Match Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio Broadcast ($5 fee) | 2010 Lady Blues media guide

Setting the Scene:
The Washburn Lady Blues soccer team will open their eighth season of action when they will take on #15 St. Edward's University on Friday, Sept. 3 in Austin, Texas. It will be the opening matches for both teams for the 2010 season. Last season the Lady Blues finished the year 11-8-1 and 8-7-1 in MIAA play. The Hilltoppers were 16-3-3 while reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 last season.

Lady Blues season preview
After sitting with an 8-8-1 record with only three matches left in the season, the Lady Blues were looking at a possibility of suffering their first losing season since the 2004 campaign, the team rallied to win its final three games completing the season 11-8-1 and 8-7-1 in the MIAA for a fourth place finish.
Washburn is looking to carry over the winning ways from the final three games in 2009 to the opening of the 2010 season as they will return 11 letterwinners and six starters including five who earned all-MIAA honors one season ago. The Lady Blues are also adding seven talented freshmen and an NCAA Division I transfer who will all compete for time as soon as camp opens in August.
“We're excited about the team - both who we have returning and who will be new,” said eighth season head coach Tim Collins. “We believe we are going to have more speed across the board from one season ago and we can't wait to lace up our shoes and get after it.”
Forwards
Returning Players    G    A    PTS    SOG
Tia Stovall, So.        4    8    16    9
Leah Talley, So.        6    2    14    17
Up front, the Lady Blues will have only two returning forwards, but each of them were second team all-MIAA honorees after their first season in a Washburn uniform. Sophomores Tia Stovall and Leah Talley have been playing together on the attacking side since high school and they were two of the top three point producers for Washburn last season.
Stovall led the team with 16 points collecting four goals with a freshman-record eight assists, which is the second most in school history. Talley led the Lady Blues with six goals while chipping in two assists.
Joining Stovall and Talley up front will be two more forwards in freshmen Kelsey Ewert and Rachel Hansen. Also looking for time will be combo foward/midfielders in sophomore and Division I transfer Caitlin Boger as well as freshmen Caysie Beetley and Bailey Viestenz.
Ewert scored 38 goals adding 27 assists in her high school career picking up second team all-league honors as a senior and Hansen scored 10 goals as a senior earning all-state honorable mention accolades.
Boger, who is transferring to Washburn from Indiana State where she played 14 games as a freshman was a four-year letterwinner at St. Teresa's Academy. Beetley scored 21 goals with 12 assists as a senior earning first team all-state and California Frontier league honors winning the state championship her final season.
Viestenz scored four goals with two assists as a senior helping Blue Valley West to a state championship and a national ranking of No. 18 in the country.
“We will have the players to put some goals on the board,” Collins said. “We will have to work together to get our chemistry right with all the new additions on the front line, but I know the players will be up for that challenge.”
The Lady Blues will have to replace Ashley Taylor who was an honorable mention all-MIAA selection who finished second on the team with five goals and five assists while wrapping up her career with 53 points. Taylor scored 17 goals with 19 assists which stands fourth and second respectively on Washburn's all-time chart.
Midfielders
Returning Players    G    A    PTS    SOG
Lauren Henry, Jr.    3    2    8    18
Brittany Tracz, Sr.    2    0    4    7
Markie Gallagher, Sr.    0    1    1    3
Brianna Ament, RS-Fr.    0    0    0    1
Stefanie Stuever, So.    0    1    1    3
Lindsey Lambert, So.    0    0    0    4
The Lady Blues midfielders return five goals and four assists from last season as well as 44 combined starts from 2009. Washburn will have to replace departed seniors Keeley Lambeth who scored three goals and Angela Wiseman who had two assists who started 34 matches between the two of them.
Junior Lauren Henry scored three goals adding two assists with one match-winning goal while starting 18 of 20 matches during the season. Henry was a second team all-MIAA pick.
Senior Brittany Tracz had two goals with both going as match-winning goals. Fellow senior Markie Gallagher recorded one assist during the season and played part of the season as a defender as well after injuries to the Lady Blues back line. Sophomores Stefanie Stuever and Lindsey Lambert also return as will Brianna Ament, who is listed as a redshirt freshman after missing the final 17 matches of the 2009 season with an injury.
“We have a solid core of returning and experienced players in the midfield,” Collins said.
Joining the Lady Blues this fall along with the afore mentioned combo forwards will be freshman Danielle Curtis who was a 2010 honorable mention all-Nebraska pick and a four-year letterwinner at Millard South High School in Omaha.
“Fall camp is going to be exciting,” Collins said. “Especially for this area on the field because there is going to be great competition for playing time between this group of players.”
Defenders
Returning Players    G    A    PTS    SOG
Danielle Sicard, Sr.    2    0    4    4
Ashley Hynek, Sr.    0    2    2    1
Jordan Shefte, Sr.    0    0    0    3
Kelsey Raiman, So.    0    0    0    0
The most experienced position on the field will be returning in the defensive portion of the Lady Blues line up as Washburn returns all four starters this season.
Seniors Danielle Sicard, Ashley Hynek and Jordan Shefte and sophomore Kelsey Raimain started a combined 72 matches. Sicard earned second team all-MIAA honors and will be returning from a knee injury suffered in the 19th game of the season last year and Shefte was an honorable mention all-MIAA pick.
“These four returners will be special this season,” Collins said. “They are an experienced group and they will really set the tone for the season when our opponents have the ball in their attacking zone.”
Incoming freshmen Taylor Mayhew and Megan Buckley will look to create playing time for themselves once fall camp starts. Mayhew was named the Sunflower League's Defensive Player of the Year earning first team all-league, all-Olathe and first team all-state honors at Olathe East High School and Buckley helped her high school team at Millard North in Omaha reach the state semifinals as a senior and the state championship game as a junior winning the state title as a sophomore.
Goalkeepers
Returning Players    Mins.    GA    GAA    Saves    W-L-T
Ashley Klone, Sr.    1832:19    28    1.38    78    11-8-1
Senior Ashley Klone is the only goalkeeper on the Lady Blues' roster for the second straight season. Last season she started all 20 matches allowing 28 goals recording a .736 save percentage while collecting five shutouts.
“Ashley as a captain again this year is already showing great leadership as she did last year,” Collins said. “I'm really looking for big things from her in net this season.”
Should the need for a back-up arise, either Danille Sicard or Markie Gallagher would be called upon to fill the goalkeeper duties.
The Season
“Our conference again will be a battle,” Collins said. “There will be 16 battles for each team through the MIAA schedule and the championship will be well-deserved for the team who comes out on top.”
In addition to the 16-match MIAA slate, the Lady Blues open the season against Heartland Conference foe St. Edward's who reach the NCAA Sweet 16 and return nine starters off a team who went 16-3-3 in 2009. Washburn's other non-conference game will be against Incarnate Word, from the Lone Star who reached the NCAA second round after going 16-3-3 in 2009 as well.
“Our non-conference schedule is as tough as it has ever been,” said Collins. “With two teams who reached the NCAA Tournament as well as our own MIAA schedule, we are going to be battle-tested this season in every match we play in.”

Opponent notes
Team notes: St. Edward's advanced farther during the 2009 season than any other team in program history, as they reached the NCAA Sweet 16, before falling in penalty kicks.The Hilltoppers outscored their opponents, 51-6, and allowed only 37 shots on goal on their way to a 16-3-3 record. St. Edward's averaged 2.22 goals per contest while its opposition could only muster 0.26 goals per match. The Hilltoppers were tabbed to win the Heartland Conference in the preseason poll receiving eight of ten first place votes.

About the coach: Nick Cowell is in his fifth season at St. Edward's leading the Hilltoppers to a 63-13-6 overall record.

About the Hilltoppers: The Hilltoppers return nine of 11 starters from last season's team and 15 letterwinners overall. Senior Janae Averett who led he team in goals was a first team all-conference and second team all-region pick. Sophomore Olivia Collado was the Heartland Conference Freshman of the year at a midfielder's spot and Bethany Bennett is a two-time All-American. SEU returns two goalkeepers in senior Troi Jorgensen and junior Clarie Tilton who combined for a 0.26 goal against average and a school record 16 shutouts last season.

Series history with the Hilltoppers:  Friday's meeting will be the first between the two teams.
Last time out for the Lady Blues:
Nov. 7, 2009 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Lady Blues soccer team wrapped up the 2009 season on a three-match winning streak with a 1-0 win over Missouri Western. With the win, Washburn finishes the season 11-8-1 and 8-7-1 in the MIAA finishing in fourth in the conference race. Washburn scored the only goal of night when Angela Wiseman's free kick from 24 yards out was headed in by Danielle Sicard headed the ball into the corner of the net for her second goal of the season at the 9:26 mark of the first half. The lone goal coupled with Ashley Klone's fifth shutout of the year and the 13th of her career was all the offense the Lady Blues would need for the win. Washburn outshot the Griffons 14 to 6 in the match.

Lady Blues Soccer History:
Washburn is 71-51-22 (.560) all-time in its eighth season of competing. In MIAA play, the Lady Blues are 48-38-17 (.537). In home matches, the Lady Blues are 34-18-9 and they are 30-28-10 on the road. In matches on neutral sites, the Lady Blues are 7-5-3. Washburn has outscored its opponents 237 to 191 in the program's history.

Up Next:
The Lady Blues will return to action on Sept. 9 in Topeka when they will play host to Missouri Southern opening the MIAA slate. Washburn will then take on Incarnate Word on Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. in Yager Stadium.