August 30, 2010
Women's Soccer Looks to Start Season With Wins
This Week: The Lutes of Pacific Lutheran start
the season by hosting two Minnesota schools Sept. 2 and 3.
Carleton and St. Thomas will be tough competition for the Lutes in
their attempt to start the 2010 season on a strong note.
Tough Competition to Start 2010 Year: Carleton
College out of Northfield, Minn., comes into Parkland this week
boasting a 2009 record of 10-6-5, going 6-2-3 in the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Knights will
be an early test for the young Lutes team in 2010. PLU will also be
playing the University of St. Thomas on Sept. 3. Coming off
of a 13-6-1 record and a second-place finish in the MIAC in 2009,
the Tommies will be a formidable foe for the Lutes.
Listen Online: Pacific Lutheran women's soccer
matches played at home will be webcast. To listen, go to the PLU
athletics web site, click on the Listen Live button in the right
column navigation, and then click on the "Listen" link for the
appropriate match. The majority of the game will be broadcast by a
student crew.
Season Outlook: With the 2010 season fast
approaching, the Pacific Lutheran women’s soccer team is
preparing for the tough season to come. Having lost only
three players to graduation, the Lutes return a high percentage of
their contingency from the 2009 team. This veteran leadership
bodes well for the Lutes’ chances in a tough Northwest
Conference, and will provide much needed experience for the coming
season. After a rough season of 5-13-1 in 2009, the Lutes are
looking to rebound and make a push for the top half of the NWC
standings in 2010.
With the exit of second team All-NWC defender Meredith Newby,
the Lutes defense must find a replacement for the tenacity that
Newby exhibited over her tenure at PLU. Though the task may
seem difficult, the Lutes are returning three defenders to the 2010
team, with Jordan Daniels as the rock in the heart of
defense. The junior honorable mention All-NWC center-back
will be critical to the success of the Lutes. Also returning
will be juniors Danielle Williams and Kristina Snaring, each of
whom will be contributing significant minutes for the
Lutes.
In the middle of the park, the Lutes return all of their
starters from the previous 2009 season. Senior Courtney
Walker, who started all seventeen matches she played in during the
2009 season, will be looking to build on her already successful PLU
career. Coming off her career best season of 2009, Karli
Hurlbut will be the Lutes most potent offensive threat.
Scoring six goals and adding two assists in her honorable mention
All-NWC season of ’09, Hurlbut will be asked to shoulder the
brunt of the offensive burden up front in 2010. Having
started 17 games for the Lutes in 2009, sophomore Mimi Granlund
returns to the Lute midfield, as well. These three will be
battling for the two offensive midfielder positions. The spot
at the heart of the midfield will be a fierce competition during
training camp.
Up front for the Lutes, a mix of youth and experience will
come together in 2010. Junior Olivia Lee, a 2009 All-NWC
honorable mention selection, will also be returning for the Lutes,
as she looks to add to her five goal, three assist season of 2009
with an even more lucrative one in 2010. With her will be
senior Brittney Bronson and sophomore Shelby Daly, both of whom
will be asked to contribute heavily in the Lutes’
offense. A new face to the offense will be Maggie Hastreiter,
a freshman out of Beaverton, Oregon. “Maggie has had
tremendous training with FC Portland, and exposure to some of the
highest club play in the country. We expect her to grow into
a strong attacking power for us,” says coach Lynnette
Buffington.
The Lutes are bringing in a strong freshman class in 2010,
with Hastreiter, Mariah Rasmussen and Kristi D’Allesandro
being the players that coach Buffington believes could have an
immediate impact and challenge for starting roles early on in
2010.
After finishing seventh in ‘09, the Lutes are looking to
bounce back and make a run for the top half of the standings in
2010. With the veteran leadership the team has, this feat is
well within grasps.
- PLU -
