.67 GAA last season including seven shutouts.

8. Crown College Storm

2011 Overall Record: 0-17-1

2011 UMAC Record: 0-11-1

2011 UMAC Finish: 7th

Starters Returning: 6

Starters Lost: 5

After taking significant strides forward in 2011, Crown is looking forward to improving further in the 2012 campaign. Second-year head coach Jamie Ross returns a talented young core of players, led by Hillary Brondsema in goal and Mary Voss and Sam Samsa in the midfield. Kelly Anderson will provide an experienced presence defensively after returning from a gruesome ankle injury suffered last season. Crown will look to pair 13 incoming players with eight returners, adding some youthful athleticism to a team that struggled to score goals in 2011. Freshman Megan Wright and transfer Erin Ebbers will hope to have an immediate impact playing up front. Crown will also welcome back Rachel Kieffer, who showed attacking promise while playing for Crown in 2010.

UMAC teams will kick off their season starting Aug. 31 with the conference season beginning on Sept. 11. An automatic berth to the NCAA Championships will be on the line again for the winner of the UMAC Women’s Soccer Tournament. Semifinals will be on Oct. 30 with the championship game taking place Nov. 3.

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