This Week: Chicago State University women's soccer travels to the state of Ohio for a pair of matches this weekend to open its 2015 slate. The Green and White start the season Friday evening at Bowling Green with a start time of 6 p.m., before taking on Cleveland State in an ESPN3 contest on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m.
Scouting the Cougars: CSU is on an upswing going into year two as a program thanks to 13 returning players from its inaugural team in 2014 which was rated as the youngest team in NCAA Division I. Joining the returners are 13 newcomers that will be looked upon to help the Green and White battle hard as it looks to contend in the Western Athletic Conference. The balance helped the Cougars post a 3-1 win at Purdue Calumet last Thursday in their lone exhibition contest. Sophomore forward
Jyllian Coggins (Birch Run, Mich./Birch Run) is the top returning player for Chicago State after recording five goals and two assists a year ago.
Scouting the Falcons: Bowling Green brings back 16 letterwinners and 10 starters for third-year head coach Lyndsay Basalyga. The Falcons dropped a tightly-contested 1-0 decision at Pittsburgh on Aug. 15 in an exhibition match while playing 19 players. Sophomore forward Skylar Fleak led BGSU in scoring with five goals and 11 points in 2014. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lauren Cadel recorded a school single-season record 146 saves last season to lead the Mid-American Conference and rank third among NCAA D-I goalkeepers.
Scouting the Vikings: Cleveland State had finished with a record of 8-8-3 in head coach Sonia Curvelo's first season while and qualifying for the Horizon League tournament. Curvelo brings back 15 letterwinners (six starters) from that squad and were recently picked fourth in the HL preseason poll. The Vikings tallied a pair of close wins in home exhibition play last week over Buffalo (3-2) and Niagara (1-0). Senior forward Vickie Havas produced four goals and two assists last season to lead Cleveland State, while senior goalkeeper Sarah Wood posted a 0.95 goals against average and 73 saves a year ago.
PUC Exhibition Recap: CSU captured a 3-1 exhibition win at Purdue Calumet on Aug. 13 at Dowling Park in Hammond, Ind. The Cougars and Peregrines played the match in three 30-minute periods instead of the traditional two 45-minute periods, while the Green and White dominated the first 60 minutes of play. Sophomore forward
Chloe Cain (Jackson, Mich. /Jackson) scored twice and freshman
Sarah Drury (Laingsburg, Mich./Saint Johns) added a goal to lead CSU, while goalkeepers
Audra Wisehart (Sandusky, Ohio/Huron) and
Taylor Conroy (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) each tallied two saves.
National Leader: Chicago State finished first in Division I last season after averaging 11 saves per game. It marked the first time that CSU has had a national team statistical champion in the sport.
Up Next: The Cougars open a three-match homestand at the Ray and Joan Kroc Stadium on Aug. 30 against NCAA Division II Saint Joseph's (Ind.) in their home opener with the opening kickoff set for 2 p.m.
