Transylvania Tabbed Favorite in Women's Soccer for 2008
August 12, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN - Transylvania University has been selected to pace the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in women's soccer for 2008. The Pioneers received 73 total points in a poll of the conference's nine head coaches, grabbing two first place votes. Defending champion Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology finished close behind the Pioneers with 70 points and four first place votes.
Mount St. Joseph placed third in the poll with 69 total points and three first place votes, while Manchester College finished fourth with 52 points. Hanover College received 44 points and finished fifth, while Defiance College (34 points), Anderson University (28), Bluffton University (21) and Franklin College (14) rounded out the poll.
Transylvania finished 2007 with a 7-1-0 conference record and a 13-5-1 mark overall. The Pioneers knocked off Mount St. Joseph 3-1 in the HCAC tournament semifinal, before falling in the tournament championship against Rose-Hulman 1-0. Transy fielded the conference's best defense last fall, allowing only 15 goals all season.
This year's squad will return two players that earned All-HCAC first team honors a year ago. Junior defender Kate McKelway (Lexington , Ky./Lexington Catholic) returns for the Pioneers this fall. McKelway scored three goals and added an assist last season. Junior midfielder Katie Kelly (Lexington , Ky. / Lafayette ) will look to be the offensive cog in the Pioneers attack this season. Kelly netted eight goals for TU and totaled 18 points last season.
Rose-Hulman will look to repeat as conference champion but will have to do so after graduating four first team All-HCAC members from last fall. Emily Hakeman will take over the head coaching duties in 2008 after HCAC Coach of the Year Brad Hauter accepted the same position at DePauw University last spring. The Engineers turned in a perfect 8-0-0 mark in HCAC competition a year ago and finished the season 19-3-0 overall. Rose defeated Transylvania 1-0 to win the HCAC Tournament title before falling in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament to Denison 1-0.
RHIT's offense averaged a league-best 3.68 goals per game last season and will look to fill the void left by conference Player of the Year Jennifer Gordon. Gordon sparked the Engineer offense, leading the nation with 26 assists last season. Freshman of the Year Molly Richardson (Orange Park , Fla. / St. John's Country Day) will look to pick up where she left off as a freshman. The rookie forward ranked second in the conference with 17 goals last season and totaled 38 points. Senior midfielder Liz Ridgway (Gross Point , Mich. / Northwestern Uni. ) returns to pick up some of the scoring which departed to graduation. Ridgway netted three goals and added six assists last fall.
Mount St. Joseph returns its top talent from the 2007 squad that finished 6-2-0 in conference play. Seniors Beth Schuermann (Cincinnati , Ohio ) and Allie Pirman (Amelia , Ohio /H.S.) return after being named All-HCAC first team selections as juniors. Schuermann led the team with 10 goals and 21 points last season, while Pirman added nine assists and 15 points. The Lions will also return senior Kelly Bare (Cincinnati , Ohio /Colerain) in net this fall. Bare led the conference with 10 shutouts last season, while also tallying 78 saves and an 0.83 goals against average.
The 2008 women's soccer season is scheduled to open on August 29.