Midwest Conference

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RIPON, Wis. – Carroll aims for its fourth Midwest Conference (MWC) Championship in the last five years and will do so as the favorite in the 2011 MWC Preseason Women’s Soccer Poll. The Pioneers received four first place votes and earned 75 points to take the top spot.

Lake Forest missed out on the top spot by only one point with four first place votes and 74 points while St. Norbert (56 points) and Lawrence (55 points) each earned a first place vote. Monmouth (53 points) is expected to be on the outside looking in for a MWC Tournament berth in the fifth spot with Grinnell (43 points) and Ripon (32 points) holding sixth and seventh place, respectively. The poll is rounded out by Illinois C. (25 points), Beloit (19) and Knox (18).

Over half of the All-MWC performers will be back for the 2011 season headlined by MWC Defensive Player of the Year Samantha Barranco (Monmouth). A trio of other players will return to the field this year from the 2010 All-MWC First Team including Mallory Koula (Lawrence), who led the conference in points last year, and Lake Forest teammates Becky Esrock and Lisa Sorensen.

Six different teams have All-MWC Second Team award winners back in 2011. St. Norbert is the only program with multiple players as Kayla Pope and Jaci Kulow both will be back in action this season. Molly Dickson (Beloit), Emma Swanson (Knox), Mikaela Rogers (Monmouth), Becca Carter (Grinnell) and Kate Tarquino (Carroll) round out the second team returnees giving eight teams either a First or Second Team All-MWC selection on the field in 2011.

Voting is done by the MWC head women’s soccer coaches. Each coach votes for the nine other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (nine points for first, eight for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
 

Team Previews:

1. Carroll Pioneers
2010 Record: 14-6-0, 8-1-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Susie Foster enters her first year as head coach of the Pioneers, looking for the schools fourth MWC Tournament Championship in the last five years. Foster will have to replace three All-MWC First Team athletes including 2010 Offensive Player of the Year Cody Callender. Last season the Pioneers led all teams with 55 goals and will be led by junior Amanda Leach, the team’s top returning scorer, who netted five goals and finished fourth in the conference with six assists. Senior Kelley Moran and junior Sarah Tennant both recorded nine points last season, each scoring three goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Mclean led the MWC with a 1.01 goals against average while also picking up four shutouts to lead the Pioneers defense.

2. Lake Forest Foresters
2010 Record: 11-8-0, 7-2-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 2
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Lake Forest Head Coach T.R. Bell returns a talented lineup for the 2011 season as he aims to win the school’s first MWC Championship since 2004 and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003. A pair of 2010 All-MWC First Team selections will be back on the field this season as juniors Becky Esrock and Lisa Sorensen both finished in the top 10 in the conference in scoring. Esrock netted the third-most goals (13) and points (32) in the MWC while Sorensen finished seventh in goals (10) and 10th in points (28). Senior Erica May (4 goals, 3 assists) and sophomore Courtenay Raymond (5 goals) will boost the conference’s top offense that averaged 2.79 goals per game in 2010. Junior Bri Schleibinger posted the fourth-best goals against average (1.64) while earning three shutouts for the Foresters.

3. St. Norbert Green Knights
2010 Record: 8-9-1, 6-3-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 2

St. Norbert was on the outside looking in for the MWC Tournament in 2010 and looks to win the tournament for the first time since 1997 under the tutelage of Dennis Detrie. Sophomore All-MWC Second Team selection Kayla Pope will build off a rookie campaign where she led the Green Knights with six goals and four assists while posting a shooting percentage of .300. Fellow sophomores Zoe Kurth (4 goals, 1 assist) and Kellan Zimmer (1 goal, 4 assists) will be the main targets on the front line for the Green Knights. Detrie also welcomes back junior defender Jaci Kulow who earned All-MWC Second Team honors and will be the backbone of the St. Norbert defense that allowed the third fewest goals in the conference (24) in 2010.

4. Lawrence Vikings
2010 Record: 9-9-1, 6-2-1
Returning All-MWC First Team: 1
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Coming off their third NCAA Tournament appearance in school history head coach Lisa Sammons returns one of the top players in the MWC in hopes of making a repeat bid. First-team All-MWC selection senior Mallory Koula will lead Lawrence’s offense a year after topping the conference in points (42), points per game (2.21), goals (19) and goals per game (1.00) while finishing second in game-winning goals (6) and shots (107). Fellow senior Natalie Jin (3 goals, 2 assists) and junior Eleanor Galvin (1 goal, 3 assists) will aid Koula for a Lawrence team that finished third in both team points (105) and goals scored (38). Junior keeper Cassandra Burke had a successful second season with a 1.66 goals against average and four shutouts to lead the Lawrence backline.

5. Monmouth Fighting Scots
2010 Record: 10-6-3, 6-2-1
Returning All-MWC First Team: 1
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Heading into his ninth year as head coach Barry McNamara has high expectations after an MWC Tournament appearance in 2010. The Fighting Scots welcome back three players with 14 or more points including junior Kerry Kost who finished 10th in the league in points (7 goals, 6 assists). Seniors Molly Ball and Niki Sue Williams also were main contributors on the offensive side of the field, both scoring seven goals and combining for four game winning goals. On the defensive side of the field the Fighting Scots were among the best in the conference, led by 2010 MWC Defensive Player of the Year sophomore Samantha Barranco. She led the league with eight shutouts in only 18 games played and surrendered only 21 goals during the season. Barranco was a mainstay in a defensive unit that finished second in the conference in both goals allowed (22) and goals against average (1.16).

6. Grinnell Pioneers
2010 Record: 6-10-1, 4-4-1
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Heather Benning begins her 14th season at Grinnell and welcomes back a strong core from a team that finished just on the outside of the MWC Tournament in 2010. Benning returns 98% of her team offense from a year ago headlined by sophomore Patty Murphy-Geiss. Murphy-Geiss scored 12 goals last season (fifth in MWC) and shot a team-best 23.1% for the Pioneers while registering four game-winning goals. Senior Cynthia Dominguez scored 12 points (5 goals, 2 assists) and was also one of three players to start in all 17 games for the Pioneers. Grinnell will have a deep and experienced back line with a pair of All-Conference selections returning in senior Second Team selection Becca Carter and sophomore Honorable Mention pick Nicole Sipfle.
 

7. Ripon Red Hawks
2010 Record: 4-14-0, 3-6-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Sam Schroeder takes over a Ripon program after a seventh place finish in 2010 and will look for improvement from a Red Hawks squad that has won three conference games in each of the last three seasons. Sophomores Lexi Soich (3 goals, 5 assists) and Kali Doerr (3 goals, 3 assists) will pace the offense alongside junior Aimee Prudhomme (3 goals). Ripon was outscored 95-21 in 18 games last season and will need to replace departed goalkeeper Jessica Martzahl who was between the pipes 15 times last season. Schroeder will boast one of the youngest lineups in the league with nine freshman and 15 sophomores to start the season.

8. Illinois College Blueboys
2010 Record: 2-13-2, 0-8-1
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Illinois C. enters the 2011 season looking for its first conference victory since 2007 as they ride a 31 game winless streak under second year head coach Becky Golas. Sophomore Ana Medina arrived on the scene in 2010 and led the team with seven goals and three assists while finishing eighth in the league averaging 3.24 shots per game. Senior Carla Lopez and sophomore Taylor Triplo combined for seven goals and 16 points and will compliment Medina on the offensive end. All-MWC Honorable Mention award winner Lindsey Koch will anchor the defensive unit as she chipped in a pair of goals in 2010.

9. Beloit Buccaneers
2010 Record: 3-12-2, 0-7-2
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Beloit Head Coach Liz Bartley embarks on her sixth year as head of the Buccaneers and returns the team’s top two scorers from 2010, senior Molly Dickson and junior Erin Chambers. Dickson was an All-MWC Second Team selection and finished 10th in the league in points per game (1.18) and ninth in goals (9). Chambers contributed 12 points which included five goals (one game winning) on 34 shots while sophomore Camilla Jackson (one goal) is the only other returning goal scorer for the Buccaneers. Bartley will have to replace departed goalkeeper Kourtney Kingslein between the pipes after she earned a 2.73 goals against average and two shutouts.

10. Knox Prairie Fire
2010 Record: 7-11-0, 2-7-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Melissa Joseph joins the Prairie Fire staff for the 2011 season and looks to improve Knox after a eighth place finish in 2010. Joseph will have to replace All-MWC Second Team selection Emma Swanson who finished as the conferences fourth leading scorer with 31 points and 13 goals. Junior Arielle Dorman was the second leaded scorer with 10 points, including four goals, and will be looked upon to carry the Knox offense. No other player returns with more than one goal as the 2011 roster has an influx of youth with three freshman and six sophomores. One of those sophomores, goalkeeper Racheal Koene, will man the pipes after a 3.07 goal against average in 15 starts.