Marquette University Athletics
Women's Soccer to Play Saint Louis and Kansas Saturday
4/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
April 3, 2009
MILWAUKEE - After inclement weather forced the Marquette women's soccer team to cancel its outdoor spring opener, the Golden Eagles will head to St. Louis, Mo., Saturday, April 4 to play Saint Louis at noon and Kansas at 3:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at Hermann Stadium and will be 80 minutes in length.
"Our team is excited about the weekend. We have been outside for a few weeks, but since last weekend's games were cancelled, we look forward to playing someone other than ourselves," said head coach Markus Roeders. "Both Saint Louis and Kansas are great teams and have been very successful over the years. We will play to win but the results are not our primary focus."
Saint Louis finished 11-6-4 in 2008 and advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks captured the Big 12 Tournament Championship and advanced to the second-round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas posted a 2-1 win over Denver in the first round before falling to eventual National Semifinalist, Stanford, in the second round. The Jayhawks finished 2008 at 13-8-2.
Following its trip to St. Louis, the Golden Eagles will head to College Station, Texas to play Texas A&M and Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, April 17.
Roeders notes the reason for playing teams such as Kansas, Saint Louis, Texas A&M and Stephen F. Austin during the spring season is for the team to learn from its competition and prepare for the upcoming fall season.
"The reason for this trip is for our team to get experience from playing other talented teams and continue to build a foundation for the 2009 season. We are forming our squad for next year and our priority is to learn, improve and try various things within the games. Since the beginning of the semester, the ladies have worked extremely hard in individual training, conditioning and our team training environment," said Roeders.
Saturday's games will also give Roeders the opportunity to experiment with different combinations at various positions. The Golden Eagles lost three senior defenders from the 2008 squad which finished 11-8-3 overall and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
"Over 90 percent of our squad is returning. The experience we have already and what we gain is absolutely crucial. Outsiders may look at our team and only see us having to replace defensive players, but with all ladies healthy, we should have more options than last fall," said Roeders.
