GRAND FORKS, N.D. --- A sense of excitement looms in the air for the 2009 University of North Dakota women's soccer team as it gets ready to kick off its 11th season and second in the transition to Division I.
After finishing last season 5-12, the Fighting Sioux have a lot to look forward to in the coming season when they will be returning 17 players, spending less time on the road (they will be playing almost twice as many home games as last year) and appearing in three major tournaments.
When asked about how the transition is going, head coach Kristen Gay said, “Those inside the program can see the changes daily and we are at the point where everyone is on board with what we want to accomplish. Those outside the program see results as progress and for our program they will start to come.”
A STRONG CORE
The Sioux are losing seven players, bringing in five newcomers and returning 17 players. Of those seventeen returning, 60 percent are upperclassmen: nine seniors and three juniors.
Leading the way will be senior co-captains Mandi Boehmer (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Kirsten Zachman (Mahtomedi, Minn.).
“Our strengths this season will be our fitness base, our leadership and the fact that we will have a very old and experienced team,” Gay said. “Our seniors are a large class with most of them getting some major minutes throughout their careers. This will be their final season and they get to end it with playing in a conference tournament.”
Boehmer was second on the team in goals scored, finding the back of the net four times. Also returning will be Fargo native Rachael Loomis who led the team in assists (seven), was second in points (13) and tied for third in goals (three), and senior netminder Lauren Sera who started all 17 games last year with a 2.78 goals-allowed average.
Senior defensemen Brittany Harty (Jamestown, N.D.) and Ericka Lund (Andover, Minn.) will be leading the backfield while sophomore Veronika Zischka (Calgary, Alberta) and junior Becca Krynski (Rapid City, S.D.) will be returning starters.
A MEANS TO AN END
An added motivation for the Sioux this season is that they will be playing for a championship at the end of the season in the inaugural Great West Conference Tournament, held Nov. 6-9 in Newark, N.J.
“The conference tournament is definitely something our players are looking forward to and being able to represent the University of North Dakota during the postseason is something that is important to them,” Gay said.
As the conference began planning for team sport competition in 2009-10, several teams were added in the sports of women's soccer and baseball to help provide a more diverse and competitive field. Delaware State, Howard and South Carolina State joined as associate members in women's soccer, giving the Great West two, four-team divisions. The associate members, plus NJIT, will make up the Eastern Division, while North Dakota, South Dakota, Houston Baptist and Utah Valley will play in the West.
ALONG THE WAY
The GWC Tournament is not the only tournament the Sioux will be looking forward to this season, as they will be taking part in the University of Minnesota Tournament and the University of Nebraska Tournament.
“I'm excited about this year's schedule,” Gay said. “We will see some familiar faces and some new ones as well. The tournament at the University of Minnesota will be a great homecoming for the majority of our team. It's always nice to play in front of family and friends.
The Sioux have eight players with hometowns within a 30-mile radius of Minneapolis and a ninth within 90 miles. Kirsten Zachman also played for the University of Minnesota during her freshman and sophomore years before transferring.
That tournament is not the only one that will be a homecoming as seniors Holly Remmenga (Lincoln, Neb.) and Meagan Houlihan (Lincoln, Neb.) will be returning home for the Nebraska Tournament (Lincoln, Neb.) and head coach Kristen Gay will be returning to her collegiate stomping grounds, she played for the Cornhuskers from 1995-1998 and led the team to a Big 8 title in 1995 and Big XII regular-season titles in 1996 and 1997.
A FAMILIAR FACE
The Sioux played 10 teams last year that the program had never faced. This year, its second of transition, there will be a lot more common opponents with 10 of 17 games being played against teams that have battled UND in the past.
“I think the advantage for us seeing the same teams is that we won't be intimidated and we will know what to expect,” Gay said. “There were a couple of games that were close and we played with them but couldn't sustain it for the entire 90 minutes. We have tried to correct some of those issues in the offseason.”
HOME SWEET HOME
Another comforting thought for UND will be its home schedule. Having only scheduled four games in its home confines of Bronson Field last year, the Sioux went 2-1 (one no contest), but are set for seven dates this campaign on its own soil.
“Playing at home as much as we do this season will be an advantage for us,” Gay said. “To be able to play on our home field, in front of our home crowd, and not travel as much is something everyone is looking forward to.”
– Go Sioux –
