With several players returning from last season and a strong incoming class, the Grinnell College women’s soccer team is looking to bounce back into the thick of the Midwest Conference leaders in 2010.
The Pioneers, 7-10-1 a season ago, return one All-Midwest Conference selection in keeper Laura McElroy ’11. An honorable mention pick, she had a 1.71 goals against average in league play as well as 7.56 saves per game and a .829 save percentage. Her goals against average was fourth-best in the MWC, while the other two figures ranked second.
Midfielder Kirsten Louthan ’12 was fourth for Grinnell in goals last year with four, while midfielder/forward Dylan O’Donoghue ’11 had three scores. Midfielder/forward Rachel Weinstein ’13 was second on the team with three assists.
“Coming off our first spring season, the sophomore and junior classes have matured in their individual play but more significantly as teammates,” said Grinnell coach Heather Benning ’96. “I expect the bonds that were created between these two young classes to help us achieve greater success this year.”
Benning noted the contributions from last year’s sophomores, which besides Weinstein include midfielder Mary Ulseth, defender/midfielder Nicole Sipfle and defenders Kathryn Hardy and Kathryn Vincent. Midfielder Allison Moore joins that class as a transfer student.
“We have a very strong sophomore class,” said Benning. “Nearly all were starters last year. Mary didn’t start, but played in 13 games which is a significant amount of time.”
Other juniors besides Louthan include midfielder Stephanie Rouse, defender/midfielder Cynthia Dominguez, defender Becca Carter, forward Heather Kubicek and defender/midfielder Samantha Bates.
“The junior class looks forward to the return of Becca, who suffered a season-ending injury in last year’s preseason,” said Benning. “Kirsten is our top returning goal scorer and Cynthia is a tri-captain.”
Joining McElroy and O’Donoghue, the team’s other tri-captains, as Pioneer seniors are keeper/forward Ingrid Wennerberg and defender/midfielder Maia Olsen. They’ll help guide a first-year class that includes forward Patty Murphy-Geiss, midfielders Mackenzie Shanahan and Hannah Safter, defenders Katie Fenster and Amanda Hodo and keeper Jordan Young.
“We have two veterans between the goalposts with Laura and Ingrid, plus the addition of first-year Jordan Young,” said Benning. “Dylan and Maia will also be strong senior players for us. We welcome a large first-year class plus one transfer student, and I look for one or two from this group to challenge for a starting position. Overall, they’ll help us address a significant need that hindered our performance last season … depth. I’m really excited about their ability to contribute to our offense in light of the fact that we aren’t returning our top three goal scorers from last year.”
