Women's Soccer Heads to Texas

8/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Aug. 19, 2010

Kickoff: Michigan State kicks off the 2010 women's soccer season on Friday, Aug. 20 when it takes on St.John's in the first round of Texas A&M's Aggieland Invitational. The Spartans will tangle with pre-season No. 1 North Carolina on Sunday at 11:30 am, and will not play the host school in the event. Both games will have live statistics available at www.msuspartans.com.

Capsule Look: Michigan State is coming off a 11-5-4 mark in 2009, along with a 4-4-2 record in Big Ten Conference play. The Spartans return a wealth of experience from last season, including five starters who played in all 20 games and eight starters overall.

The Coach: Tom Saxton is in his 20th season as the head coach of the Spartans, has spent more than half of his life involved in Spartan soccer. A four-year letterwinner for the men's team (1980-84), Saxton returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 1989 and ascending to the head coach of the women's program in 1991. He is a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. He owns a 190-157-34 record overall.

Preseason MSU was picked fourth in the 2010 Big Ten preseason poll of coaches. Penn State was selected as the league favorite for the eighth consecutive season, followed by Ohio State, Wisconsin, and the Spartans. Following MSU in the poll, in order, is Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Northwestern, and Iowa.

Players to Watch: Spartan senior Cara Freeman and juniors Laura Heyboer and Jill Filetstra were named to the Big Ten's "Players to Watch" list. Three student-athletes were selected from each school.

2010 Outlook There is a wealth of optimism surrounding the 2010 women's soccer season, and with good reason - the Spartans were selected fourth in the pre-season Big Ten poll, bring back one of the most exciting players in the league, a solid defensive corps, and experience all over the field to put the team in a position to challenge for an upper-division finish in what head coach Tom Saxton has called perhaps the best Big Ten in the sport's history.

The Spartans are coming off a 11-5-4 overall mark from a year ago, and were 4-4-2 overall. The Spartans started the season on a 7-0-2 tear, but injuries caught up with the squad in mid-season, putting several starters on the shelf for the balance of the year.

The benefit of that rash of injuries is the opportunities it provided some of the underclassmen to gain game experience in a situation they wouldn't had the veterans been healthy. For the 2010 Spartans, it puts more experience on the field, which will come in handy during the challenging schedule assembled for the Spartans.

If a team is built from the goal out, the Spartans are in fine hands with returning junior Jill Flietstra , who earned the starting job late in her freshman season and carried the load as a sophomore. Flietstra ranked second in the Big Ten a year ago in save percentage(.836) and was fourth in goals against average (0.87). She was also third in the Conference in saves (92), saves per game (4.6) and shutouts (7). In front of her, she can put her confidence in her defense, as seniors Sam Cook and Courtney Shegos and junior Katelin Chaklos return for a second year as a starting unit. All three started all 20 games a year ago, and helped Flietstra to those impressive numbers and a team GAA of 0.86, which ranked third in the Big Ten in team defense. Saxton has good depth in his defensive corps, as senior Jennifer Ulmer, and sophomore Desiree Aber both saw time last season.

Annie Steinlage is the only freshman fullback, but she's expected to fight for time. One of the highest-regarded recruits in the state of Michigan, the Gatorade Michigan Girls Soccer Player of the Year two years running figures to be a factor for the Spartans in a deep backfield. Also challenging for time will be freshman Kelsey Mullen.

Though not as deep as on defense, the Spartans appear to be well-set in the midfield as well. Hannah Peterson started 20 games last season, and Jordan Mueller started in 11 of her 14 games played. Thanks to the aforementioned injuries, sophomore Kelsey Kassab and junior Megan Pines each played in 19 games and had three starts. Mikki Dennis started five contests as well, and Taylor Miller and Kelly Lindsay both saw limited action. Peterson and Mueller each had eight points a season ago. Sarah Stern has returned from a knee injury that sidelined her last season, and will add a huge attacking impact with her speed and dominant air game. Redshirt freshman Chelsea Peterson will add depth and offensive strength in the midfield as well. Though there's less games played together than among their defensive counterparts, the experience gained by the returning players will translate to good things on the field for the Spartans on 2010.

The Spartans have plenty of talent up front, starting with junior and two-time All-American Laura Heyboer and senior All-Region pick Cara Freeman. Freeman filled in plenty in the midfield last fall when injuries took their toll, and her versatility will be an asset for MSU this season as well. Heyboer suffered a season-ending injury on a play in which she scored a late game-winning goal on Oct. 25 last season; she still managed to finish sixth in the Big Ten in points (21), fourth in both points per game (1.40) and goals per game (0.53), and second in the Conference in game-winners. She is one of the Players to Watch in the Big Ten, and is also on the preseason watch list for the Hermann Trophy, given annually to the top male and female soccer players in the country.

Freeman also had an impressive season as a junior, starting all 19 games in which she played and posting three goals and five assists for 11 points. Freeman is the team's second-leading returning point scorer, and enters the season with 61 career games under her belt.

After the pair of upperclassmen, sophomore Olivia Stander is the team's third-leading returning scorer at the position; Stander played in all 20 games and drew 11 starts as a freshman, and the year of experience should have her ready to help contribute offensively. Kori Reinhart played in seven games a season ago (one assist), and she will help contribute to depth at the position with junior Sarah Stern, senior Paige Burke, and newcomer Chelsey Miller.