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Aug. 21, 2007

UNI PANTHERS The Panthers made an impressive debut last week against Minnesota State. UNI topped the Mavericks 3-1 on the back of two goals from freshman Ericka O'Meara. O'Meara, making her first start as a Panther, took eight shots and was the focal point of the offense. Senior captain Amy Seubert took control of the midfield where the Panthers' speed advantage became apparent from the opening whistle.

Speed has been a recruiting priority for head coach Kathy Kakoyianni-Bering, and the 2007 Panther squad is a much quicker and faster team than the 2006 version. The increase in team speed and conditioning will pay dividends when UNI meets more formidable opponents.

WARTBURG KNIGHTS Depth and experience will be the Knights' strong points as nine seniors, and five of the top six scorers from a year ago, return to headline the 2007 Wartburg squad. Junior Rachel Oswald scored 11 goals and added six assists in just 15 games last season, giving her a team-high 28 points on the year. Oswald is joined by Katelin Gannon, who netted nine goals a year ago. Equally deep and just as experienced is the Knight defense, led by seniors Sarah Roberts and Krystal Schoen.

2007 SEASON OUTLOOK At times the 2007 University of Northern Iowa soccer team will look very much like the team from a year ago, while other times it might show very little resemblance to the 2006 squad. While the team brings back nine returning starters from last season, the defensive and offensive schemes run by the team will have a different look. The Panthers have seven seniors on the squad to provide experience, but they also will look to seven newcomers to provide a boost in speed and athleticism.

"This team has a good mix," said head coach Kathy Kakoyianni-Bering. "We have a good group of seniors who really want to end their careers with an exclamation point, and we have a large incoming class that raises the level of agility and athleticism on this team. This is a group that can help the program turn the corner."

Kakoyianni-Bering says the team has made a strong commitment to offseason conditioning, and the Panthers' goal is to always be the fittest team on the field. The Panthers competed in close games with Iowa, Iowa State and UW-Milwaukee in the spring season, leading Kakoyianni-Bering to believe that UNI is on its way to having a successful season this fall.

"Our seniors, especially our captains, showed that they were ready to lead us this spring," Kakoyianni-Bering said. "The players have showed that they have truly bought into our team philosophy and into the style of play instilled in the spring. It will be exciting to see what happens when we add the freshmen to that mix."

One of the improvements that the Panthers have made is solidifying the team defense. The spring squad did not allow a lot of early goals, something that plagued the 2006 team that narrowly missed making the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

"Last year we had to play a lot of catch-up," Kakoyianni-Bering said. "We're really focused on keeping that from happening this year, which will give us a lot more opportunities to win."

The defense will be anchored by several experienced players, including seniors Allie Sowell, Jenna O'Hara, and Captain Meghan Schoeberl. Junior Gretchen Orcutt and sophomore Tiffany Wendel will play pivotal roles in the back as well. All five started at least 15 games for UNI a year ago, and Kakoyianni-Bering is confident in their abilities to adapt to the new team defense. Joining that group in the back is freshman Kalyn Jones who could provide an immediate impact.

"That group has done an exceptional job of working on the new concepts, and they're completely on board with what we're trying to do," Kakoyianni-Bering said. "We should be stronger in the back, we should win more balls and we should be able to use our defense as a springboard for our offense."

A lot of the Panthers' youth will be focused in the midfield, where five of the incoming freshmen will be vying for playing time. Nicole Ferlito, Colleen Gallagher, Laura Heaton, Ericka O'Meara and Jenna Schonert all join the program with a chance of playing in the middle.

"Having so many new faces in the midfield will make things really interesting," Kakoyianni-Bering said. "They each come from different backgrounds, bring different styles of play and have different training methods. These players will help us be a little more creative at the midfield position."

The infusion of new players into the midfield will be solidified by leadership from senior captain Amy Seubert. The senior made 17 starts and contributed two assists for UNI in 2006. She has started all but one contest in her three years at UNI, earning a second-team all-conference nod as a junior. Sophomores Jana Teague, Molly Off and Lauren Baldauf also return to the midfield corps, bringing with them a combined 38 starts from last season.

"The midfield will really be an interesting position for us. We have a great group of players, and it will definitely be an area where we can mix it up," Kakoyianni-Bering said. "It will be fun to see who brings what into training camp. The competition at midfield should really fire us up at that position."

The group of midfielders will have several targets at the forward position. The Panthers have increased their speed up front, giving the squad multiple options and offensive threats. UNI returns senior Jackie Gielau, who led UNI with four goals a year ago. The Panthers also bring back sophomore Laura Wagner, who sat out last season with an injury, but provided multiple goals for UNI in the spring season. Junior Lindsey Daugherty scored three goals and dished out an assist for UNI to finish second in points a year ago. Ferlito, Gallagher, Heaton and O'Meara each could serve as forwards as well as midfielders for UNI.

"We are bringing in some true strikers," Kakoyianni-Bering said. "They are all good in one-on-one situations and all of them can create goal-scoring opportunities. They bring a lot of quickness to the field and they are very creative with the ball."

The Panthers bring back a pair of veteran goal keepers in senior captain Heidi O'Mara and senior Krista Thorley. Joining them is sophomore transfer Jess Kneip and sophomore Jamie Shatava.

Kakoyianni-Bering is looking for the keeper to communicate with the team from the back and help solidify the team defense.

"We can't allow any easy goals," She said. "We did a good job in the spring, and we need to make sure that carries over to the fall."

The Panthers' schedule will provide several challenges early on. UNI hosts exhibition matches against Minnesota State and Wartburg before hitting the road for its first three regular season games of the season. UNI opens the season at South Dakota State Aug. 31 and continues north to take on North Dakota State Sept. 2. UNI meets in-state foe Iowa State Sept. 7 before heading to Waverly, Iowa, to face UW-Green Bay in the highlight event of the Kohl's America Cup. The Green Bay game is also UNI's Kicking Cancer game, with all proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society.

UNI then travels to IUPUI, Valparaiso, Iowa, Air Force, San Jose State and Wisconsin in a six-game, 12-day road trip. The Panthers' first regular season contest at the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex comes Oct. 5, when they open their Missouri Valley Conference season against Evansville. That game kicks off a three-game home stand, featuring a Senior Night matchup against North Dakota on Oct. 7 and a contest against Illinois State Oct. 12. UNI plays at Drake Oct. 14 and at Missouri State Oct. 19, then returns home for its final home game, an Oct. 21 meeting with Indiana State

An MVC finale at Creighton and a non-conference matchup with South Dakota in Omaha, Neb. round out the regular season for the Panthers.

UNI ON THE WEB The latest press releases, statistics, schedules and results for all UNI sports are available on the UNI athletics home page. Updated daily, the site is located at http://www.unipanthers.com. The Missouri Valley Conference home page is located at http://www.mvc.org.

PRESS LUNCHEONS --STARTING Aug. 27th -- Each Monday, UNI's in-season coaches speak at noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub, located on 18th St. in Cedar Falls. The public and media are invited to attend and hear what the coaches have to say about their season.