The Brandeis University Womens Soccer Team is already deep into preparation for the season, having started the fall preseason on Friday the 26th of August. All their hard work is setting them up for their home opener against MIT on Gordon Field tomorrow at 1pm. The team brings back 16 returning veterans, including 6 starters: captains Lauren Gregor 06 and Rachel Koffman 06 as well as juniors Brittany Douglass, Christine Fulton, Melissa Gordon, and Lisa Kaplin. Gregor and Kaplin combined for 28 goals during the 2004-05 campaign.
The team looks strong with Julie Schwartz 07 and sophomores Lizzie Bremner, Kalina Ehrenreich-Piot, Sarah Jasak, Amy King, Allie Thompson, Steph Shumsky and Nicole Guertin able to step up into some of the vacated positions. The goalkeeper position, which has been left open by the absence of former starter Natasha Pieciak, is up for grabs among a trio of Betsey Medow 08 and Julie Scherr 08 and Julia Simon-Mishel 09. There are an additional 7 new freshman on the team and a transfer student, Kim Fraser, from the University of Pittsburgh.
Upon arrival to school, the team was greeted by a brand new soccer field. The old field was torn out of the ground and replaced with a brand new turf field, which is becoming more and more common all over high school, collegiate and professional sports. The field lights are scheduled to go up some time in September, which sets the scene for some exciting night games down the schedule.
The team will compete both in New England and in the University Athletic Association. Last year the team finished at 3-4 in the UAA, placing them in a tie for fifth place. This year Brandeis is predicted to finish in sixth place by the preseason UAA coaches poll, ahead of Case Western and NYU, which sets them up to disappoint a lot of onlookers.
The Judges do play a very tough conference schedule, with NCAA tournament bound teams Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago both traveling to Brandeis on the weekend of October 28-30. The girls also travel to Atlanta to take on Emory, another NCAA tournament team and defending UAA co-champion.
The Womens Soccer team is looking to improve upon last seasons overall record of 16 wins and 5 losses and second place finish in the ECAC post-season tournament They would ultimately like to receive a berth in the NCAA tournament. The odds are looking good with this talented group of ladies.
