UW-Milwaukee picked to repeat as Horizon League women's soccer champion
Aug. 16, 2006
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INDIANAPOLIS -- It's getting to be an annual routine, but one that University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer coach Mike Moynihan isn't anxious to break. Moynihan's Panthers are the favorites to win the 2006 Horizon League women's soccer championship, according to the results of the preseason coaches' poll announced Thursday (August 17).
If that prediction holds true, the (regular-season) title would be the seventh in a row and eighth overall for the Panther program, whose trophy case also features the 2001, 2002 and 2005 League Championship trophies.
UW-Milwaukee posted a 6-0-1 mark in the League last season and recorded three consecutive shutouts to win the League Championship. Tournament MVP Erin Kane compiled a perfect 0.00 GAA and helped the Panthers hold off the University of Detroit Mercy in penalty kicks to win the title. She also notched a League-record 13th shutout as UW-Milwaukee ousted Purdue University in the first round of the NCAA Championships before being eliminated by crosstown rival Marquette University, 1-0, to finish at 12-5-5 overall.
Nine of the top 11 scorers return for the Panthers, whose roster also includes junior defender Ginny Graczyk (one goal, three assists) and sophomore midfielder Sarah Teegarden (five goals and one assist). Both players were First-Team All-League selections in 2005. UW-Milwaukee outscored opponents 17-3 in seven League matches a year ago.
Detroit was the League's runner-up last fall and remains the second choice of the voters this season after a 10-4-5 ledger (5-1-1 in the league) a year ago. The Titans, who received one first-place vote and 42 poll points, are led by senior midfielder Mary Parker, who could become only the fourth player to earn four First-Team All-League honors. Parker topped the League scoring charts with ten goals and 24 points last fall, and her 30 goals and 71 points are the most among active players in the League. Goalkeeper Kate Fortenberry logged nine shutouts as a freshman in 2005 to anchor UDM's defense.
Wright State University (11-5-3, 4-1-2 in 2005) stands third on the preseason forecast with the final first-place vote and a total of 37 points. The Raiders won their final five matches of the regular season before dropping a quarterfinal match in the League Championship, and senior midfielder Jodie Shoaf leads a group of eight returning starters in 2006. Shoaf tallied a team-high five goals and 13 points in 2005, while defender Jess Rooma earned First-Team All-League notice and the League's Newcomer of the Year award for her work as a freshman defender last fall.
The middle of the pack was tightly bunched, as Butler University (8-10-2, 2-5-0) edged Loyola University Chicago (8-10-1, 2-5-0) and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (9-9-1, 5-2-0) for fourth place in the poll with 29 points---four more than the Ramblers (25) and six more than the Phoenix (23).
Sophomore midfielder Angie Muir (six goals and five assists) finished fourth in the League in scoring (17 points) last fall despite missing the final eight matches with a knee injury. Her scoring prowess gained Second-Team All-League acclaim while fellow midfielder Ashley Twehues (three goals plus three assists) was a First-Team loop pick as a freshman last fall.
Loyola's top two scorers are back in 2006 in the tandem of senior forward Mary Dale and junior defender Amy Lomas. Each registered five goals and three assists in 2005, with Dale owning 18 goals and 41 points in her career. Goalkeeper Emily Peick posted four shutouts for the Ramblers and led a defensive charge which allowed only eight goals in the team's final ten outings a year ago.
UW-Green Bay finished third in the League last season but must replace the six goals and (League-leading) ten assists of Sarah Oligney, who was the circuit's Player of the Year as a senior in 2005. Senior midfielder Stephanie Gross was second to Parker with nine goals and 23 points a year ago, while junior's Jennie Gorwitz and Lotte Rasmussen added five and three markers, respectively.
Youngstown State University (1-18-1, 1-5-1) was seventh in the voting with 13 points. Junior defender Brittny Humphrey paces the Penguins, as the versatile performer recorded three goals in 2005. YSU will rely on freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Bodzioney to bolster the team's defense, with defender Caitlin Lee looking to add to her All-Newcomer Team recognition from last season.
Cleveland State University (0-18-1, 0-6-1) rounded out the poll with seven points. The Vikings enter the program's third season with nine starters returning, led by sophomore forward Ashley Walchack (one goal, three assists). CSU also has a pair of 2004 starters back in action as sophomore defender Maggie Pugliese and goalkeeper Ashley Kidwell return after missing all of last season with injuries. Kidwell led the League with 133 saves as a freshman two years ago.
The season opens Friday, August 25, with seven of the eight teams in action. Wright State visits Loyola to begin League play on Sunday, September 24, while the rest of the circuit opens loop competition the next weekend. The top four seeds earn home-field advantage for the opening round of the League Championship on Saturday, October 28, with the highest-seeded team remaining earning the right to host the remainder of the tournament. Semifinals are slated for Friday, November 3, and the League's automatic berth in the 2006 NCAA Championship goes to the winner of Sunday's (November 5) title match.
2006 Horizon League Preseason Women's Soccer Poll 1. UW-Milwaukee (six first-place votes)-- 48 points2. Detroit (1) -- 42 points3. Wright State (1) -- 37 points4. Butler -- 29 points5. Loyola -- 25 points6. UW-Green Bay -- 23 points7. Youngstown State -- 13 points8. Cleveland State -- 7 points
NOTE: The League's eight head coaches vote in this poll. Teams received seven points for a first-place vote, six points for a second-place vote, etc. The head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own squads.
2005 Horizon League StandingsSchool -- League * Overall (Championship Result1. UW-Milwaukee -- 6-0-1 * 12-5-5 (won championship)2. Detroit -- 5-1-1 * 10-4-5 (runner-up)3. UW-Green Bay -- 5-2-0 * 9-9-1 (lost in quarterfinals)4. Wright State -- 4-1-2 * 11-5-3 (lost in quarterfinals)5. Butler -- 2-5-0 * 8-10-2 (lost in semifinals)5. Loyola -- 2-5-0 * 8-10-1 (lost in semifinals)7. Youngstown State -- 1-5-1 * 1-18-1 (lost in quarterfinals)8. Cleveland State -- 0-6-1 * 0-18-1 (lost in quarterfinals)
