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Sept. 2, 2003

MILWAUKEE -

Tough Start to 2003

For basically 178 minutes, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team did exactly what it wanted to do. However, due to a couple of defensive miscues, UWM ended the week 0-2 instead of notching a tie or a pair of wins. Dayton, the No. 4 team in the Great Lakes Region, needed overtime to defeat the Panthers 1-0 on Friday, before Vanderbilt used a first half goal to win 1-0 on Sunday.

The Precedent Has Been Set

Due in large part to enormously tough schedules, this is not the first time in recent history the UWM women's soccer team has started a season 0-2. In fact, if history is any indication, it could be just the way to start. In each of the last two seasons Milwaukee has started 0-2, but ended up advancing to the NCAA Tournament. UWM lost to Oakland and Ohio to begin the 2002 season 0-2 while in 2001 it dropped contests to Iowa and Oakland to begin play.

Pair Of Panthers Shine In Tournament

While the Verizon/Wireless Milwaukee Cup may not have been a success for the women's soccer team a pair of individuals did receive accolades. Junior Melissa Ricter and sophomore Janice McGann were honored for their efforts as each was named to the 11-player All-Tournament team on Sunday.

Picking Up Where She Left Off

It's as if she never left. Goalkeeper Kerri St. Aubin played in both games of the Verizon Wireless MIlwaukee Cup this weekend, and looked as if she never missed a beat. The junior, who redshirted last season and ended up playing basketball last winter, played the second half of both the UD and Vanderbilt games and did not allow a goal in that time. The 2001 Second-Team All-Horizon League performer stopped three shots on the weekend, two of which came from close range. St. Aubin reduced her career goals against average to 0.73, good for first-place all-time in school annals.

UWM Expected To Wear Crown Again In 2003

The Milwaukee women's soccer team will look to make it four in a row in 2003 as the three-time defending regular season champions were once again picked to win the Horizon League title. The Panthers were the unanimous choice to claim the league title in a vote of head coaches. Following is a breakdown of the voting:

School 2002 Record Points 1 Milwaukee 11-6-5 36 2 Butler 15-6 30 3 Detroit 7-8-5 23 4 Loyola 7-9-3 22 5 Wright State 6-10-4 22 6 UW-Green Bay 4-11-2 19 7 Youngstown State 1-19 6

Freshmen Phenoms Make Their Mark

While you wouldn't necessarily know it from the stat sheet yet, a pair of UWM freshmen have made a major mark on the program already. Defender Ginny Graczyk has been a rock on defense, playing all 183:49 seconds of the season. Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, forward Taylor Powell has become a threat offensively. The athletic Powell led the Panthers in exhibition scoring with two goals, and currently leads the squad with two shots on goal on the young campaign.

League Supremacy

The UWM women's soccer team is unbeaten in its last 15 matches against league foes. UWM went 5-0-1 in league games a year ago, tying Loyola, 2-2, in Chicago, and added a pair of wins in the league tournament. In 2001, the Panthers ran the table on the rest of the league, going a perfect 6-0 in league play and 2-0 in the league tournament. The last UWM defeat at the hands of a league opponent came in the 2000 league championship game against Wright State.

A Tough Road Ahead

Under coach Michael Moynihan, UWM has traditionally played against some of the top teams in the Midwest and in the country, and the 2003 season will be no different. Seven of UWM's 11 non-league matches will come against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. The Panthers who already opened the season with 2003 participant Dayton, will head west to face UCLA on Sept. 12, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA before falling on penalty kicks. The Panthers will host Marquette, while facing Oakland, Cincinnati and Wisconsin, all on the road. The Panthers played six NCAA Tournament teams last year, going 1-4-1 in those six matches.

Lineup Diversification

Holding true to form, UWM head coach Michael Moynihan is once again using the non-conference portion of the schedule to get a look at different players and different lineup combinations. Despite playing just two games thus far in 2003, Moynihan has used 15 different players in the starting lineup. Only six players have started both games, with three of those coming defensively. Sophomore Molly Schneider has started both games in net for UWM, while Janice McGann and Ginny Graczyk have taken the post on defense. In the midfield, Melissa Ricter has made both starts as have forwards Taylor Powell and Lisa Bengtsson. In addition to the 15 different starters, UWM has played 24 players on the season.