MIAC Coaches Tab Cobbers As Team To Beat

MIAC women's soccer preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2011 season was a great one for women's soccer in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) as two teams represented the league in the NCAA Division III Postseason, nine of the league's 12 teams finished with winning records and eight teams all won at least five conference games. However, that parity and excellence is expected to continue in 2012 as the start of the season draws near.
 
Just three points separated the top four teams in the MIAC standings a year ago, with the season-long drama coming down to the final games on the schedule. The regular-season championship was shared by Saint Benedict and Carleton, with Concordia just one point back and Macalester joining the postseason field just three points behind the co-champs.
 
The MIAC Playoffs were just as thrilling. The Blazers and Scots were scoreless after two overtimes, with CSB advancing on PKs, and the Cobbers scored a 1-0 road upset of the Knights. Overtime was needed again in the title game, where Saint Benedict scored a 1-0 win over Concordia and, fittingly, both teams were awarded bids to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.

This year, the MIAC has aspirations of another fight to the finish and even more postseason drama at both the conference and national level. The Cobbers and Blazers appear ready to continue their rivalry, as both were mentioned in the preseason national rankings. Concordia opens as the No. 14-ranked team in D-III, while Saint Benedict was the first team outside the Top 25 in the "Also receiving votes" section. Plenty of other teams around the leagues enter with equally high expectations as the buzz for the 2012 campaign builds.
 
Confidence in the Cobbers
Concordia returns most of its squad that finished 13-4-6 a year ago and advanced to the third round of the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament, so it's not surprising to see Dan Weiler's team sitting atop the 2012 MIAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. The league coaches predicted the Cobbers to be the conference champs this season with 118 total points and nine of the 12 first-place votes.

According to the coaches, it could be a two-horse race for the title, with defending regular-season co-champ and MIAC Playoff Champion Saint Benedict close on Concordia's heels. 2011 MIAC Coach-of-the-Year Steve Kimble and his Blazers team received the other three first-place-votes and 112 total points to come in second in the poll.
 
There was a tie for the third spot, as the MIAC coaches expect Carleton and Macalester to also join the four-team MIAC Playoff field with identical totals of 90 points apiece. Just 10 points separate the next three teams as No. 5 St. Thomas (78), No. 6 Augsburg (72) and No. 7 St. Olaf (68) were also identified as Playoff contenders in the poll.
 
Hamline had a great turnaround last season, and came in eighth in the poll with 57 points. Bethel is slotted at No. 9 with 36 total points. Saint Mary's (29) edged Gustavus (24) for the 10th spot in the poll, and St. Catherine rounded out the predictions at No. 12 with 18 points.
 
What's new?
It was a busy offseason for MIAC women's soccer, with one-third of the league hiring new coaches. Bethel moved away from one head coach for both genders, adding Amanda Maxwell as its new women's soccer head coach. Jocelyn Keller was tabbed as the successful Keren Gudeman's replacement at Carleton, Laura Burnett-Kurie succeeds Mike Stehlik at Gustavus and Macalester has its third head coach in as many years, as Michele Cornish takes over the program following Jemma Perkins' stint as the interim coach in 2011.

Add in second-year coaches St. Catherine's Chris Citowicki and Saint Mary's Neil Cassidy, and exactly half of the league's 12 teams have turned over their head coaching position in a two-year stretch, creating an interesting dynamic among the league coaches. Five of the remaining six head coaches are entering at least their sixth season at the helm, so there is a decent division in experience between the conference's veteran coaches, and its new faces.
 
Who's back?
Despite the turnover, there will still be a number of familiar faces on the sideline, with Augsburg's Mike Navarre as the longest-tenured coach entering his 14th season. Weiler is beginning his 11th season leading the Concordia women, which are now his sole focus after previously doing double-duty with the men's team.  St. Olaf's Jeremy Driver opens his seventh season leading the Oles, Hamline's Ted Zingman and St. Thomas' Shelia McGill are both entering their sixth season and reigning Coach-of-the-Year Kimble is starting his fourth year with the Blazers.

On the field, there are countless stars back, but few burn as bright as the reigning MIAC Co-Players-of-the-Year, who will both return in 2012. Concordia's Sarah Rounds and Colleen Bouchard - both forwards - headlined the 2011 All-MIAC Team as the league's top players. Rounds returns for her senior season after an All-American junior campaign, and Bouchard will be a junior for the Blazers in 2012 after earning All-Region honors a year ago.
 
Concordia also brings back All-MIAC and All-Region goalkeeper Ali Nelson, who will put the finishing touches on her outstanding career with the Cobbers, as well as All-MIAC midfielder Gina Weiss, who will be a junior this season. Joining Bouchard on the Saint Benedict squad are All-MIAC junior midfielder Kaitlyn Lauer and sophomore goalkeeper Megan Favorite, who was an All-MIAC Honorable Mention pick as a freshman in 2011.

Macalester also returns a trio of All-Conference players, led by two-time All-MIAC and All-Region defender Kat Lenhart, who is back for her senior season. All-Region and All-Conference senior goalkeeper Rosie Glenn-Finer and All-MIAC junior forward Georgia Cloepfill also return for the Scots. St. Thomas brings back junior forward Katy Scherer, who was named All-Conference in each of her first two seasons, along with All-MIAC senior defender Anna Strehlow. Carleton also has two stars back, as All-Region and All-MIAC defender Layne Teska returns along with 2010 All-MIAC and All-Region forward Marlena Harman-FIlson, who was limited by a foot injury in 2011.

Bethel's Kelsey Flaherty is back for her senior season, after earning All-MIAC and All-Region Second Team honors as a midfielder last year. Augsburg forward Bri Clark will also be a senior in 2012 after her All-MIAC and All-Region Third Team campaign a year ago. Hamline's Aileen Scheibner got her career off to a great start a season ago, and returns at forward for the Pipers after being the lone freshman on the 2011 All-MIAC team.

St. Olaf is set at goalkeeper, with junior Nora Forbes back to build on her All-MIAC Honorable Mention performance a year ago. St. Catherine's Kristi Thorwick was also an All-MIAC Honorable Mention pick as a freshman in 2011 and is back to anchor the Wildcats' defense. Gustavus and Saint Mary's will also benefit from experience in the net, as the Gusties' Jessica Reichert led the MIAC in saves per game (6.88) and the Cardinals' Miranda Halling had a 1.42 goals against average and an .822 save percentage.
 
Circle these dates
The season kicks off with a full slate of games on Aug. 31 with nine teams all opening with nonconfernece action, and a total of 21 games on the schedule over the first four days of the season. The conference schedule begins on Sept. 11-12 and runs through the final day of the regular season, which will be Saturday, Oct. 27. The MIAC Playoffs will feature a pair of Halloween semifinals on Oct. 31 with the championship set for Nov. 3.
 
The top two teams in the Preseason Coaches' Poll could meet with a lot on the line when they square off on the season's final day. Saint Benedict will host Concordia on Oct. 27 with a potential conference title and Playoff seeding at stake. That day, the two Northfield schools will also square off as St. Olaf hosts Carleton at 1 p.m. to close the regular season.
 
Another potential Playoff preview comes on Oct. 9 when cross-town St. Paul rivals will showcase all their returning talent. Macalester will host St. Thomas in a prime-time game that night at 7:30 p.m. Augsburg and Hamline are also set for a marquee rivalry game under the lights on Oct. 19 at the Auggies' Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis at 7:30 p.m. 

The league's two second-year head coaches will square off at 1 p.m. on Oct. 13 when Citowicki's St. Catherine team hosts Cassidy's Saint Mary's team, and two rookie head coaches will face off on Oct. 6 in an 11 a.m. start. Burnett-Kurie's Gusties will host Maxwell's Bethel team in a key game that could show which team is ready to improve on their 2011 performance.


Click here for the complete MIAC women's soccer preview

2012 MIAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (11 for first, nine for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of highest point total to lowest with vote totals listed and first-place votes shown in parentheses.