Women's Soccer Preview, Part 6: UW-Green Bay
Aug. 22, 2006
With eight starters returning from last season's 9-9-1 squad, including a pair of all-conference seniors, head coach Quinn Ross has a bounty of excellent attributes to build from.
But in order for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's soccer team to finish in the top half of the Horizon League for the third time in four seasons, the team must fill in the gap left by graduated All-American Sarah Oligney.
Ross is confident that his squad, a core of returnees bundled with a strong group of recruits, will once again challenge for a top spot in the league race.
ATTACK
Senior forward Stephanie Gross aims to pick up where she left the 2005 season off. The first-team all-Horizon League pick and All-Great Lakes Region selection was second in the Horizon League last fall in scoring, and the speedy and feisty attacker will be the go-to player for the Phoenix up top.
A trio of players will vie for the starting nod opposite Gross. Sophomore Maria Vittorio was solid as a rookie last fall and offers aggressiveness to the attack. Junior Jennie Gorwitz had a surprise sophomore campaign, finishing third on the team in scoring as five of her 11 shots on the year found the back of the net. Newcomer Kaitlin Jach is coming off a stellar prep season and hopes to have an impact as a freshman.
MIDFIELD
With the loss of Oligney in the center of the pitch, there are many gaps to fill in the Phoenix midfield. Shoring up the center of the park is senior Kari Olsen, a two-year starter as a defensive midfielder. Olsen has shown offensive prowess in the past, posting nine points as a freshman, and her ability to mount an attack from a defensive position will be key for UW-Green Bay.
Others battling for a starting nod in the center of the midfield are sophomore Claire Townsend and junior Lotte Rasmussen. Both were newcomers for the Phoenix last fall and each had an impact in the attack; Townsend was third on the team in assists while Rasmussen was fourth on the squad in scoring.
On the flanks, senior Meghan Merryfield and junior Amanda Brown are the front-runners for the starting nod, but the pair combines for just 10 career starts. Sophomore Lindsay Cervenko, who can also play at the top of the formation, will pressure her fellow veterans for minutes.
Ross addressed a need for wing midfielders with this year's newcomers. Freshmen Jaclyn Spees, Meghan McKenzie, Amanda Stinson and Nina Salerno, along with junior transfer Liz Eldred, will surely add depth to the outside attack. McKenzie and Spees may also see time in the forward positions this fall.
DEFENSE
UW-Green Bay's back line is the most veteran it has been in recent history. Three of the team's four starters return, while the core is bolstered with the addition of one of the team's most versatile players.
Central defenders and captains Dixie Schubert and Sarah Clayton solidify the Phoenix defense for the second straight year, while sophomore Sharon Zurbey returns after starting a majority of her freshman season. Senior Dawn Detrie, who has starts as a forward and midfielder during her career, will likely wrap up the starting four in the back after a strong showing during the spring and summer seasons.
Complimenting the starting four are senior Alyson Van Lith and freshman Liz Metzler. Van Lith, a starter as a sophomore, is the most experienced of the three, while Repech showed strength in her stints as a reserve last year.
GOALKEEPERS
Junior Brooke Wikgren followed up a strong freshman season with a solid sophomore year in 2005, anchoring the Phoenix defense that posted seven shutouts. Already tied for the team record for career goals against average, Wikgren is also tied for third in team history for career shutouts.
Challenging Wikgren between the pipes is sophomore transfer Charla Buxbaum. Buxbaum started 15 of 18 games at UW-Stout as a freshman, where she tallied a 0.58 GAA and eight shutouts.
THE SCHEDULE
For the first time in three seasons, the Phoenix has more dates at Santaga Stadium than on the road. UW-Green Bay kicks off the 2006 season at home Aug. 25 against Illinois State, and following a pair of road contests in Nevada, the team will have five straight home contests in the month of September.
Following the homestand, the Phoenix will start the Horizon League slate Sept. 29 at Wright State, the first of four road Horizon League matches. The squad will conclude the regular season with three of its final four games at home against league challengers, with the lone break coming Oct. 17 to head to nationally-ranked Marquette.
The 2006 Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship adopts a new style for this season, as quarterfinal action will be held at campus sites of the higher seed on Saturday, Oct. 28. The tournament will then conclude Nov. 3 and 5 at the highest remaining seed.
Story provided by UW-Green Bay Office of Sports Information
