YSU women’s soccer optimistic about 2012

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The YSU women’s soccer team enters this season with an abundance of talent and the largest roster in the program’s 16-year history.

The 31-player roster boasts 15 letterwinners and eight returning starters.

“We were concerned with our depth and flexibility,” said coach Will Lemke. “Once we got a feel for what we needed we made it a point to get the types of players we needed for this class.

“The ultimate result is it allows us to play against each other and have higher competitiveness at practice, which I think will help us take it up a couple notches.”

Lemke said it may take more time to mesh as a group. However, the competition is at a high level and several players can play multiple positions.

Headlining the forwards are junior Allison Ludwig, a 2010 Horizon League all-newcomer team selection, and sophomore Jade Flory, who earned all-newcomer team honors last season.

Ludwig tied the YSU freshman record with eight goals scored in 2010 and ranks fifth all-time with 11 career goals.

Flory led the team with seven goals and three assists for a team-high 17 points as a freshman.

“Jade and Luddy [Ludwig] have gelled and have really gotten to understand our program,” Lemke said. “So they could go to other positions because they are strong and flexible both technically and tactically.”

Junior Rachel Morrison, who appeared in all 17 matches last season and was credited with an assist, adds two years of experience.

Newcomers Chelsey Haney, Katie Hohmann, Tyesha Kizer and Karlee Kline are going to push the returners for playing time and could force a shift at the forward and midfield positions

Junior Heather Coonfare and sophomore Cara Armstrong return at midfield along the outside while senior Brittany Hayes, juniors Cori Stark and Taylor Gapczynski and sophomore Brittany Tenis, who can also play in the defensive back field, return in the center.

“Our returning midfielders have shown improvement and good distribution, but they are going to see a lot of competition from some forwards and other players who have the ability to play there as well,” Lemke said.

Coonfare and Stark each scored a goal and were credited with an assist while Gapczynski tallied an assist last season.

Junior Rachel Milhoan and sophomore Julie Bentley also return while newcomers Keirsten Ashcraft, Preslie Hirsch, Nicolette Merlo, Vanessa Mladenovski and Macey Riese look to challenge for playing time during their rookie season.

In the defensive backfield, the Penguins must replace four-year starter at center back in Kelsey Kempton, but seem to have found the right player in senior Katie Peterlin.

“In the spring we moved Katie and Brittany Dowd into the middle and they did an excellent job executing our game plan,” Lemke said. “They are very poised and intelligent players.”

Peterlin has started 51 consecutive matches for the Penguins and last season took 12 shots with an assist from her defensive post.

Junior Brittany Dowd has also moved inside after a two seasons as an outside back.

Sophomore Kearsten Sego is coming off a knee injury but is penciled in at one outside back slot while freshman Rebecca Fink is in at the other. The backline has several options as well with junior Taylor Sebring, sophomore Amanda Johnson and freshmen Shannon Leghart and Shay Sade.

In the net, the Penguins return a single-season record holder in junior Ali Viola.

Last season, Viola set the school mark with a 1.34 goals-against average and posted 60 saves and a .779 save percentage. Joining Viola in the net are freshmen Claire Spleth and Jackie Podolsky.