2007 CCIW Women’s Soccer Preview

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – A second national title in three seasons has made the Wheaton Thunder the perennial favorites to win another College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s soccer championship in 2007.

The Thunder stormed through the 2006 season with a 24-2 record (6-1 in the CCIW) culminated by a 2-0 victory over the College of New Jersey in the national championship. Wheaton enters 2007 as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and by D3Kicks.com, a website devoted to the coverage of NCAA Division III soccer.

The Wheaton defense gave up only 10 goals last season and should be strong again with All-American Bethany Barton returning in 2007. Barton was a Second-Team NSCAA All-American and was named Defensive MVP of the 2006 NCAA Championships. In addition to Barton, the Thunder will have Kristin Eggert back in goal after she earned 12 shutouts a year ago. Midfielder Kari Klynstra is back after earning first-team all-conference honors last season. Wheaton also returns its top two goal scorers in senior Sarah Richardson and sophomore Taryne Lee. Richardson scored a team-high 21 goals last season, while Lee was second with 20. Richardson was named the Outstanding Offensive Player of the 2006 NCAA Championships.

Augustana finished the 2006 campaign 15-3-3 (5-0-2), tying a school record for wins and earned the school’s first NCAA postseason game with a first round win over Grinnell. Tessa Roberts is back for her senior season after leading her team in scoring as a junior. Roberts tallied 34 points on 15 goals and four assists. Goalkeeper Keri Hess is also back after she allowed only 0.72 goals per game last season. She also made 97 saves. Katie Oakes returns after scoring 10 goals and six assists last season, while Lauren Polock enters 2007 after tallying a team-high eight assists in 2006.

Junior forward Caroline Leighton is back for Illinois Wesleyan (10-5-4, 4-1-2) after earning second-team all-conference honors in each of the last two seasons. She finished second in CCIW games last season in points with 14, points per game (2.0) and was third in goals (six). Junior Tina Rodriguez was a 2006 first-team all-conference selection after helping the Titan defense allow only 0.40 goals per game last season.

Carthage (12-5-2, 4-1-2) returns 18-of-25 letterwinners including all 11 starters from last year’s fourth place team. The Lady Reds return all four of their all-conference players from a year ago including Shannon Chesna, Paige Land, Keeley Monckton and Jackie Peterson. Peterson, a junior midfielder, led her team with 11 goals last season, while Monckton had a team-leading seven assists from her midfielder position. Forward Chesna had nine goals and three assists last season, while defender Land had six goals and one assist in 2006.

Elmhurst (7-10-1, 3-4-0) returns goalkeeper Jessica Eberle in goal for the Bluejays after earning a 1.91 goals against average and 105 saves in 2006. Senior Kelly Huson is back at forward for the Bluejays. Huson broke her collarbone in the fourth game of last season and missed the rest of the year. Huson was off to a fast start with four goals and an assists before the injury. Defense will be a strength for Elmhurst as the Bluejays return four talented student-athletes in Jessica Webster, Sarah Lund, Jenna Boyle and Cassandra Giese.

The North Park Vikings (5-11-2, 2-5-0) welcomed new head coach Troy Edwards to the Chicago campus in the off-season and Edwards and company will look to improve on the team’s sixth-place finish in 2006. Edwards comes from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, where he led the LadyJackets to 22 wins in two years. Edwards will have Amanda Wallden back in 2007 after she earned the team’s offensive MVP honors and was an all-central region pick by D3Kicks.com last season. Wallden started all 18 games for the Vikings with five goals and one assist.

Millikin (2-13-0, 1-6-0) head coach Steve Golas returns for his second season at the helm of the Big Blue program. He’ll have back with him a pair of senior goalkeepers in Jen Hirsch and Shawn Gibbs. Hirsch started 12 games for the Big Blue in 2006 as she posted a 2.18 goals against average with 89 saves. Gibbs played five games in goal with one start and posted a 2.35 goals against average in 153 minutes.

North Central (7-11-0, 0-7-0) returns senior Mary Boscarino who was one of only two players to start all 18 games last season. She will anchor the defense in 2007. The Cardinals will look to sophomores Laura Mueller, Laura Petersen and Natalie Vivacqua, as well as junior Katie Ashpole to replace all-conference forward Michelle Daly. All four players combined for 19 starts last season.