Head Coach Steve Shelton and the Concordia Women's soccer team reported to camp on Thursday, August 6th. After a week of intense training and practices the team is ready to kick off the 2015 season with a home game on Saturday, August 15th at 4pm against Rochester College. After a successful 2014 campaign, Coach Shelton is looking to build upon last season with a solid core group of returners mixed with an impressive incoming recruiting class. "We are excited about this year's incoming class joining our returning group of core players," said Shelton. "While our returners are young, they're experienced in big games."
Schedule Outlook
The women's soccer team finished the 2014 season unbeaten at home with a final record of 7-0-1. The new pro-turf field, which was installed prior to last season, has treated the Cardinals well as they look to make it eight wins on Saturday against Rochester College. The team will then head south to West Palm Beach and have their first road test of the year against Keiser University (formerly Northwood University) which finished the 2014 season ranked 4th in the NAIA poll. The Cardinals will also play Florida Memorial in West Palm Beach before heading back to Ann Arbor to play a home game against a Crossroads opponent, Bethel College. This will be a rematch from last year, when the Cardinals won 2-1 in Mishawaka. The last non-conference game will be against NCAA Division II foe, Northwood, which saw last year's contest end in a double overtime draw.
Davenport University will come to Cardinal Field to kick off the WHAC schedule on September 16th. The women's soccer team will then go on the road for several games until they return to face the Saints of Siena Heights on October 7th. The Saints and Cardinals played evenly contested matches last year with the Cardinals winning one and saw the final game of the year end on a double overtime 0-0 draw. The Cardinals will end the final regular season at home on Senior Day when they welcome the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers, whom ended their 2014 season as the NAIA National Runner-up. After finishing tied for sixth in the 2014 WHAC conference standings with a record of 4-4-1, the Cardinals look to make their move towards the top of the conference standings and put themselves in position for a bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
Key Returners
Coach Steve Shelton will return his top four scorers from last year led by Sophomore Forward, Julia Palushaj (South Lyon, MI) who was selected as the WHAC Newcomer of the Year and led the team in goals (14) and total points (32). The Cardinals outscored their opponents 31-17 last year and will look to continue their attacking style of play. Sophomores Martha Mullett (Westland, MI) and Heather Emke (Novi, MI) punched in five goals last year and Junior, Lora Palushaj (South Lyon, MI), controlled the passing game with seven assists. Lora was also selected to the WHAC All- Conference Honorable Mention team. Seniors Meghan Stephens, Rachel Johnston, Savannah Diroff, and Claire Reno, will be depended on for valuable leadership and experience.
Newcomers
Coach Steve Shelton has brought in nine newcomers to help contribute to an already talented roster. Key contributors to watch out for on the offensive side include Freshmen Janaya Lothian (Hamilton, Onts), Alex Mercado (Lorain, OH), Kaitlyn Murphy (Canton, MI) and transfer Sophomore, Hailey Hollenbeck (Hudson, NY). Defensively, the Cardinals will look to Matea Smith (Southfield, MI), Paige Messmer (Canton, MI), and Lisi Leger (Redford, MI) to guard the backfield. The talented mix of Maria Lulgjuraj (West Bloomfield, MI) and Kathryn Macrae (Westland, MI) will be used to protect the net.
