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This Week...
Westminster begins the 2009 season with a trip to Orem for a game against Utah Valley. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two Utah schools, and the first of three in-state opponents for the Griffins in 2009. The game will be played at the Wolverine Soccer Field, located just west of the McKay Events Center on the Utah Valley University campus. This game is an exhibition game for the Wolverines.
The 2009 season will be the third in the history of women's soccer at Westminster. They enter this season with high expectations after a trip to the Frontier Conference Tournament last season. They return 17 players from a squad that went 7-11-1 including the goalkeeper and second leading scorer. The team also has a great home field advantage, posting a 10-4-1 record on Dumke Field over the previous two seasons.
Along with
Dayna Winter-Nolte at keeper, and
Maddie Spere, with five goals, the Griffins bring back All-Frontier Conference defender
Michelle Erickson.
Brinna Bennion,
Maddie Maldonado, and
Elaina Pappas all return to the back line, while
Sarah Swenson and
Rachel Watson return to provide some offense.
“I'm very excited because we have a great class returning,” head coach
Tony LeBlanc said. “We are young, but all of our core players are back. We lost two starters, very big starters, but for the most part we get everyone back.”
Newcomers Megan Maldonado and Nicole Taylor should give the Griffins a few more weapons offensively. They also added depth at goalie with the addition of Lindsay Bekken. Lindsay Judd and Jennifer Prescott will bring depth to the Griffins back line.
First Kick
• Westminster is 1-1 in season openers all-time, including a 2-1 overtime
loss against Rocky Mountain last season.
• The Griffins have gone 1-1 in their road openers.
• Westminster is 0-2 all-time against teams from Utah, with both losses
coming on the road at Southern Utah.
Scouting Utah Valley
Utah Valley enters this game after going 11-7-1 during the 2008 season. They were dominate at home last year, posting a 6-2-1 record in games played in Orem. The Wolverines return 16 players from the 2008 squad, led by Katey Turner. Turner led the team with seven goals in 2008, and finished with 19 points to rank third on the squad. Jamie Lyons is also back after posting five goals last season. Hailey Brown is the only keeper that returns with any experience. Brown appeared in one game for 28 minutes in 2008.
Series Record: First meeting
Last Meeting: First meeting
Forward Notebook
A big reason for the excitement about this season is the return of Maddie Spere. She finished the 2008 season second on the team with five goals and 12 points. Her five goals came on just 18 shots for a team leading .278 shot percentage.
“Maddie is very fast and has two years of experience now,” head coach Tony LeBlanc said. “She will be our only upperclassmen up top for us this season.”
Newcomers Alyssa Hill, Megan Maldonado, and Tanisia Wilson could also be asked to contribute at forward in 2009. Hill scored 16 goals during her senior season at Lehi High School last season and Wilson recorded 10 goals for Orem High School.
Midfield Notebook
The Griffin midfield features some strong offensive weapons. The returning group of midfielders combined to score six goals last season, including three from sophomore Corie Walch. Look for Walch and Rachel Watson to push the attack from the Griffin midfield.
The midfield should receive a big boost from newcomer Nicole Taylor. She spent the 2007 season playing for Penn State University after a brilliant prep career at Waterford in Salt Lake City.
“Our midfield just gets better with the addition of Nicole because she is a pure center-mid,” said LeBlanc. “We haven't had a pure center-mid so we went after that position.”
Walch was a starter in all 19 games during her freshman campaign, recording nine total points. She was second on the team amongst non-defenders with her 1,360 minutes played.
Defense Notebook
The back line should become the strength of the team this season. They return four players that played big minutes for the team in 2008.
“It's a great back line for us,” an excited LeBlanc said. “They will all be sophomores and we are definitely excited about our defenders. They are strong, physical, and fast so I think we should be pretty solid in the back.”
Michelle Erickson was named All-Frontier Conference for her play last season. Brinna Bennion is expected to take a big role on the Griffin defense this season. She appeared in every game last season and recorded six starts and one assist.
Maddie Maldonado returns from a knee injury and will join other returners Elaina Pappas and Danielle Rankin. Westminster also welcomes freshmen Lindsay Judd and Jennifer Prescott into the mix at defender.
Goalkeeper Notebook
For the first time in three years the Griffins will have depth at goalkeeper. They enter the season with two keepers on the roster, including last season's only keeper Winter-Nolte.
Winter-Nolte played every minute in net for the Griffins last season. During that time she posted a 1.56 goals against average and a .697 save percentage. She also recorded two shutouts while recording seven victories.
“Dayna has done a great job for us and finished last season very strong,” raved LeBlanc. “She came in as our only keeper last season and as a freshman had to handle all that pressure.”
Next Week
The Griffins have two games on the slate next week, including the home opener. The action begins on Thursday, August 20 when the Griffins host Northwest Nazarene at 10 a.m. on Dumke Field. Then on Friday, August 21, Westminster heads north to Ogden for a 6:30 p.m. contest against Weber State.
