Feb. 26, 2008

Printable 2008 Spring Schedule

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio women's soccer team has announced its spring 2008 schedule and it includes four home friendlies in Athens at Chessa Field.

Head coach Stacy Strauss and the Bobcats will play host to Marshall and Morehead State on April 5, Ohio State on April 26 and Cincinnati on May 11. Ohio will begin the spring slate at Kent State on March 5 against Youngstown State and St. Francis (PA). The `Cats will also head to Xavier to play against the Musketeers and Austin Peay on April 12.

Ohio will try and get a look at a host of young players at new positions. The Bobcats will graduate seven players from the squad that earned a six seed in the MAC Tournament last season.

Strauss and associate head coach Jim Welch will have 17 players at their disposal in the eight spring friendlies and the Alumni Game on May 17.

Some key returning players for the Bobcats include Erika Schmitt, Amy Lower, Rachael Goulding, Elyse Merchant, Jackie Hanson and Jess MacLean.

Schmitt (Wyoming, Ohio) scored a team-high seven goals in her junior season and led the Bobcats with 16 points. She was twice named the MAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week. Lower (West Chester, Ohio) scored three goals and notched three assists in her sophomore campaign. One year after being named the All-MAC Freshmen Team she tallied nine points, good for second on the team.

On the defensive side of the ball, Goulding (Toronto, Ontario) will be one of two starters returning on the backline, along with Merchant (Carmel, Ind.) Goulding recorded one goal last season but tallied a team-high four assists on her way to being named to the All-MAC Second Team after earning All-MAC Freshmen Team honors the season before. Merchant started 15 games and played in all 19 contests last season.

Hanson (LaGrange, Ill.) will return to anchor the midfield after earning All-MAC Freshman Team honors in her first year in Athens. Hanson started 12 games for the Bobcats and scored one goal.

At goalkeeper, the Bobcats will return Jess MacLean (Loveland, Ohio), who started all 18 games and played every minute of every game except for the second half at Kentucky. The sophomore allowed just 21 goals in 18 games for a 1.12 goals against average. She tallied 55 saves and two shutouts while playing her first full season in the nets for the Bobcats.

Earlier this month Strauss announced the signing of 12 players to national letters of intent to play for the Bobcats next season. The incoming class features 12 players from five different states and encompasses all positions on the field except goalkeeper. The majority of the incoming freshmen will compete for time on the defensive side of the ball and at midfield, with positions vacated by graduating seniors Larissa Najjar, Mary McPhail, Kristen Miller, Callie Broomfield, Lindsey Price, Danielle Young and Alyssa Warren.

Those seven graduating Bobcats will play alongside former Bobcats Michelle Meglaughlin (`04), Kendra Hornscheier (`04), Gina Siedentopf (`04), Megan Cummins ('01) and Carrie Kistner (`04), Christel Schiering (`03) and Meghan McCoy ('01) against the returning players in the Alumni Game. Siedentopf will serve the coaching staff next season as the graduate assistant, taking over for Kistner who will begin a career in coaching at the end of the year. While those seven Bobcats have already committed to play in the Alumni Game, many more former Bobcats are expected to attend.

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Joe Waltasti is the women's soccer contact for the Ohio media relations office. He can be reached via email at waltasti@ohio.edu.