| 
Women's soccer home opener
Thursday, September 02, 2010 Megan Slaker Mankato, Minn. - On a sunny and beautiful Wednesday evening, the Vikings took on the Buena Vista Beavers for the season opener. The game ended in a 0-1 loss for the Vikings.
The first half was a battle back and forth with neither team able to pull away from the 0-0 score. Bethany gained control of the game putting together plenty of crosses in front of the net, but had problems connecting with the follow through. At 31:40, junior Kristin Renner (Victoria, Minn./Mayer Lutheran) took advantage of one of those opportunities, but the Beaver’s keeper was aggressive out of the net and the play ended in a collision.
Bethany worked aggressively with nine fouls in the first half alone. Anna Potz (White Bear Lake, Minn./Totino-Grace) had a nice opportunity with a header that went just wide. Renner had another scoring opportunity when the keeper ran out of the goal to stop the shot ending in another collision between the two.
The second half picked up intensity as Joelle Pipal (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) took a number of hard shots that gave the Beaver’s a work out. Despite the chances, the Vikings couldn’t find the back of the net.
One freshman to watch out for is Kelli Kitzman (Osseo, Minn./Osseo), whose speed will be an asset to the team. She had a number of attempts, one of which was a header that went high. The only goal of the game was off a penalty kick taken by Buena Vista.
The Vikings play again on Saturday, September 4 at UW-Superior, game time is set for 2 p.m.
Vikings finish fifth in UMAC women’s soccer preseaon coaches’ poll
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Julie Thomas 2010 UMAC Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. 43 Points - College of St. Scholastica (3 First Place Votes)
2. 42 Points - Northwestern College (3)
3. 39 Points - University of Minnesota, Morris (1)
4. 27 Points - Northland College (1)
5. 26 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
6. 17 Points - Crown College
7. 16 Points - Martin Luther College
8. 14 Points - Presentation College
The Bethany Lutheran women’s soccer team finished fifth in the 2010 coaches’ poll with 26 points, just one point behind the Northland LumberJills. The Vikings will take the field this fall with great reason for optimism. Coming off an 8-11-1 season besieged by injuries to several key players, the Vikings return eight starters and their top ten scorers in 2010. Returning after a season ending injury which saw her limited to five contests, Joelle Pipal (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) looks to rebound with a big year offensively. Helping her offensively will be First Team All-Conference forward Kristin Renner (Victoria, Minn./Mayer Lutheran) and All-Conference Honorable Mention midfielder Anna Potz (White Bear Lake, Minn./Totino-Grace).
Bethany brings in a deep, well-rounded recruiting class of 13 girls this fall. With two keepers, and a good blend of field players from both the high school and junior college ranks, this class has individuals who have won awards ranging from team MVPs, to all-state, all-region and both high school and club state championships. They should make an immediate impact both on and off the field.
Defensively, the Vikings return four of their back five defenders, but lose four-year starter and First Team All-Conference performer Katie Renner (Victoria, Minn./Mayer Lutheran) in goal. The Vikings will be looking for junior Amy Anderson (Yelm, Wash./Evergreen Lutheran) and a pair of freshman to fill the void between the pipes.
“We have a lot of talent coming in this fall,” Head Coach Derick Lyngholm said. “With the mix of our returning players and the girls looking to challenge for starting positions and playing time, this should be the deepest, most competitive team we’ve been able to field in years. All the girls are really excited to hit the field and get the season going.”
The Vikings will play their first game of the season at home against Buena Vista on September 1 at 5 p.m. At the conclusion of the 2010 regular season, the league’s top four squads will participate in the UMAC Conference Tournament on November 2 and 6. For the first time in history the UMAC Tournament champion will receive an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament.
|
