Head Coach
Dan Weiler (7th Season; 72-39-1)

Players To Watch
- Britt Reiersgord, Sr., GK, Edina, Minn.; 3-year starting goalie, led MIAC in GAA in 2007
- Sam Johnson, So., F, Fargo, N.D.; NSCAA All-Region in 2007
- Susan Obermiller, So., F, Fargo, N.D.; NSCAA All-Region in 2007

The 2008 Preview
For two years Concordia knocked on the door to an MIAC championship and then for the past two seasons the Cobbers knocked the door down and planted themselves securely in the conference penthouse. Concordia, the two-time defending MIAC regular season and playoff champion, has now set their sights on making a deeper run in the NCAA tournament. The Cobbers return eight starters from last year’s championship team including two of their top three scorers and a three-year starting goalkeeper. Those facts alone have Dan Weiler optimistic as he enters his seventh season as the team’s head coach.

The Cobbers surprised everyone in the conference last season after they backed up their 2006 conference titles with another pair of championships with a decidedly youthful squad. The two spark plugs for the team in 2007 were fab freshmen forwards Sam Johnson (Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS) and Susan Obermiller (Johnson (Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS). Obermiller led the team in total points last season with 28 and Johnson was tied for second on the squad with 27. The two combined for 20 of the team’s 51 goals. Avoiding a sophomore slump will be the biggest concern for Weiler as the two possess the speed and skill to take over a game at any point during the game. Both players were named to the NSCAA All-Region Team last year and both will be the featured players in a usually very potent Cobber offense. In 2007, Concordia led the MIAC in goals, shots taken, points and assists.

The Cobber defense has a pair of experienced players that have gone through the battles of the MIAC for three seasons. Goalkeeper Britt Reiersgord (Sr., Edina, Minn.) and central defender Chelsee McLaughlan (Sr., Blackfoot, Idaho) will give Concordia a steadying influence and help CC retain their top conference defensive stature. Last season the Cobbers led the MIAC in fewest goals allowed and lowest goals against average.

The midfield might hold the key for the Cobber in 2008. Lost to graduation was central midfielder Darcy Swagger who earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors and was the glue that allowed the CC forwards to collect the ball in the correct spots to be able to take on defenders. Senior Maia Johnson (Northfield, Minn.) and sophomore Brittany Mayer (Bismarck, N.D./Bismarck Century HS) will be the frontrunners to hold down the center of the park. Johnson has started off and on for the past two seasons and is a play-making attacker who will be able to set the table for Obermiller and Johnson. Mayer started 18 games last year and can adjust to any situation on the field and never makes big mistakes. Fellow sophomore Abby Habein (Billings, Mont./Billings Senior HS) started 15 games at a wing midfielder and has shown flashes of being able to produce offensive fireworks from the wing.

Besides the midfield, the other key spot for Weiler to fill will be at wing defender. Last year Andi Purcell marked every team’s best attacker and earned All-Region and All-Conference honors. She was the team’s “shut down” defender for two seasons and her loss will open a huge hole in the CC back line. The presence of Reiersgord and McLaughlan and Reiersgord will ease the transition period for the Concordia defense. Another plus will be the year of experience that central defender Erika Swenson (So., Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS) and wing back Mikenna Maroney (Jr., Kalispell, Mont./Flathead HS) earned by starting the entire season. With three of the four starting backs returning in 2008 and the league’s top goalie back for another year, Weiler can count on the CC defense holding team’s in check so that the high-powered offense can find a way through to the scoreboard.

If the Cobber regulars can stay healthy and the team can find a pair of players to fill the key spots in the lineup, then Concordia should be in the mix for their third straight MIAC regular season and playoff title come November.

2008 MIAC Coach's Preseason Poll
1. Concordia (6)
2. Saint Benedict (5)
3. Macalester
4. Carleton
5. Augsburg
6. St. Thomas (1)
7. St. Olaf
8. Hamline
9. Gustavus
10. Saint Mary's
11. Bethel
12. St. Catherine