ST.PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia University women's soccer team opens their season the road for a pair of games this weekend in Pueblo, Colorado against UC-Colorado Springs on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and CSU-Pueblo on Sunday at 11 a.m. This will be the first ever meeting with both schools for the Golden Bears.
The Golden Bears are coming off a season in which they went 8-9-1 (7-7-1, NSIC), improving their record for the second straight season under head coach
Steve Bellis, and are looking to continue that trend this year. Bellis, speaking of expectations for the team, said, "we are looking to improve overall, and are looking to push into the top four. We want to push each other as a group and have some fun along the way."
Bellis has been pleased with the culture of the team so far this year. He said, "we have a lot of enthusiasm and energy. The players are eager to play and have a real love of the game."
Chloe Moore (Lakeville, Minn. ), a senior defender, enjoyed a breakout season last year, finishing with seven goals and four assists. Her seven goals were third best on the team and ninth best in the NSIC, and were scored on only 20 shots. Her .350 shot percentage was easily the best on the team. Moore tied for fourth in the league with three game winning goals.
Bellis on Moore: "Chloe is a good leader and a defensive rock. She will be counted on for goals on the attacking end again this season. I can't wait to see how her senior season plays out."
Rachel Gratz (Eagan, Minn.) and
Sarah Pieper (New Brighton, Minn. ) both sophomores, stepped in and took large roles in the back for CU and will be counted on again. Bellis said, "Pieps and Gratz bring strength and physicality to the back end. They also bring speed and will be a big part of a solid defensive core."
Kaylyn Rae Smith (Dekalb, Ill. ) and
Kate Fox (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) are two players who bring a veteran presence and knowledge of the game in the back.
Emily Ecklund (Elk River, Minn. ) and
Meg Poulson (Waukesha, Wis.) will all be in the mix on defense as well.
At midfield the Golden Bears will have a deep group of young, talented players. Junior
Sam McBain (Faribault, Minn.) sophomores
Jess Bianchi (Rogers, Minn.) Anna Augustine (Waukesha, Wis.),
McKenzie Buck (Hudson, Wis.) Alahna Anderson (White Bear Lake, Minn.) Kaitlyn Halvorson (Buffalo, Minn.) and freshmen
Erica Landry (Mukwonago, Wis.) and
Liz Darkow (Neenah, Wis.) will all be in the mix for playing time.
Bianchi collected five goals and four assists as a mainstay in the starting lineup for CU. She started all 18 games and finished third on the team with 40 shots, with 19 on net.
Bellis on Bianchi: "Jess is a good offensive play maker, she will score goals consistently and works hard. She will be a tremendous asset to the program for the next few years."
The Golden Bears bring back senior
Brittany Kapala (Fridley, Minn. ) and add freshmen
Tori Lust (Iowa City, Iowa) Chelsie Lindsay (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and transfer
Taryn MacMillan (Eagan, Minn.) to the forward position.
Kapala finished last season with four goals and three assists and ranks eighth in school history in points (35), goals (13), assists (9) and shots on goal (56).
Bellis on Kapala: "Kapala brings aggression, strength, physicality and speed in her game. She also has an excellent eye for connecting passes."
MacMillan spent last season playing for the University of North Dakota before transferring to Concordia this year. She started all but one match as a freshman and tied for the team lead with three goals and eight points. She has already formed a solid connection with Moore and Bianchi and will be looked at to provide an offensive spark for CU.
Concordia brings back both contributors at keeper from last year in senior
Kayla Kuczaboski (Vadnais Heights, Minn. ) and sophomore
Emma Gartner (Springdale, Ark.) Freshman
Kate Mallory (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) will also be competing for time in goal.
Both returners played in 10 games each, with Gartner going 5-4-0 with a 1.67 goals against average while Kuczaboski went 3-5-1 with a 2.23 goals against average.
All the competition for playing time across the lineup has been a good challenge for Bellis so far this year. Bellis said, "We clearly have more depth than we have ever had before. We go three deep at every position and can rotate players well. We are working hard to make the jump to the next level at CU soccer."
Concordia returns to Seafoam Stadium for their conference and home opener on September 12th at 7 p.m. against Minnesota State.
