2004 Record ....................................................13-6-1 Home..................................................................6-0-1
Away...................................................................5-4-0
Neutral................................................................2-2-0
2004 MIAC Record ..............................................10-1
Home.....................................................................6-0
Away......................................................................4-1
Lettermen Returning/Lost ..................................17/5
Starters Returning/Lost .......................................9/2
Top Returning Players:
Morgan Bain.....'04 MIAC MVP; owns MIAC scoring record
Betsy Olesen........................'04 All-MIAC; 2-year starter
Amy Ravenhorst..'04 All-MIAC; '04 second leading scorer
Jill Fancher.....................'04 All-MIAC HM; 2-year starter
Miriam Lombardozzi........'04 All-MIAC HM; 2-year starter
Top Players Lost:
Carmelle Johnson............'03 All-MIAC HM; 4-year starter

2005 Theme: Final Assault on the Summit

The reason the Cobbers will win the 2005 MIAC title: A dangerous transition offense that features 2004 MIAC MVP Morgan Bain. Bain broke the all-time scoring record in the MIAC and has one more year of experience under her belt. Her surrounding cast also has the experience of knowing their roles and the confidence gained from a month-long training trip to Brazil. Also, the deepest recruiting class and added depth will give the Cobbers much-needed bench strength down the stretch.

The reason the Cobbers will fall short of their goal: Playing the 2005 season with a target on their back. Gone are the days of playing the underdog role. They are replaced by the pressure of knowing that every team the Cobbers will face this season will show up with their "A" game and try to pull off the upset. Also, the pressure put on by preseason expectations could be too much for the players to handle.

Most eye-catching statistical fact: Concordia is 11-1-1 at home in the past two seasons and has not lost in seven straight games at the Jake Christiansen Athletic Complex.

The coach's quote: "The returning squad is very strong and we brought in a very good freshman class. We need to stay on track and keep moving forward. We don't have to make major changes; we just need to keep getting better."

The in-depth preview: In 2002 the Concordia women's soccer team established a very solid base camp at the foot of the MIAC mountain. They found out what it took to compete with the best teams in the league and started to establish a work ethic that would help them achieve their goal of reaching the peak. In 2003, the Cobbers started their journey up the mountain and very quickly covered ground as they finished fourth and made their first-ever appearance in the postseason. Last year, Concordia trekked to just under the summit by finishing second in league play and losing to regular-season champion Macalester in the tournament championship game. This year head coach Dan Weiler is hoping to push his crew all the way to the top of the mountain and into the rarified air of the NCAA tournament. To achieve its goal, the team will have to avoid the avalanche of complacency and not get caught up in the swirling blizzard that is caused by the pressure of lofty expectations.

The reason for the high level of optimism in the Concordia camp is the maturation of a junior class that has played in back-to-back MIAC tournaments and features some of the best players in the league. The Cobbers possess the most dangerous goal-scoring threat in the league in the form of 2004 MIAC MVP Morgan Bain. Last year Bain broke the MIAC league record for points and goals in a season. In 11 conference games, Bain totaled 17 goals and three assists for 37 points. She broke the old conference records by two goals and five points. Overall, she finished with a school-record 24 goals and 53 points and now has 34 goals and 76 points in her first two seasons for Concordia.

To go along with Bain's impressive ability, the Cobbers have a surrounding cast of impressive climbers. Concordia returns four other players who achieved all-conference or all-conference honorable mention status in 2004. Offensively, a pair of seasoned midfielders return to the Cobber lineup to take the pressure off of Bain. Central midfielder Miriam Lombardozzi, an all-conference honorable mention player last year, has raised her game to a new level and should be able to significantly improve on her total of six points in 2004. Speedy wing midfielder Amy Ravenhorst will continue to give Concordia a threat on the outside. Ravenhorst earned all-conference honors last year and finished second on the team in scoring with 18 points.

To offset the talent on the offensive side of the field, the Cobbers have a pair of high caliber defensive standouts. Central defender Betsy Olesen was a 2004 all-conference performer and is one of the most imposing figures in the league. Her ability to win balls in the air on dead ball situations creates problems for opposing teams not only on the offensive end of the field but also when they are forced to defend corner kicks or dead ball situations by their goal. Joining Olesen is junior wing defender Jill Fancher. Fancher was named to the all-conference honorable mention team last year. Her speed and aggressive style of play help her shut down some of the best forwards the league has to offer, and she is equally adept at joining the attack to create problems for the opposing team in their defensive half of the field.

The best news for Weiler is that the rest of the Cobber lineup has had one full year of playing with the "Fab Five" and understand their roles in helping the team achieve their goals.

Joining Bain up front is the lone senior on the team Kelly Ping. Ping started slow at the beginning of 2004 but came on in the middle of the season as she began to spend more time playing with Bain. She finished the season with five goals and five assists. Rachel Lewis is another dangerous attacking forward/midfielder. She was second only to Bain in goals scored last season (7) and ended her freshman year with 17 points.

In the midfield, Concordia will rely on Suzy Grabko for her experience and ability to score goals from any part of the field. Grabko, a 2003 All-MIAC honoree, is deadly at set pieces and gives Concordia a threat any time there is a free kick around the net.

Defensively, Concordia is looking to shore up a unit that gave up 27 goals last year. The Cobbers also allowed three or more goals in a game on four different occasions - a statistic that will have to improve if Concordia hopes to compete at the national level.

The key to a solid back line for Weiler will be to find an able central defender to play alongside Olesen. Lost to graduation was four-year starting central back/sweeper Carmelle Johnson. Her "heady" style of play allowed Olesen and Fancher to be more aggressive in trying to win the ball in the middle of the field. Several newcomers will have a chance to fill the role.

Andrea Purcell is another player who has benefited from a full year of playing at the college level. The sophomore outside defender from Northfield, Minn. has turned into a formidable opposite-side compliment to Fancher. She came on at the end of last year and had an impressive tour of duty in Brazil.

Another question mark for the Cobbers on their way to the summit will be the role of starting goalkeeper. Last year, Concordia relied heavily on the hands of Ashley Liegakos. Her play in the first round of the MIAC playoffs against St. Olaf helped the Cobbers gain a berth in the championship game. Unfortunately she is recovering from a knee injury and her status for the 2005 season is up in the air. A pair of freshmen will have the opportunity to start the season as the #1 keeper. Britt Reiersgord and Becky Shepherd had solid high school careers and should be fully capable of providing key saves throughout the season.

If Concordia can pick up where they left off at the end of last season and continue to play as they did in Brazil over the summer, then they will have the chance to raise a maroon and gold flag at the top of the MIAC summit at the end of October.

Women's Soccer News and Notes

All Meat, No Cupcakes
Once again head coach Dan Weiler has stacked Concordia's non-conference schedule. Last year the Cobbers faced three nationally-ranked teams during their seven-game non-conference schedule. This year Concordia will face preseason #19 Chapman College when they travel to California on their annual mid-semester road trip. The Cobbers will also face perennial regional power California Lutheran on the same western swing.

Concordia opens the season by facing the University of Mary, who posted a 15-win season in 2004. They will then square off against another 15-win opponent when they face Simpson (Iowa) on Saturday, September 3, at St. John's.

Another exciting facet of the 2005 season for Concordia is the return of the Concordia Invitational. The Cobbers will host Elmhurst (Ill.) and Nebraska Wesleyan on September 9 and 10. Elmhurst was one of only two teams to shut out Concordia in 2004.

The final non-conference foe will be cross-town rival MSU-Moorhead.

There's No Place Like Home
Concordia went undefeated at home last season and has an 11-1-1 record at "The Jake" in the past two seasons. The Cobbers are currently riding the wave of a seven-game unbeaten streak at home which bodes well as the team plays 10 home contests this season. The 10 home games equal the record for most home matches in a single season. The Cobbers also played ten games at home in 1992 and 1994.

Concordia will also start the 2005 slate with a home game. It has been 11 years since the Cobbers opened their schedule with a match at home. The last time they were at Jake Christiansen Athletic Complex for the opener was in 1994 when the Cobbers pasted Briar Cliff 9-0.

Roster Report
The Cobbers have 31 players on their preseason roster, the most in program history. The squad includes 13 freshmen and one other newcomer, making the 2005 recruiting class the largest in women's soccer history. Of the 31 players, 23 are from Minnesota, four hail from North Dakota, while the other four are from Montana, Idaho and Colorado.

Not only is this the largest team by sheer numbers, it is also one of the physically biggest. Concordia has 10 players listed as 5-7 or taller. The tallest players on the team are Betsy Olesen and Rachel Lewis (5-10), while five players check in at 5-2 making them the shortest on the squad.

Streaks and Stuff
The Cobbers enter the season unbeaten in their last seven home games. They have also won two straight regular season games...on the downside, the team is in the midst of a streak of 123 minutes without having netted a goal. Concordia was held scoreless in their final game of 2004 when they lost to Macalaster 2-0 in the MIAC championship game...like the men, the women also have an impressive record in season-opening games. The Cobbers are 15-6 in games to start a season and they have not lost in the last six openers. In the previous six season starters, Concordia has outscored their opponents 30-2. They have not conceded a goal in a season opener since the 2000 season. The Cobbers have a goal advantage of 19-0 in those four openers...Morgan Bain has four goals in her two previous season opening games. Last year she scored a hat trick against Northland College in the team's 9-0 win...Concordia will play only one new team in 2005. The Cobbers open the year against the University of Mary (N .D.), marking the first contest between the two schools.