Aug. 23, 2005
Contact: Brian McCann
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Cleveland State (0-20 in 2004) at Kent State (11-4-5)
Date: Sunday, August 28, 2005
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Kent State Soccer Field (200) Kent, Ohio
Series: KSU Leads, 1-0
Last Mtg.: KSU 4, CSU 0, Aug. 27, 2004; Foltz Field
SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State opens its second season of women's soccer when the Vikings travel to Kent State this weekend. CSU squares off against the Golden Flashes on Sunday, August 28 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Kent State Soccer Field. The Vikings return seven starters and nine letterwinners from last years team that went winless through a 20-match schedule but the addition of 13 first year players has helped to significantly improve the talent level of the squad. Kent State, which has been picked to win the Mid-American Conference title this year, returns 10 starters and 15 letterwinners from the squad that went 11-4-5 a year ago, winning its second straight league title.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK: After almost a week of preseason practice, the Vikings played a pair of exhibition matches in preparation for Sunday's opener. CSU lost, 2-1, to Mercyhurst and 3-2 at Robert Morris. Here is a synopsis of last week's matches:
Exhibition 1: Mercyhurst 2, CSU 1 (Aug. 18, Lost Nation Park) CSU dominated play at both ends of the field for the last 60 minutes, but a pair of early Mercyhurst goals provided the winning margin for the Lakers. Ashley Walchack tallied the lone Viking marker, heading home a cross from Angela Kormos in the 49th minute. CSU recorded 14 shots in the match, the second-highest total in the program's short history and freshman Erin Withrow recorded eight saves in net.
Exhibition 2: Robert Morris 3, CSU 2 (Aug. 21, Moon Township, Pa.) Three Robert Morris goals in the first 15 minutes proved to be too big of a deficit to overcome, though the Vikings nearly pulled it off. Jennifer Wieand put CSU on the scoreboard in the 34th minute when she redirected a cross from Ashley Walchack into the goal. Wieand later assisted on an Angela Kormos goal in the second minute of the second half to pull the Vikings to within a goal but CSU could not tally the tying goal.
FALOR ON THE VIKINGS: "It is obvious from our play last week that 2004 is just a distant memory. Although it is still early and we have a long way to go until we reach our full potential, the development that we have shown so far has made us a vastly improved team. Our experience is apparent because we were able to do a better job of controlling play at the midfield and that led to better offensive pressure and more chances to score. We are still a young team and we will continue to improve as our 13 new players continue to be incorporated into the playing rotation."
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State showed considerable improvement during its two exhibition matches this year. The Vikings scored three goals in the contests, one less than they tallied during the entire 2004 campaign. The strength of the squad is at midfield where sophomores Heather Clapacs and Amber Rasmussen return. Clapacs earned honorable mention All-Ohio honors last year after leading the team with 43 shots while Rasmussen, who had a hand in every Viking goal a year ago, was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer squad. The defense will benefit from the return of sophomores Shayna Bäck and Maggie Pugliese, who combined to start 33 matches, and the move of goalie-turned-defender Allie Zajaros. Jennifer Wieand, who scored a pair of goals last year and had a goal and an assist during the preseason, leads the offensive attack. She is joined up front by Abbie Kakias, who sat out last season following knee surgery. Four first-year freshmen are slated to start the season opener, including goalkeeper Erin Withrow, defender Natalie Wilson, midfielder Lisa Conway and forward Ashley Walchack.
FRESHMEN ORIENTATION: For the second straight season, youth will be served on the Viking roster. CSU heads into the season opener with 11 freshmen (out of 22 players) on the squad with as many as five expected to be in the starting lineup. Things have improved since last year when 14 of the 21 players on the roster were freshmen.
. . . AND THE VIKINGS FEATURE A TWO-CLASS SYSTEM: One byproduct of the short history of women's soccer at CSU can be found on the roster where 21 of the 22 Vikings have played one year or less of collegiate soccer. In fact, the 2005 Vikings have no seniors and just one junior (Melissa Wood) on the roster. The Vikings roster features 10 sophomores and 11 freshmen.
KRENZLER REDEDICATION SET FOR OCT. 2: After undergoing nearly $3 million in renovations since last year, Krenzler Field will be officially rededicated during the home doubleheader on Sunday, Oct. 2. The improvements to Krenzler Field, which has served as the home for Cleveland State soccer since 1985, include the addition of an all-purpose FieldTurf playing surface and a removable air-supported dome that will cover it during the winter months. The dome, a product of Yeadon Domes, will cover the entire length of Krenzler Field, approximately 94,000 square feet, with a 60-foot ceiling. It will be made of a heavy-duty vinyl coated flame-resistant polyester architectural fabric.
AMBER ALERT: After having a hand in all four Viking goals last year, sophomore Amber Rasmussen has been moved from forward to midfield for the 2005 campaign in order to create better offensive flow and ball control at the midfield. Rasmussen, who started all 19 matches she played in last year, led the team in scoring with one goal and three assists.
NEXT UP: The Vikings continue their season-opening four match road swing when they play contests at St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Sept. 2 and at Ohio University on Sunday, Sept. 4.
