This is a great development for both the men's and women's soccer programs.  There are numerous reasons why the split went as it did with hiring a new men's coach and keeping me on as the women's coach.  Suffice it to say, lots and lots of conversation was had between myself, Coach Bridges, and other administrators to get this done.  I feel we possibly have the best staff of soccer coaches in the conference and I have no doubt that both the men's and women's teams will see instantly how having one person in charge of one team will pay dividends during the fall.

I am excited for the future of Titan soccer.  The women's program has already accomplished a fair amount in just four years, but we have barely scratched the surface of what is possible out there.  I fully expect the team to make significant strides forward this season.  The men's team has also improved significantly since 2001, but we've consistently had problems getting over the proverbial hump.  I believe the ship of the men's team is heading in the right direction, and I think everyone who has watched the men play over the last four seasons will agree.  Hopefully the mechanical tweaking that will occur with Coach Lakin as the skipper will enable the men's boat to not only stay on course, but accelerate the process and bypass others in the CCIW.

August 20th can't come soon enough for both me and Coach Lakin.  We are both geared up for the fall, looking forward to working with our teams and helping each other along the way.  I have great confidence that the working environment in the Titan soccer offices will be healthy and productive and will lead to successes on the playing field in 2005.

Carly Calkins (Park Ridge, Il), a forward from Maine South High School.
Christin Coffey (Park Ridege, Il), a left-sided defender from Maine South High School.

Both are young women who were not "recruited" in the traditional sense, and instead found IWU and decided to attend all on their own.  After expressing a strong desire to continue with soccer, we have decided to invite both athletes into the pre-season squad as we believe they can both be positive additions to the program.  Our pre-season roster now stands at 28 players.

From March 10-20, the team embarked on its first ever foreign tour.  19 players and 5 adults spent a glorious 10 days travelling through northern and central Italy, seeing wonderful sights and playing three games against professional Italian teams.  In the three games, the team went 1-2 but learned quite a bit about themselves and what is needed to play soccer at the highest level.  Our first game of the trip was against first division club S.S. Vallassinese who is in the middle of the table this year.  We ended up losing the game 1-3 after 0-0 in the first half.  In the second game, we defeated Lecco 5-2.  In our final game (and third in three nights), we lost 6-0 to Bardolino Verona who are currently the best pro team in Italy.  We heard they had several outstanding players, and our fears were confirmed after only watching for about 30 seconds.  We learned their team had 5-7 full National Team players from Italy and Finland and I think our players really saw some special soccer being played against us that night.

In addition to the soccer, the team stayed in the city of Como (near the Swiss boarder), visited Verona, Venice, Milan, Florence, Pisa, and Tuscany.  Our captains (led by cheif scribe Katie Korder) posted accounts of the trip online.  You can read her thoughts by clicking on the "Italy 2005" link on our main women's soccer home page.  All in all, the players and adults had a fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime experience.  It was truly a special experience and I know it was a very enjoyable time for me and each of the players.

On the home front, we are continuing with our spring training season, at least when the weather is cooperating.  We have about 9 more practices to go before the end of April and hopefully with the onset of spring we will be able to have more useful training sessions over the next few weeks.

On the recruiting front, we have received deposits from 7 players so far (we are still awaiting decisions from two additional players who are on our radar screen).  Here is a snapshot of what the freshman class will look like:

Sarah Alley (Zionsville, IN) Sarah is athletic and versatile and can play both in midfield and in the back.  She plays with Dynamo FC from Indianapolis (State Cup runner up last year) and was named Second Team All-State for her high school team in 2004 and  2003.  Her plan is to study science here at IWU.

Tanya Hnastchenko (Shorewood, MN) Tanya is a natural left-sided player and will immediately make an impact with the team in the fall.  She is athletic and tough, and could be a strong presence as an attacking left back.  She is a veteran of a strong club background (St. Paul Blackhawks) and we are very excited she has chosen to attend IWU.  She is leaning towards studying science.

Caroline Leighton (Bloomington, IL) Caroline is a local find for us.  She attended our Elite Girls Soccer Academy last summer and really stood out when surrounded by other good players.  Caroline is an excellent athlete: she also has run cross-country and played varsity basketball for Normal Community High School throughout her career.  Although she was named All-Conference and All-Sectional as a junior, she has always divided her time among her three sports and she is excited to be able to concentrate on soccer in college.  She is a forward whose athleticism and intelligence will serve her well in making the adjustment to college soccer.  She is going to study math at IWU.

Erin Murray (Park Ridge, IL) Erin is a midfielder whose brother plays football for the Titans.  Yet another player who we saw at our camp, I think Erin is going to bring to the team intelligence, strength, and an ability to do a couple of different jobs for us.  She has played ODP soccer for the last couple of years and that experience will surely serve her well in college.

Carissa Nemmers (Dubuque, IA) Carissa is another player we discovered through her attendance at our soccer camp last summer.  She is another versatile player who is best in the back, but can also play in midfield.  She is smart and skillful, and was named All-Conference, All-City, and Honorable Mention All-State in both 2003 and 2004.  She played club soccer for the Dubuque Power and the Rockford Dactyls.  She plans on majoring in accounting.

Jordan Pollack (Woodridge, IL) Jordan plays her club soccer with the Sockers and graduated from Downers Grove South HS in January.  This spring she is exclusively training with the Sockers and competing with her own team as well as with boys teams.  Jordan is a skillful player who can play as a midfielder or as a target striker.

Tina Rodriguez (Simi Valley, CA) Tina comes to IWU as a veteran of a very powerful club team in California, So Cal United.  She is coming back from a serious leg injury last summer and is now back competing with her club team at full speed.  We expect her to be at 100% by the time pre-season arrives.  Tina is a very skillful central midfield player.  Playing at a high level in California is going to prove beneficial for her in making the transition to college soccer.  She was unable to play high school soccer this past winter due to her leg, but was named All-Conference in both 2003 and 2004, and team MVP her junior season.

This is shaping up to be an outstanding class of quality players and quality people.  I really feel like this group is going to make an instant impact on our team.  We are adding some very good athletes who are going to challenge our returning players for playing time from day one.  After a frustrating 2004 season, I am hopeful that the addition of these players will enable us to get back to the level we were at in 2003.

That's all for now.  Check back over the next couple of weeks to see if we have added any more updates about our incoming players.
 
 

I think everyone associated with the team is filled with mixed emotions about the season.  On the one hand, we overcame many obstacles (namely all kinds of injuries) to win 14 games and reach the finals of the CCIW tournament.  On the other hand, I think we would all agree that we fell far short of the standards and expectations that we set for the Titan women's soccer program.  For example, we were only 3-6 away from home,  8-6-1 against teams above .500, and conceded 30 goals (more than double our total from last season).  For me, these statistics are symptomatic of some issues we'll be addressing in the off-season as I know I do not want a repeat of any of those stats in 2005.  We CAN and WILL do better.  Our schedule for 2005 is just about set.  Once again it will be difficult.  Games next year will include: Chicago, Wash U, Aurora, St. Thomas, UW-Eau Claire, St. Mary's (IN), Wittenberg, Hope, and Principia, in addition to our tough CCIW schedule.  We will also scrimmage DePauw in preseason as we did this year.  Our upcoming trip to Italy in March will allow us to have an extended spring season and ultimately help us to prepare for 2005.

We say good-bye to a fine class of seniors who have helped to build our team into what it is today.  Marisa, Woody, April, Stephanie, Zaya, and Jessa will be missed on and off the field.  I know they will be proud of what they accomplished once the dust settles and they have time to let the last 4 years sink in.

We recently had our annual CCIW coaches meeting where the All-League teams were selected.  We were fortunate to place three on the All-CCIW first team (Marisa, Katie, and Mary), and one on the second team (Lyndsay).  Congratulations to them.  Additionally, Marisa and Katie were both named to the 2004 Academic All-District V (College Division) third-team.  Announcements for the All-Regional teams for 2004 should be made public in the next week or so.

I will keep this page updated throughout the winter and spring with news about the Titans, including annoucements of incoming freshmen once that begins to take shape.  Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this page and I hope to see you at games in the future!
 
 

The statistical star of the game for us on Wednesday was Marisa Johnson. She tied an IWU record and a Carthage field record by scoring four goals for us in the game.  We made some tactical adjustments going into the game which I think freed up spaces for Marisa and others to operate.  As a result, she hit for three goals in the first half and added a fourth to put the game to bed with about 13 minutes to go.

It was a much improved effort and execution of details than we saw in our performance last Saturday at Carthage.  There was a spell in the second half when we absorbed a bit of pressure from Carthage, and they did get a goal out of it for their efforts.  However, there wasn't ever a time where our goalkeeper needed to make any sparkling saves to keep the Lady Reds at bay.  We played better on defense and did a better job keeping the ball when we were on offense.

We will need our absolute best effort and performance on Saturday.  Wheaton is very good, perhaps the best team in the nation when they are playing to their potential.  They are big, strong, athletic, and very confident.  The good news is that games aren't played on paper, and once the whistle blows to start things on Saturday anything is possible.  We all realize the task ahead of us, but we will be ready for the task.  Having played them once and knowing what to expect will help the confidence of our team.  Additionally, we couldn't have been more beat up the first time around and that didn't help our cause back in September.  I think we are a different team today than we were then, and I know we'll give a better performance than we did 5 weeks ago.
 
 

Tonight's conditions should be better than Saturday, when a steady wind of about 40mph effected the tactics of the game.  With the wind blowing hard down the field, each team had the wind at its back for half the game.  We unfortunately didn't do a good enough job when we had the advantage, and Carthage did.  We are going to have Katie Kelly back from injury tonight, which will certainly help our offense.  I think we have made some necessary tactical adjustments as well that will hopefully prove to be beneficial in the rematch tonight.

Should we win tonight, we will head to Wheaton College on Saturday for the CCIW championship game against either Wheaton or Augustana.  Game time will be 5:00pm, with the winner claiming the CCIW Championship trophy for 2004.
 
 

The Titans are coming off two more wins against Millikin (4-0) and Webster (3-2).  Our record now sits at 12-3-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the conference.  Carthage is 15-4 and 5-1 in the CCIW, with their most recent result a 4-1 loss at the hands of Wheaton on Wednesday evening.  Carthage is a very good team, playing with a great deal of confidence and energy, and we will surely have our hands full on Saturday.

If there is anything in our favor as we head on the road tomorrow, it is the fact that the game has been moved from Carthage's regular field on campus, which is a artificial field turf surface, to the practice field at the UW-Parkside campus, a 120 x 80, natural grass surface.  Carthage is an excellent team when playing on their turf; a clear home field advantage.  Playing on grass somewhat minimizes the advantage for the mere fact that we play on natural grass regularly and going to play a big game on an unfamiliar surface damages the confidence of the players.  Not having to adjust to a different field will help us be able to focus on what is really important: handling the Carthage team and bringing the CCIW semifinals to Bloomington on Wednesday.

Our team continues to plug along, finding different ways to win.  The other night against Webster, we used two penalty kicks, each taken by Mary Karson, to defeat a stubborn Gorlock team.  Mary's final, game-winning PK came with only 1 minute left in the game after Lyndsay O'Brien was fouled in the penalty box after beating a Gorlock defender.  Mary confidently stepped up and buried her second goal of the night to give us the win.  We were playing once again without leading scorer Katie Kelly (ankle), and most of the game without Marisa Johnson (hamstring).  As a result, we have been shifting players around and usually playing a couple of players in 2 or 3 spots during a game.  Everyone is handling the situation well and stepping up to do the best they can where ever their services are needed on the field.

We are looking forward to tomorrow's game and hope we have everyone healthy.

We had an interesting visit to Michigan last weekend, encountering rain, hail, mud, a lost hotel reservation, a cancelled game, but one good win against Hope College.  In easily some of the worst soccer conditions I have ever seen, we managed to defeat the hosts from the Michigan Conference 2-1 in double OT.  The game should really have never have reached OT, as we held a 1-0 advantage with under a minute to go and we had a free kick in our end.  However, we lost the 50/50 ball and the knock down, and Hope quickly countered into our end.  We failed to clear the cross and it fell directly to one of their players who tied the game with 00:42 showing on the clock.  It was a very disappointing turn of events for us, considering the game was well in hand at that time.  Falling asleep as we did allowed them to gain momentum heading into the extra session.

There was good news and bad news in the OT.  First, we found a way to win thanks to a special effort from Lyndsay O'Brien, who beat a couple of defenders down the flank and crossed a ball to Marisa Johnson who tallied the game winning goal after assisting on the Titans first goal in the second half.  The bad news was that Katie Kelly badly sprained her ankle during the first OT.  She missed the remainder of that game, as well as the game yesterday at the U of Chicago, which we lost 2-0.

Not having Katie in the lineup makes a big difference in our team.  In addition to the goals she scores, she enables us to stretch the defense with her pace and forces the opposition to account for her in ways that they don't account for others.  This enables other players to get open and find opportunities to score.  Yesterday, we were only able to create shots from distance and never were able to consistently mount a sustained attack against a quality opponent in Chicago.  That being said, I thought we did as well as we could have in the midfield.  We got caught a couple of times defensively, and while Emily Castner made a couple of very good saves to keep us in the game, we simply allowed Chicago too many opportunities and they took advantage.

We must win our final two conference games against Millikin and Carthage in order to host the semifinal tournament game on November 3.  In between, we play host to Webster University on October 27th.  In order for us to win our next three games and then get ourselves into the CCIW championship game, we need to tidy up our defending and find ways to create goals from other individuals.  With a bid to the NCAA tournament a long shot at best, we can look forward to perhaps playing in a first annual Midwestern Association of Athletic Conferences (MAAC) tournament.  Essentially, this is a post-season tournament for the 8 best non-NCAA qualifying teams, modeled after a similar event in the northeast.  Since this is its first year of existence, we don't know much about the logistics of the event other than it will run concurrently with the NCAA tournament.  As soon as I have any information, I will be sure to post it here.
 
 

We responded reasonably well on Saturday against a not-so-strong North Central team.  Both Katie Kelly and freshman Carrie Walz scored three goals each in the victory.  Lyndsay O'Brien had three assists on the day as well to help lead the Titans to victory.  The win on Saturday extended the Titans home unbeaten streak to 14 games, going 11-0-3 since losing to Wheaton College (MA) in September 2003.  Since 2002, the Titans are an impressive 24-2-5 at home.

We are going to have to find a way to win on the road this week, as we have three games away from Neis Field.  On Wednesday we travel to Aurora which is always a tough place to play.  Then, we head on the road to Michigan to play Hope and Kalamazoo on Saturday and Sunday.  This week will prove to be a good test for the team as we seek to continue to improve individually and collectively coming into the final stretch of the regular season.
 
 

October 4--On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, the Titans bounced back from their disappointing midweek loss at Wheaton to register their second CCIW win of the season, 4-0 over the Bluejays of Elmhurst College.  Traditionally, our games with Elmhurst are very tight and over the past three years each game has ended at 1-0 for one side or the other.  However, on Saturday we were very clinical in our finishing and didn't miss any of the chances we got.

Four different people scored for us on Saturday, with Brittany Kirkpatrick, Eileen Ouska, and Stephanie Travers each notching their first goals of the season.  Lyndsay O'Brien got her second of the year as well.  Katie Kelly, while not scoring any goals, helped create two and logged two assists for the day.  Emily Castner needed only three saves to register the shutout.

We begin a busy week with a game tonight against St. Francis University, an NAIA school located south of Chicago.  This is our first meeting with them, and we don't know much about them other than they have been struggling to score goals in their last few outings.  On Wednesday, we'll head off to Dubuque, Iowa for our makeup game against Loras College.  This is an important game for us as Loras is currently ahead of us in the regional rankings and is unbeaten on the season.  Also, since we have had only one road game so far (which didn't go very well at Wheaton), it is important for us to get ourselves right when we are playing away from home.  Loras will present a good challenge for us and I hope we'll be up for it because I know they will be.  Finally, our week ends with a home CCIW game against North Central on Saturday afternoon.  With three league games remaining, we'll need to win them all to assure ourselves of second place in the conference and a home game in the CCIW tournament.

We hope to get healthy and not be distracted by midterm exams and travelling away from IWU.  If we do, I like our chances at getting three good results this week.

September 30--Sadly, we chose the wrong day to have a bad game.  The Wheaton Thunder women's soccer team gave us a beating we hadn't seen coming.  They came out firing on all cylinders and attacked from the opening moments of the game.  It could have been a lot worse, honestly, if not for some stellar goalkeeping from Emily Castner.  At the end of the day, I was glad it wasn't more because it certainly could have been.

Wheaton is extremely athletic, physical, and experienced.  They put us under a lot of pressure and we didn't do a good job dealing with it.  And, they are good enough to punish teams when mistakes are made in the middle or defensive third of the field.  They have three very solid forwards and although the concede space to play in the middle of the field, we weren't sharp technically last night and ended up giving the ball away quite a bit.  That resulted in quick Wheaton counter attacks and multiple chances on goal for the Thunder.

Not helping matters is the fact that we are very injured and ill.  Several of our regulars are playing through pain and sickness.  All of it came to light last night and our shortcomings as a team and as individuals were exposed by a motivated and well organized Wheaton team.

Not all will be lost on the evening for a couple of reasons.  First, last time I checked it only counts for one game.  If it were a win, the same would be true.  However, we must find a way to learn from the evening and just get better from it.  It will be a bit like getting a poor grade on an exam: you know you didn't do well, but unless you learn the correct answers you'll get the same grade the next time out.  We need to get the answers right before our next game against Elmhurst on Saturday.  Secondly, perhaps getting beat badly by a good team will teach the group what is necessary to compete at that level.  I still think we are a solid team, we just need to get healthy, be better organized when we don't have the ball, and take better care of the ball when we are in possession.

We'll put it all out there again at homecoming this weekend and hope for the best!
 
 

September 27--In a game that was not really expected to be all that close, the team dispatched the winless Vikings of North Park 4-0 on Friday night in Bloomington.  Our goals were scored by Katie Kelly (2), Mary Karson, and Lyndsay O'Brien.  All three goalkeepers played and combined to hold the Vikings scoreless.

I was pleased that I was able to get everyone into the game on Friday night, as all of the girls have been working very hard all season long.  Since we play so many tight games against good opponents, it can sometimes be challenging to get everyone playing time.  It is nice to have a game like Friday's in order to let everyone demonstrate to us what they are capable of doing during the heat of a game.

This week we head up to Wheaton to take on the Thunder.  WC is currently 8-1 and defeated previously unbeaten and #1 in the nation University of Chicago last Thursday night.  They are ranked #1 in our region this week and should move into the top 10 in the nation.  However, we are ranked #3 in the region this week (tied with Chicago) and we will be ready for the battle on Wednesday and will certainly head up north with a great deal of confidence after our win over Wash U last week.  Wheaton is a tough place to play with their "spirited" fans not afraid to voice their opinions about opposing teams.  But, I think our team will be looking forward to the game and hopefully will play well.

For homecoming on Saturday, we'll host Elmhurst College, who defeated us 1-0 last season.  This is another game the girls look forward to every year and I am sure Saturday will be no different.  We hope for a big homecoming crowd to cheer us on!

September 22--Soccer is a strange game.  In a span of ten minutes against the #6 ranked team in the nation on Tuesday night, the conversation among the IWU coaching staff went from, "How are we ever going to get through the final 30 minutes under this pressure?" to "Oh my, we are up by 2!"

The Titans withstood a furious 50-60 minute attack from the previously unbeaten Bears of Wash U with some outstanding defending and goalkeeping.  Although Wash U had us pinned in our own end for quite some time and were firing away at will, most of their shots were not dangerous or difficult for our keeper Emily Castner to handle.  Emily handled the routine shot and made a couple of very good stops (including a penalty kick) to keep the Bears off the board, all the while keeping us in the game.  This is one case where the statistics were misleading: the final sheet showed 23 shots by Wash U, but I can recall only 4-5 times were Emily needed to leave her feet to make a save, indicating that many shots were at the keeper or missed the target completely.

Our fortunes changed in the 61st minute when Katie Kelly scored a goal on pure effort.  She turned a potentially harmless situation for the defense and keeper into a goal when she pressured a ball that their keeper came off her line to play.  Katie challenged for the ball and won it from the keeper, then calmly poked it into an empty net for a 1-0 Titan advantage.

Just 8 minutes later, Katie was at it again.  After their keeper had caught a cross on our initial attack, her clearing punt was won by Katie Korder who quickly played the ball to Brittany Kirkpatrick.  Brittany turned and slotted a good pass for Katie Kelly who first timed a shot past their keeper for a 2-0 lead.

We fell asleep just at the end of the game when we allowed a free serve from midfield to find a wide open Bear in the penalty box to cut the lead to 2-1 with 30 seconds to play.  We managed to run out the clock after that and walk off the field with the victory.

In the end it was an excellent result for us.  We have played very good games with Wash U in each of the four years I have been here, going 2-0-2 in that time.  They are an excellent team who has defeated Wheaton, Depauw, and Ohio Wesleyan so far this season.  I hope the team's performance last night will give us some much needed confidence heading into three straight CCIW games beginning with North Park on Friday night.
 
 

September 19--Once again the Augustana Vikings have proven to have our number.  Despite outshooting them, having territorial advantages in both halves, and thoroughly outplaying them in every category, the Titans were unable to get any of their 11 shots on goal past the Viking keeper through regulation and 2 OT's.  While it was not a loss in the standings, it certainly felt like it was in many other ways as we felt we deserved better on the night.

Augustana plays a very discipline 4-4-2 with their back four plus their midfielders firmly camped deep in their end.  Very frequently they will have 6-8 defenders across the top of their box which takes away spaces behind and centrally.  Despite their attempts to keep us at bay, we created numerous chances for ourselves by attacking wide, combination play, and through passes between their backs.  Our finishing and service into the box was not sharp, as often our shots missed the target or shot or passed it directly to the keeper.  This is obviously something we'll be working on this week as we prepare for our next games (Tuesday at home against #9 nationally Wash U, and then Friday night against North Park).

The Vikings are going to make it tough for any team because they are so focused on defending and play with great confidence in the back.  I don't think they will be in very many high scoring games, but will certainly win their share of games given their style of play.  In the grand scheme, this is a good thing for the CCIW as I think Elmhurst, Augustana, Carthage, and ourselves can disrupt the run of Wheaton dominance in the conference.  I don't see many games being one-sided affairs this season, which means we must find a way to win close games.

We'll have our hands full on Tuesday night against Wash U, but we'll be ready when the Bears come to town for the 7:00 kickoff.
 
 

Septemeber 14--The Titans kept their record perfect on the young 2004 season with a 6-1 win over Cornell College from Iowa on Saturday afternoon at Neis Field.  The team received two goals apiece from Katie Kelly and Marisa Johnson, while Mary Karson and Zaya Fusco each added a goal each.

The team played markedly better than the previous weekend, which was good to see.  We possessed the ball better and we were much more efficient and composed inside the penalty area.  We still need to work on a few things defensively, but we are getting better each day.

We are also getting healthier as key starters Katie Korder, Lyndsay O'Brien, and Jenny LaBrenz are now all back in the lineup after missing significant time during the preseason.  With our overall depth a bit of a question mark, serious injuries are going to really be a problem for the team.  We have already lost for the season senior captain Kristin Wood to a torn ACL, so having the others return is an important thing for us.

We have a important stretch of games upcoming, beginning Wednesday at nationally ranked Loras College.  We defeated them in our first game last year and then they didn't lose again until the second round of the NCAA tournament.  They are undefeated this year and have lost only twice in their last 27 games.  It will certainly be a good test for us.  Then on Saturday we open the CCIW season with Augustana College at 7:00 pm.  It will be important for us to get off to a good start in the league with a good performance against the Vikings.  Then, next Tuesday we host nationally ranked Washington University, who have already defeated four nationally ranked opponents this season (Wheaton, DePauw, Ohio Wesleyan, Dennison).  Come next Wednesday, we will have charted a pretty definite course for our season; hopefully that course will be headed towards success in the league and in the nation.

I think we learned a lot about ourselves this weekend as we were challenged by two physical teams.  As is the case often in the early going, we missed several really good chances to score more goals and make the games a bit easier on ourselves.  However, as I reflect back to only a year ago, I think our start was very similar.  We played well enough to get the results we want, but know that we must be better to accomplish our team goals.

The bright spots for the weekend were that players who we will look to be our goal scorers (Katie Kelly, Marisa Johnson, and Mary Karson, etc.) did their job by scoring big goals for us.  We did a decent job at being dangerous and outshot both of our opponents.  Defensively, our backs did a really good job, especially Ashley Goergen who played as a center back in place of injured Jenny Labrenz for the first time in her career.  She did a great job, as did newcomer Taryn Hegi and senior Kristin Wood who was playing her first games in the back.  Jessa Pyzyna came off the bench to give us a lift as well.

We need to work on several things before our next game on Saturday against Cornell College of Iowa.  We would like to be better at finishing and need to do a better job of dominating the middle of the field through possession of the ball.  The first Central Regional rankings are out and they look like this: 1. Chicago, 2. Wash U (who defeated Depauw and Wheaton last weekend), 3. Loras (who we play on 9/15), 4. Wheaton, 5. IWU.  If anyone has any question at the difficulty of our schedule, one need to look no further than the regional rankings.  All four teams currently above us will face off against our Titans at some point during the season.
 
 

The Titan soccer team is getting prepared to open its 2004 season this weekend with participation in the 2nd annual Titan Soccer Classic.  This year, the Titans will face off against two Michigan teams, Calvin College and Albion College, in hopes of repeating their championship in the first soccer classic in 2003. (For a full press release story regarding the Titans fall season, please click here )

We have been working hard so far in preseason and have discovered quite a lot about ourselves so far.  We have played two scrimmage days, first against the Naperville Soccer Association Under 18 team.  Due to a driving rainstorm, we played the game in the Shirk Center as a 10 v 10 game.  All things considered, it went well and we ended up winning 3-1.  We followed that up with scrimmages against FC Barrington and #3 ranked Depauw University last weekend.  We essentially played two different units in each of the games to get everyone a really good look.  Against Barrington, the 60 minute contest ended in a 0-0 draw, although we did have a penalty kick saved late in the game.

The Depauw game showed us much about our team.  We ended up losing 5-1 to a very good team who reached the NCAA final four last season.  We aren't quite there yet, but Saturday was merely a milepost on our long journey that will hopefully have us reaching the NCAA tournament in November.  But, if we are to accomplish that goal, we are going to have to be much better at dictating tempo of games, finishing our scoring chances, and defending against restart situations.

Althought the result wasn't what we would have hoped for, I would much rather have this occur now than later.  Also, better to have played and lost against really strong competition in the preseason than simply play a team we know we can handle and not learn anything about ourselves that will make us a better team.

We are looking forward to the challenges of the season ahead and hope to kick off the campaign with two great performances this weekend in front of the home crowd.
 
 

We will welcome 8 new faces into the fold in the fall as memebers of our freshman class.  For those who have been paying attention to the IWU Sports homepage you have already seen the list of newcomers.  For those of you who have only been checking the soccer site, here is a list of the Class of 2008:

Name                        Hometown                    High School                        Position
Amanda Cordes     Naperville, Ill.                 Neuqua Valley HS             Goalkeeper
Taryn Hegi            Wheaton, Ill.                   Wheaton North HS            Defender
Jackie Kofod         Glenview, Ill.                  Glenbrook South HS          Defender
Megan Lucke        Libertyville, Ill.                Libertyville HS                   Midfielder
Jessica Pryor         Bettendorf, Iowa            Pleasant Valley HS             Forward
Megan Rynne       Oak Forest, Ill.               Marian Catholic HS            Defender
Carrie Walz            Bloomington, Ill.            Browning Academy (UT)    Forward

Our squad will number 27 players in the fall, making it the largest group we have had on the team since my arrival.  I am sure that the new players will add a dimension of depth and competitiveness to an experienced team that returns 20 upperclassmen. It should make for an exciting season!

We are already working on the Class of 2009, believe it or not.  I have been recruiting so far to tournaments in Indianapolis, Rockford, and Naperville.  Additionally, we are starting a girls' residential camp this summer in conjunction with the coach at Illinois State.  We are expecting about 75 high school girls to be on campus this summer, many of whom have expressed interest in IWU.  We have also had several girls make unofficial visits to campus this month.  With seven members of the team graduating next fall I am going to work hard to have another top class of players join the team in the fall of 2005.

Our schedule is up to date on our web site so please plan ahead to make as many games as possible this fall.  We have a great deal of unfinished business to attend to so hopefully the team will be up for it come August.  Once we get rolling again I will keep this site updated with information about the team and game reports.
 
 
 
 
 
 

                    Ann Bernard named  All-American Third Team
     First IWU Titan ever to earn All-American status

Senior midfielder Ann Bernard was named to the Division III NSCAA All-American third team for 2003, becoming the first Titan soccer player ever to earn such a distinction.  After being named All-Central Region for the second consecutive year, the four-time Titan Most Valuable Player was recognized as one of the top women's players in the nation.  All of the All-Americans, including all NCAA divisions, NAIA, and NCCAA, were recognized at a banquet at the national soccer coaches convention in Charlotte, NC this past weekend.  (If you would like to view all of the All-American teams, go to www.nscaa.com, click on the awards link and navigate your way to the Senior College Women section.)

Ann and her parents were able to attend the luncheon with me last Saturday and, I must say, it was wonderful to see her walk across the stage representing the IWU soccer program.  I think it is a great accomplishment for the women's program to have helped produce one of the best players in the country.  Obviously, Ann did a great deal of the work herself.  Her work ethic and commitment have been unparalleled over the past four years and I only hope it was not lost on the players who are still in the program.  While our team accomplishments will always precedent over individual honors, having players recognized for their accomplishments hopefully speaks to the type of environment we have created here at IWU.  From the time players are being recruited until the time they graduate, we talk with them about the importance of individual and collective improvement.  They hear quite often how it is an expectation for Titan soccer players to hold themselves accountable and to the high standards associated with Titan soccer.  Our philosophy is partially based on the idea that if everyone does their job in terms of preparing themselves to perform to their abilities, our team will benefit.  That has certainly been the case since 2001, few typify this better than Ann.
 

        Titans Place Seven Players on All-CCIW First and Second Teams
                        Senior Ann Bernard leads way with fourth First Team Selection

After a disappointing end to the the playing season, the Titans' post-season honors began to roll in with the announcement of the conference awards.  After a 6-1 record in the regualr season and a share of the title, the team was pleased to learn that seven of its players received recognition from the coaches in the league.

Three members of the team were named 1st Team All-CCIW.  Senior Ann Bernard was on the team for the fourth consecutive season; senior Lauren Boegen closed out her career as a first-team defender (she was second team in 2002); and striker Katie Kelly was named to the first team for the second consecutive season.

Four members of the team were selected to the second team.  Defender Jenny Labrenz was honored for the first time, as was midfielder Lyndsay O'Brien; Mary Karson and Marisa Johnson both made repeat appearances on the all-league teams (second and third times for each).

It was really nice to have our players recognized for their efforts.  I am often reminded that the girls are not going to remember the awards but instead the experience.  I guess I always want the best for them and since I know how hard they work everyday, I get more disappointed or excited about their awards.

While thrilled for the seven who received their honors, I was disappointed on two accounts.  First, I thought that our goalkeeper Emily Castner was well-deserving to be recognized.  She only conceded 1 goal in CCIW play all season and had 7 shutouts, including one over Wheaton.  I guess I don't know what more a player has to do!  She is certainly deserving and I would not trade her for any other keeper.  She will always be first team in our book!

Secondly, I was disappointed that the Player of the Year wasn't a Titan.  I thought we had two legitimate candidates in Ann and Katie, both of whom I consider to be better than the person who won the honor (not that I think she is a bad player, just not as good as either of ours).  To me, a Player of the Year honor should go to the most outstanding player in the conference and I don't believe this year's winner was the best player in the CCIW.  But, as was the case with Emily, I would not give up Ann or Katie for any five players in the league.

I am hopeful that our players have more recognition on the way with the regional and national honors forthcoming.  As those are announced, the comments' page will be updated with the results.