Coming off last year’s playoff berth, the women’s soccer team is not only looking to climb back into high GPAC contention, but also to surpass those expectations.
The Raiders lost four of their 11 starters, but they feel confident that roles can be filled in effectively. “We returned a lot of key players and added a solid group of freshmen to the mix,” coach Blake Wieking said.
One area of weakness the Raiders face is their defense. Two All-GPAC honorable mentions graduated and left some big shoes for backup players to fill. However, Wieking has faith in some veteran players who had some defensive experience last season.
- Photo by Lindsey Geels
This year, three forwards, sophomores Jo Jensen, Alli Dunkelberger and Ann Calsbeek will all look to be explosive scorers to help put the team on the scoreboard. Although they are young, they possess a lot of talent and do not hesitate to put the ball in the net. Dunkelberger had an impressive nine goals on the season last year as a freshman striker.
After three games, the Raiders are 2-0-1 on the season. They beat William Penn and Waldorf and tied Trinity International last weekend.
“We are pretty excited for the season, and we’re off to a pretty good start,” coach Wieking said. “We’ve set a good base for the season, and now we look to improve and build off early successes.”
