Women's Soccer Heads to Wisconsin for Lone Exhibition Contest Saturday

Aug. 14, 2009

A week of preseason training camp is in the books for the Marquette women's soccer team, as the Golden Eagles prepare for their 17th season of competition, 14th in head coach Markus Roeders' tenure. The Golden Eagles will travel to Wisconsin for their lone exhibition game in the midst of preseason training camp at Camp Whitcomb. Marquette will face off against the Badgers on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at McClimon Soccer Complex.

Head coach Markus Roeders is has been pleased with his team's progress thus far and looks forward to the fall season.

"Preseason has gone well thus far and the team is working extremely hard while learning from us coaches and each other," said Roeders. "After eight days together, it is time to test ourselves against another team. Physically and mentally we won't be as sharp as on August 23rd at Pepperdine, but that is expected right now. Wisconsin is a good test and for us it is important to build on this practice match. We would like to win but the score is secondary to us learning and getting better. Our talent level is excellent and we are mostly healthy so far. The team has responded to our on campus training plus our 'mini camp' near Waupaca and now the stay at Camp Whitcomb. We hope fans will come out to the exhibition game tomorrow and the Fan Fest on Sunday at Valley Fields."

Marquette looks to have one of its most experienced squads in program history as it welcomes back 22 letterwinners and eight starters from a season ago that earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament and finished 11-8-3 overall. Junior forward Ashley Bares is the top returning scorer after leading MU with 12 points on five goals and two assists, followed by junior Julia Victor and sophomore Danielle Martens who each tallied three goals and two assists. The Golden Eagles return 12 additional players who tallied at least a point in 2008. Eight newcomers join the squad in 2009.

In goal, Marquette will have two veterans between the pipes as sophomore Natalie Kulla and senior Chelsey Turner split time last season and are both back for 2009. Kulla totaled over 1,477 minutes in net while compiling a 9-5-2 overall mark, six shutouts and a 0.79 goals against average. Turner made five starts while seeing action in nine games. She earned a 2-3-1 overall record, one shutout and a 0.86 goals against average. The duo combined to help Marquette post nine shutouts in 2008.

Coach Paula Wilkins, in her third year with Wisconsin, returns eight starters from a squad that finished last season 9-9-1 overall and 10th in the Big Ten conference. The Badgers lost last season's leading scorer to graduation, but return sophomore Laurie Nosbusch, who led the team in points with 21 in 19 matches, including 7 goals. Wisconsin was selected to finish seventh in the Big Ten women's soccer preseason coaches' poll.

Marquette rallied to beat the Badgers last season in an exhibition game, 2-1.

The Golden Eagles will return to Milwaukee for the third annual Fan Fest on Sunday, Aug. 16. The women's intra-squad scrimmage will begin at 3 p.m., followed by the men's Blue vs. Gold scrimmage at 5 p.m. This FREE event will feature interactive skill stations, player autographs and photo opportunities, and food courtesy of Qdoba.