Aug. 13, 2004

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Rebuilding is a process and one that generally doesn't exhibit overnight transformations. The 2004 Lewis University women's soccer team is in the middle of that process and is establishing a foundation for the future of the program. "No one said it was going to be easy and quick to turn the program around," said Lewis head coach Bill Bruno. "Last year's team was further along than I thought they might be, and they went on to accomplish most of the goals they set for themselves. We've added players that will help us win close games and put us on the right path to returning to the conference tournament." After enduring two consecutive winless seasons, the Flyers took a leap forward in Coach Bruno's first full season with the team. The team won four games, tied twice and had 11 of its 19 games decided by two goals or fewer. In addition, the team's offensive punch showed marked improvement, scoring 14 more goals than the previous season. "Many teams may have overlooked us last year," said Bruno. "We changed our mentality and our style of play and I think that caught some people off guard." Part of that change was an influx of young players that made an immediate impact on the squad. Sophomore forward/midfielder Jenna Volpi was the primary difference maker as she led the team in goals scored and points as a freshman. Volpi tallied six goals and two assists for 14 points in her inaugural campaign. "Jenna creates and scores," said Bruno. "She is very enthusiastic about the game and her speed is a big strength. She finds ways to get to the goal or find someone else who can." Youth will be another key factor to this year's team with as many as seven freshmen and sophomores seeing time in the starting lineup. However, that youth will be complemented by a group of upperclassmen that have combined to start all but three games in their careers. Senior forward/midfielder Caroline Kenny ranked third on the team in points and assists and was second in goals scored in 2003. Junior outside midfielder Loren Pellizzari scored a pair of goals and passed out two assists last year as well. Meanwhile, senior Kristy Reser and junior Kim Zbella helped anchor the Flyer defense. In addition, senior goalkeeper Courtney Hutt has started 37 of her 40 career games. Hutt is looking for a return to form from her freshman year where she posted five shutouts and recorded a 1.94 goals against average. She was injured for nearly all of her sophomore year and her GAA slipped to 2.21 last season. Sophomores Kim Jensen, Lindsay Frederick and Kylie Bristol are three more returnees expected to have an impact this year. Jensen, a midfielder, scored one goal in 2004 and brought an intensity to the Flyers' midfield. Frederick split time in goal with Hutt and is expected to contend for the starting position. Bristol missed the season's first few games recovering from an injury, but made an impact as a defender over the last 12 games. "Lindsay will see a lot more time this year," said Bruno. "She hurt her finger last year and that hindered her, but I expect that she and Hutt will have a strong competition for the goalkeeping job. "We couldn't use Kylie to her full potential last year because of her injury. She was impressive playing somewhat injured, so it will be nice to have her at full strength." The remaining starters will come from a group of newcomers that will once again be thrust into the spotlight. Freshmen Katie Burke (midfield), Sarah Lyons (midfield) and Allison Wilkerson (defender) are anticipated to earn starting spots, while junior transfer Devin Owens should claim a starting slot as well. Team reserves, who are expected to provide depth and push for starting positions, are juniors Veronica Jimenez and Lauren Black and senior Viviana Vargas. Also factoring into the mix will be sophomore transfer Kristen Hink and sophomore Michelle Sliva. The 2004 schedule is tough but fair as the Flyers have non-conference games against teams from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In addition, Lewis will play NAIA St. Xavier and NCAA Division II independent Upper Iowa. "We played a tough schedule in 2003 and still did fairly well against the better teams," said Bruno. "We're looking to build on last year and double our win total. Overall, we want to close the gap between us and the rest of the league and qualify for the conference tournament.