NORMAL, Ill. - After nearly three weeks of training and two exhibition games, the Illinois State women's soccer team will have the chance to play some real competition as they open the 2007 season this weekend. The Redbirds host UW-Green Bay on Friday, August 31, at 4 p.m. and then head on the road to face Valparaiso on Sunday, September 2, at noon. The games mark not only the first regular season contests of 2007, but also the beginning of the new head coach Drew Roff's tenure at Illinois State. After working with his new squad in the hot August days, Roff is ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
"We are excited to get out there and start the regular season," Roff said. "We have worked hard in training and some of our players are coming back healthy at the right time. Green Bay and Valparaiso are both good teams from the Horizon League and we are looking forward to the challenge."
The Redbirds are 5-4-2 in season openers all-time. Their last win to start the season came in 2004 against Valparaiso, when they beat the Crusaders at home, 2-1. They are also 6-3-3 in games played in August. They have opened the season in August every year except 1998 and 2001.
The Redbirds return 13 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's team that posted a 6-9-3 record, including a 2-3-1 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Redbirds feature seven seniors and experience in every aspect of the game. Junior forward Mel Routledge and sophomore forward Ammanda Wisniewski are the team's top-returning scorers, combining for eight goals and 20 points in 2006. Senior midfielder Yvonne Northover has been an All-Valley selection the past two seasons and has 13 points in her career. Illinois State returns its entire defensive nucleus that allowed just 16 goals last year, including 2006 All-Valley honorees in seniors Shannon Duggan, Shannon Duroucher and Shannon Eccleston.
Illinois State split a pair of exhibition games earlier in the month. In their first exhibition against UW-Milwaukee, a team that made the NCAA Tournament in 2006, the Redbirds were unable to get into a rhythm on offense and lost to the Panthers, 3-0. ISU rebounded from that game and had an offensive explosion against IPFW a week later, blanking the Mastodons, 3-0, in a rain-shortened game. Freshman forward Alyssa Schulz scored a pair of goals and Routledge added a goal and an assist.
Green Bay returns six starters from a team that went 8-7-2 in 2006. After starting the year 5-2-1 in non-conference play, the Phoenix struggled when the Horizon League portion of its schedule began, posting a 3-4-1 record. Senior forward Jenny Gorwitz is Green Bay's top-returning scorer with 18 points on eight goals and two assists a year ago. Senior midfielder Kari Olsen led the Phoenix with six assists. Senior Brooke Wikgren was the Phoenix's primary goalkeeper last year and returns to the starter's role in 2007. She had 58 saves and a 1.16 goals against average.
Valparaiso is in its first season as a member of the Horizon League. The Crusaders made the best of their last season in the Mid-Continent Conference, going 4-0 and winning their second-consecutive regular season title. They had seven all-conference selections and head coach Stephen Anthony was named the Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year. Sophomore Sarah Jewell was the Newcomer of the Year in the Mid-Con, as well as being named to the All-Mid Con First and Newcomer teams. She led the team and was second in the conference in scoring with 22 points on 10 goals and two assists. Senior goalkeeper Erin Murray is a three-time all-conference selection and is the school's career leader in goals against average (1.20) and shutouts (14).
