University of Minnesota Athletics
MINNESOTA SOCCER LOOKS FORWARD TO ANOTHER GREAT SEASON
8/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
A SNEAK PREVIEW - Before heading to Milwaukee, Minnesota will scrimmage NCAA Division III champion Macalester on Thursday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m. The scrimmage will be held at the Macalester Soccer Stadium (corner of Snelling and St. Clair). Media are invited to meet the coaches and players of both teams prior to kickoff. The scrimmage is free to the public.
OPENING DAY - The 1999 season is the seventh in the history of Minnesota soccer. The Gophers are 3-2-1 in season-opening matches since 1993. Last year, the Gophers dropped a 1-0 decision at Cincinnati.
COACH SUE MONTAGNE - Golden Gopher head coach Sue Montagne begins her seventh season as the only head soccer coach in Minnesota history. Montagne, who was honored as the 1995 and 1997 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, owns an 84-33-9 record (27-9-3 Big Ten) with the Gophers. She has directed the Gophers to Big Ten titles in 1995 and 1997, and to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Completing Montagne's staff is six-year veteran Barbara Wickstrand and Richard Drake, who is in his second season with the program.
THE 1999 GOLDEN GOPHER SOCCER OUTLOOK - The Golden Gopher soccer team is walking a thin line. No, this line is not one between winning and losing, or even good and bad. In fact, the parameter of success has securely swung to the positive in Minnesota's young six-year tenure as a varsity program.
The thin line the Gophers are striving to cross is the one that separates the good teams in the nation, those annually ranked among the top 25, and the elite teams, the schools that year-in and year-out are vying for a national championship. As each year passes, the Gophers and head coach Sue Montagne are closing the distance to adding Minnesota's name into the ranks of the elite.
Just as each game is a stepping stone to a season, in Montagne's book, each season is also a progression to bigger and better accomplishments. Team goals are lofty and for good reason. It is the only way to earn passage over that invisible thin line to the elite.
The Gophers step to that line with a long list of achievements. Minnesota has participated in four straight NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the second round in each of the past two seasons. The Gophers own Big Ten Conference championships in 1995 and 1997, compiling a six-year program record of 84-33-9 without ever posting a losing season. But what's the next step for the Gophers? To start, watch for Minnesota to put a faster, more physical team on the field.
"We noticed at Portland (second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament) we played at an extremely fast and physical level in the first half," said Montagne. "We had almost equal shots, opportunities and possession of the ball. What we were unable to do was sustain that level of play through the second 45 minutes. To get to the next level, to not only compete against the nation's top teams but to beat them, that's what we have to do, sustain that intensity."
Montagne notes a few other tangibles involved in leading her team to future Big Ten titles and NCAA appearances. "Obviously great players, good recruiting, team chemistry, health and a good dose of luck all play a part in winning titles."
An intangible added to the mix is the brand-new Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Soccer Stadium, scheduled to open this fall. "We will have the nicest stadium in the Big Ten, and among the best in the country," said Montagne. "That new stadium will be a huge advantage in recruiting and will enhance alumni and community pride in the program. Plus, it gives us a great facility to call our own."
The highly anticipated 1999 season brings with it equally lofty expectations. Fifteen returning letterwinners, including eight starters, as well as a talented class of newcomers are poised for the challenge. Stepping stone by stepping stone, the Gophers are ready to take on the 1999 season.
One element of the game the Gophers will not have to look for is scoring punch. Four of Minnesota's top 10 career goal scorers are members of the 1999 Gophers. In the mid-1990s the names dominating the scoring scene were Jennifer Walek and Jennifer McElmury. Now the names are Nicole Lee (Champlin Park, Minn./Champlin Park) and Laurie Seidl (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles).
The two forwards compliment each other. Lee, an All-Great Lakes Region and All-Big Ten first-team selection, is a finesse player. As a junior, she led Minnesota and the Big Ten with 17 goals and is ranked third on the Gophers' career list with 37. All-Big Ten pick Seidl, who was second to Lee with 15 goals, is more the power forward. She is Minnesota's seventh-best goal scorer with 24 career goals heading into her junior season.
Firepower won't be lacking in the Gophers' offensive attack. In addition to Lee and Seidl, Minnesota is looking for scoring potential from Megan Johnson (Rosemount, Minn./Rosemount), Alison Rackley (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm) and newcomer Liz Wagner (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain). Johnson, a senior, is expected to move to forward from midfield to capitalize on her exceptional speed. One of the most athletic players on the squad, she will force opponents to mark her, leaving Lee and Seidl with one-on-one opportunities.
"Our offensive attack has always been one of our biggest strengths," said Montagne. "We like to play with three forwards to put pressure on defenses and make them mark us. We're dangerous up front. That's a trademark of our program."
The Gophers' frontline may be deadly to opposing defenses, but it is supported by several aggressive goal-scorers in midfield positions.
After a sensational first season that garnered Soccer Buzz all-region honors, Rackley hopes to build on her experiences and provide not only goal-scoring ability but leadership to the Gopher midfielders. In addition to finishing third on the team with nine goals, Rackley collected nine assists to tie Lee for team honors.
Veterans Erin Holland (Montreal, Canadan/ Centennial), a junior, and sophomore Samantha Meyers (Frederick, Md./Jefferson) are experienced midfielders. Both started all 21 games last season. The Gophers have plenty of solid and experienced depth at midfield with seniors Erika Kruse (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) and Amy Koehler (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) and sophomore Allyson Brodie (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm). Newcomers Wagner and Jordan Bieler (Redmond, Wash./East Lake) could contend for immediate playing time at midfield.< p> The biggest question marks entering the season center around the defense. At the core of these questions is the health of two veteran defenders and the co-captains for the 1999 Gophers, Jaime O'Gara (Omaha, Neb./Millard North) and Noelle Papenhausen (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville). Both are very talented defenders when healthy and share the distinction of owning championship rings from the Gophers' 1995 and 1997 Big Ten titles. Both are also working diligently to rehabilitate ACL injuries.
A sure bet in the backfield is the play of sophomore Juli Montgomery (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin- Derham Hall), who burst onto the scene a year ago and earned a starting spot from day-one. Regardless of who plays around her at defender, Montgomery will be a key contributor to the Gophers' success this fall.
Other defenders who look to work their way into the equation are Sarah FitzGerald (Duluth, Minn./East) and rookies Meghan Jones (Littleon, Colo./Chatfield) and Katherine Arndt (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy). FitzGerald, a sophomore, is a versatile player who can handle either the defender or midfield position. Jones is an all-state selection from Colorado with the skills to step in right away and contribute.
The competition for the starting nod at goalkeeper could be as fierce as any during preseason drills. Regardless of the outcome, however, the Gophers will have experience in the net in senior Dana Larson (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) and sophomore Julie Eibensteiner</ a> (St. Paul, Minn./Totino-Grace). Larson is a veteran of 55 games and owns a .760 winning percentage. Eibensteiner has two years of experience with the program as a redshirt sophomore.
The Golden Gophers' schedule is a challenging one, which not only features play within the rugged Big Ten Conference, but competition against top-notch non- conference opponents as well.
After opening its season on August 29 at Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Minnesota returns home on September 4 to celebrate the grand opening of its new stadium when the Golden Gophers host Arizona State.
Minnesota opens the Big Ten Conference season on the road at Illinois on September 17. The Gophers' home conference opener is September 24 against Michigan State. Border rival Wisconsin, as well as Michigan and Northwestern, are other featured home matches on the Gopher home schedule this season.
October will be a telling month for Minnesota, with seven of the 10 matches during the month against teams involved in NCAA Tournament action in '98. The Gophers end the regular season against three such teams on the road: Evansville, Kentucky and Alabama.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS - The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee Panthers open their regular season versus the Gophers. The Panthers tuned up for the match with a preseason scrimmage against Northwestern on August 20. The defending Midwestern Collegiate Conference champions posted a 10-5-3 record in 1998.
Milwaukee head coach Michael Moynihan is in his third year with the Panthers and owns a 23-8-7 record. Moynihan returns 16 letterwinners, including six starters, for the 1999 season.
The Series - Minnesota leads the series with Wisconsin-Milwaukee by a 3-1-1 margin. The last time the teams met was in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. The Gophers won that match by a score of 2- 1.
THE POLLS - The Gophers were ranked No. 23 in the Soccer Buzz national poll, while receiving votes in the NSCAA Top 25 poll.
NSCAA Division I National Rankings Preseason (Aug. 2) `98 Record Points 1.North Carolina 25-1-0 199 2.Santa Clara 22-1-1 190 3.Portland 19-3-2 173 4.Connecticut 21-2-2 170 Florida 26-1-0 170 6.Penn State 21-4-1 167 7.Notre Dame 21-3-1 159 8.Nebraska 16-4-1 144 9.Dartmouth 16-2-2 121 10.William & Mary 16-3-2 110 11.Hartford 17-5-0 108 12.Clemson 16-7-0 105 13.San Diego State 19-3-1 99 14.BYU 20-5-0 89 15.Michigan 14-7-1 72 16.UCLA 17-4-1 68 17.Baylor 15-5-1 67 18.Virginia 13-7-2 63 19.Vanderbilt 17-6-0 62 20.Northwestern 16-5-1 58 21.Stanford 11-7-2 43 22.Georgia 13-6-2 38 23.Wake Forest 13-7-1 34 24.USC 14-7-1 29 25.Harvard 12-5-1 15 Receiving Votes: Wisconsin, Maryland, Texas A&M, Minnesota, James Madison Soccer Buzz Poll Pre-season 1.Santa Clara 2.North Carolina 3.Notre Dame 4.Penn State 5.Nebraska 6.UCLA 7.Florida 8.Hartford 9.William & Mary 10.Connecticut 11.Dartmouth 12.Virginia 13.Vanderbilt 14.Michigan 15.Texas A&M 16.BYU 17.Clemson 18.Stanford 19.Baylor 20.Northwestern 21.Richmond 22.Portland 23.Minnesota 24.Ohio State 25.Syracuse Receiving Votes: Boston College, California, Indiana, San Diego State, Seton Hall, South Carolina Soccer America Poll Pre-season 1.Santa Clara 2.North Carolina 3.Notre Dame 4.Portland 5.Connecticut 6.Nebraska 7.Florida 8.Penn State 9.Hartford 10.Clemson 11.Dartmouth 12.San Diego State 13.Stanford 14.Virginia 15.William & Mary 16.Michigan 17.Vanderbilt 18.Northwestern 19.Baylor 20.BYU A LOOK AHEAD - Minnesota celebrates the grand opening of its new soccer stadium when the Gophers host Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
