DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's soccer team reported to campus this past week as the team readies for the 2015 campaign. Drake will play three road exhibition contests to prepare for the regular season, which begins with a home match at Cownie Soccer Complex against UMKC on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs' busy exhibition slate starts Aug. 9 at Western Illinois. Drake then travels to Kansas and Minnesota on Aug. 12 and 15, respectively, to close the preseason.
Head coach Lindsey Horner, who is in her eighth season at the helm, will have 15 returners from one season ago along with two transfers and seven freshmen. The Bulldogs have balanced classes with seven freshmen, six sophomores, six juniors and five seniors rounding out their 24-member roster for the 2015 season.
Junior midfielder Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill.) is coming off a recording breaking sophomore season that was capped with being named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team. Rodgers led Drake in goals (12), assists (8), game-winning scores (4) and points (32). Her 32 points are a program high and her 12 goals tied for the most in a season at Drake.
Seniors Kylie DeHaven (Olathe, Kan.) and Rhian Pritchard (Prairie Village, Kan.) return for their final seasons after each were named to the All-MVC Second Team as juniors. DeHaven, a defender, started all 19 games she played in and had three assists and nine shots from the backline. Of her nine shots, five were on goal. Thanks to her defensive efforts, the Bulldogs recorded five shutouts and 13 one-goal games this season. Pritchard, a midfielder made 20 starts and was fourth on the team in scoring with two goals and four assists.
Junior midfielder Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and senior forward Alex Freeman (Duluth, Minn.) finished with four and two goals, respectively, in 2014. The pair along with senior Mariah Boncek (Fishers, Ind.), junior Sarah Grace Nicholson (Overland Park, Kan.), redshirt junior Tricia White (Overland Park, Kan.) and senior Emma Winstead (Iowa City, Iowa) provides significant game experience along with veteran leadership for the Bulldogs. Two transfers, forward Gabby Charles (Wausau, Wis.) and goalkeeper Brooke Dennis (Wauconda, Ill.), round out the collection of juniors and seniors. Charles and Dennis joined the Bulldogs after each played two seasons at Eastern Illinois and Ball State, respectively.
Drake has an experienced six-member sophomore class as each played valuable minutes in their first seasons. Sophomore Kasey Hurt (Ankeny, Iowa) was tied for second on the team in assists with four to rank sixth in the MVC in assists per game as she earned MVC All-Freshman accolades. Rounding out the second year group is goalkeeper Haley Morris (West Des Moines, Iowa), midfielder Brooke Salisbury (Kearney, Mo.), defender/midfielder Ali Smith (Lenexa, Kan.), defender/midfielder Rachel Wanninger (Johnston, Iowa) and Hannah Wilder (Wheatfield, Ind.).
The Bulldogs welcome seven freshmen to the program as each brings impressive club level and high school accolades. Alyssa Brand (Skokie, Ill.), Tawny Carroll (Streamwood, Ill.), Linda Fiorito (Overland Park, Kan.), Elaine Gorom (O'Fallon, Ill.), Maggie Juhlin (Chatham, Ill.), Vanessa Kavan (Lincoln, Neb.) and Grace Myers (Noblesville, Ind.) are all set for their first season for the Blue and the White.
