Marquette University Athletics
Women's Soccer Set to Open Up Season
8/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 27, 2002
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For the third straight season, Marquette and Wis.-Milwaukee will co-host the Verizon Wireless Milwaukee Cup. Marquette's Valley Fields will serve as the host location for the first day of competition on Aug. 30, as Oakland and Wis.-Milwaukee meet at 6 p.m. Marquette and Ohio follow at 8:15 p.m. On Sept. 1, the site shifts to Engelmann Field on the campus of Wis.-Milwaukee. Marquette plays Oakland at noon and UWM faces Ohio after.
Last season, Oakland won the Milwaukee Cup by defeating both Marquette and UWM on their home fields. Ohio replaces Iowa from last year's field. Marquette went 1-1 in the cup last season and was 2-0 in 2000.
Scouting Ohio
Head coach Stacy Strauss enters her third season as Ohio coach and led the Bobcats to a 12-8 mark a season ago.
The Bobcats return one of the Mid-American Conference's top scorers from last year, Christel Schnering. In 2000, she had 11 goals and an assist.
Ohio is coming off a 3-1 loss to Purdue in an exhibition match. Midfielder Abby Leopold, a three goal, eight assist performer last year, scored the Bobcats only goal. Michelle Meglaughlin, a sophomore, played all 90 minutes in goal and made 10 saves.
Scouting Oakland
Marquette and Oakland will meet for the second time in series history, with the Golden Eagles looking for some revenge for a season-opening loss to OU last year.
The matchup will be between preseason league favorites as the Golden Grizzlies were picked to repeat as champion of the Mid-Continent Conference.
The Golden Grizzlies return two key players from last year's 16-4-1 squad. Senior midfielder Debbie Cartmel is the leading returning goal scorer. She netted eight shots a year ago and had five assists. Junior goalkeeper Sarah Buckland had a 0.85 goals against average in 2001. OU proved they could score at the end of last season during the NCAA Tournament. The Grizzlies lost 3-2 to a Cincinnati team that had only allowed six goals all season to that point.
In The Polls
Marquette receives only one recognition in the two preseason top 25 polls. A 24th ranked team in the preseason a year ago, Marquette received votes toward the Soccer Buzz top 25 this season. The Golden Eagles did not receive mention in the NSCAA top 25.
Regionally, Marquette is the third ranked team in the Soccer Buzz Great Lakes Rankings. Notre Dame and Michigan are ahead of MU. The NSCAA did not compile a regional preseason ranking
Gordon Rising in MU Career Categories
Senior Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) has her eye set on some MU career records. Heading into the season, MU's second most prolific goal scorer needs 14 scores to tie all-time MU goal scoring leader Kelly Roethe. Roethe netted 49 goals from 1996-99. Gordon trails Roethe by 41 in the career points category. Roethe's total of 123 came on 49 goals and 25 assists. If Gordon were to tie Roethe for career goals at 49, she'd need 13 assists on the season to tie for points. Gordon is also five match-winning goals behind Roethe who won 17 matches.
Roeders Closing in on 100
Head coach Markus Roeders needs just three wins to become the first women's soccer coach to win 100 games. He would join nine other MU coaches to reach 100 wins. Roeders looks to join men's basketball coaches Bill Chandler (193-198), Al McGuire (295-80), Hank Raymonds (126-50) and Mike Deane (100-55), men's soccer coach Steve Adlard (106-80-17, current), women's basketball coach Terri Mitchell (113-62, current), women's tennis coach Jody Bronson (233-161, current) as well as Tat Shiley who won 380 times in volleyball and 111 times in women's basketball.
Marquette Trio Named Preseason All-Conference
MU forward Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa), who scored nine goals with four assists in 2001, has been chosen to win her second straight Player-of-the-Year award. Gordon, an honorable mention All-American last season and a second-team All-American selection in 2000, will attempt to become the third player in C-USA history to win the women's soccer Player-of-the-Year award on consecutive occasions. Charlotte's Jill Currie won the award in 1999 and 2000; Paulette Angilecchia of Cincinnati won in 1995 and 1996.
Joining Gordon on the preseason all-conference team are a pair of MU teammates. Junior midfielder Kristen Jensen (Shorewood, Ill.) and senior defender Anne Dalecky (Wauwatosa, Wis.), the Conference's Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season, were also voted to the team. Jensen was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in each of her first two season. Dalecky was named first-team all-conference a season ago. Marquette and Saint Louis are the only team to land three players on the preseason honors squad.
Golden Eagles Tabbed as Preseason Favorites
Marquette, a second place finisher in Conference USA last season, has been picked by the league's 14 coaches to win the league. Last season, MU was 8-2 in conference play and finished second to Cincinnati. The Bearcats are picked second behind Marquette. Charlotte, UAB and Saint Louis round out the top five. The C-USA tournament is scheduled for Nov. 6-9 in Charlotte, N.C.
The Golden Eagles have won the regular season league crown four times, the most of any school. MU won the crown in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000. MU won the conference tournament in 1999 and 2000.
