College Soccer 360.com

SATURDAY, Aug. 7

• at WRIGHT STATE 2,  IPFW 1 – The Raiders used goals from juniors Bekah Bonny (Lebanon, Ohio) and Brittany Persaud (Westerville, Ohio) to win what appears to be the first exhibition game played between D-I women's soccer teams this fall ... the home team scored 40 seconds into the game (at Alumni Field), after a scramble sequence in the box (WSU's recap credited the goal to Bonny, assisted by Amber Kasmer, while IPFW reported the score as an own-goal) ... IPFW tied the game midway through the second of the three 30-minute periods, on an unassisted goal from sophomore local product Lisa Underwood (the 2009 Summit League freshman of the year) ... Wright State answered with the gamewinner one minute later (66:52), on the goal from the midfielder Persaud ... WSU finished with an 8-4 shot edge (4-1 in shots on goal) and had an 8-2 margin in corner kicks.

Behah Bonny (left)

Wright State will play a second exhibition game on Friday (Aug. 13) at Akron, which lost its exhibition opener at Michigan (2-1) ... WSU's regular-season opener is Aug. 20 at Central Michigan ... IPFW will be back in action with an exhibition vs. Eastern Kentucky (Wed., Aug. 11; 5:00 p.m.), followed by another exhibition at Butler (Fri., 8/13; 4:00) ... the Mastadons are slated to open their regular season on Aug. 23 with a game at 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Central Michigan (2:00) ... Wright State finished 11-7-2 in 2009 and placed 2nd in the Horizon League (6-2-0), with Pat Ferguson earning 2009 coach-of-the-year honors ... IPFW was 4-12-1 in 2009 (3-6-0 in Summit League play).

Final Stats  (IPFW at Wright State)

Wright State Season Preview (wsuraiders.com)

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SUNDAY, Aug. 8

• MILWAUKEE 0, at CREIGHTON 0 – These teams battled through high-90s temperatures in a scoreless draw ... Milwaukee – a 2009 NCAA Tournament participant – dominated the run of play, with a 21-9 edge in total shots (9-2 shots on goal) and an 8-5 corner-kick margin ... the Panthers feature one of the nation's top scorers over the past two seasons, as junior forward Sarah Hagen (Appleton, Wis.) totaled 24 goals as a freshman and scored 24 more in 2009 ... Hagen and junior midfielder Makenzie Gillaspie – who hails from nearby Elkhorn, Neb. – both sent shots off the crossbar/posts ... the visitors nearly scored early in the action at Morrison Stadium, as sophomore Brittney Neumann's 9th-minute shot banged off the crossbar ... late in the second 30-minute period, Gillaspie's header was denied by the crossbar ... early in the final period, Hagen had an open-net chance but her shot hit off the right post .. minutes later, Gillaspie had another header chance (via a corner-kick service), but defender Andrea Zuniga cleared the ball off the line ... the Bluejays goalkeeping duo of Alicia Montgomery (3) and Katie Jo Swanson (5) combined for eight saves ... Creighton was whistled for 11 of the 13 fouls in the game.

Makenzie Gillaspie (left)

Milwaukee will play another exhibition on Aug. 15 at Northern Illinois, followed by a pair of challenging regular-season games at Ohio State (Aug. 20) and Notre Dame (Aug. 22) ... Creighton has an Aug. 15 exhibition at Kansas, with the regular-season opener slated for Aug. 20 vs. South Dakota State ... Milwaukee is coming off a 12-6-3 season in 2009 and won the 2009 Horizon League regular-season title (8-0-0) ... Creighton placed 3rd in the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference standings (3-2-1; 3-6-2 overall).

Kelly Connolly (left)

Creighton Picked Second in the MVC – The Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll forecasts Creighton to finish second in the 2010 league season, behind defending champion Illinois State ... three Bluejays players – junior defender Kelly Connolly, sophomore forward Brittney Neumann and senior midfielder Emily Orbell – earned MVC preseason first-team honors (junior goalkeeper Alicia Montgomery and senior defender Claire Zach were honorable mention) ... Connolly was a 1st-team MVC performer in 2009 (when she scored 4G and helped post a 0.60 team goals-against avg.) ... Orbell also was an MVC 1st-teamer in 2009 (6G-5A) and has totaled 44 career points (16G-12A) ... Neumann was the 2009 MVC freshman of the year (7G-6A) ... Montgomery was an MVC 2nd-teamer in 2009 (0.58 GAA; 8 shutouts) while defensive leader Zach was an honorable mention selection in 2009.   

MONDAY, Aug. 9

• at ILLINOIS 4,  INDIANA STATE 1 – Four different Illini players scored, in action at the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium ... freshman midfielder Vanessa DeBernardo (Naperville, Ill.) scored in the 6th minute, on a lofted shot from the top of the box that skimmed off the bottom of the crossbar ... seven minutes later, sophomore forward Shayla Mutz (Homer Glen, Ill.) tapped in a loose ball and the lead swelled to 3-0 in the 16th minute, when freshman forward Megan Pawloski (Belleville, Ill.) sent a rebound shot into the left-sidenetting ... Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield was pleased with the scoring output from the pair of rookies, saying, "Vanessa strikes her ball really well and Megan is a fighter in the box. You saw both of those things and saw what those two bring to the table and that is going to be important for them to continue to bring those things to the table." ... Illinois capped its scoring early in the second of the three 30-minute periods, as senior forward Jordan Hilbrands (Bexley, Ohio) one-touched a cross from sophomore forward Marissa Holden (Murphy, Texas) for the re-directon goal ... the Indiana State goal came midway through the 2nd period, set up by a run from the midfield by junior Seyma Erenli (Melbourne, Australia) ... Erenli fed the ball into the top of the box and junior Jessica Rosenberg (Toronto, Ontario) then sent a shot off the right post, with junior newcomer Ashley Collins (Crown Point, Ind./Collegeof DuPage) knocking in the rebound.

Jordan Hilbrands (left)

Illinois – which is looking to rebound from a subpar 2009 season (7-9-3 overall; 2-6-2 Big Ten – will return home to face Missouri on Friday, Aug. 13 (1:00), in one of the nation's more noteworthy preseason exhibition games this season ... the Illini will open their regular season at Loyola-Chicago on Aug. 20 ... Indiana State has an Aug. 15 exhibition at Morehead State, with its regular-season opener at home on Aug. 20 (vs. Western Michigan) ... the Sycamores have been picked to finish 5th in the Missouri Valley Conference, behind Illinois State, Creigthon, Missouri State and Evansville.

Illinois Season Preview (fightingillini.com)

Christian Michner (left)

Illinois Assistant Tabbed for CofC Head Coach – Former Illinois assistant coach Christian Michner was introduced as the new women's soccer head coach at his alma mater College of Charleston, on Aug. 6 ... Michner – a member of the Illini staff during the past two seasons – earlier had spent four seasons as an assistant at the University of Oklahoma and is a 1998 CofC graduate ... Michener's return to his alma mater was preceded by former Tennessee Tech head coach Becky Fletcher departing in late May to take the top assistant position at the University of Mississippi ... one month later, LSU assistant Daniel Brizard was named head coach at Tennesse Tech, followed by former CofC head coach Kevin Dempsey then opting for the open assistant position at LSU ... Dempsey was 78-22 in nine seasons at the College of Charleston (his 2009 Cougars team went 12-7-2, 8-3-0 in Southern Conference play and narrowly missed qualifying for the '09 NCAAs, dropping the SoCon title game to Davidson in a 1-0, double-OT thriller).

Christian Michner Hiring Release (cofcsports.com) 

• at MICHIGAN 2,  AKRON 1 – The Wolverines overcame an early deficit to win this exhibition, player at the West Practice Field of the UM Soccer Complex ... Akron freshman midfielder Kelly DiNiro (Columbus, Ohio) opened the scoring in the 14th minute, assisted by junior forward Rachel Phillip (Ashland, Ohio) ... the host team tied the score midway through the second of the three 30-minute periods, converting off a corner-kick scramble ... junior midfielder Courtney Mercier (Erie, Pa.) scored that 50th-minute goal, sending home a service from senior Jackie Carron (Rochester Hills, Mich.), with junior midfielder Meaghan Hennessy (Westlake, Ohio) also earning an assist on the tying goal ... the gamewinner came in the 77th minute, set up by junior forward Clare Stachel's charge down the right flank ... Stachel (Grand Rapids, Mich.) delivered a low pass and freshman forward Nkem Ezurike (Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia) one-touched the go-ahead goal into the net ... Michigan dominated statistically, with a 20-3 shot edge (8-2 shots on goal) and 12 of the game's 14 corner kicks.

Courtney Mercier (left)

Michigan – coming off a 6-9-5 season in 2009 (1-4-5 Big Ten) – has another exhibition on Aug. 13, at defending Mid-American Conference champion Central Michigan (6:00) ... the Wolverines will open their regular season at home vs. Detroit, on Aug. 20 ... Akron (9-7-2 in 2009; 7-3-1 MAC) next will play a home exhibition vs. Wright State (Aug. 13; 7:30) and will face 2009 Missouri Valley Conference champion Illinois State in its regular-season opener (Aug. 20, at home).

UM Soccer Complex (photo update)

• ALABAMA 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0 (in Chattanooga) – The Crimson tied had a strong showing in this exhibition, played on the soccer field at the Girls Preparatory School (alma mater of sophomore midfielder Josie Rix) ... senior defender Carly Mygrants (Dayton, Ohio) – who missed all of her junior season in 2009 due to injury – set up an early goal with her run across the goalmouth ... senior forward Victoria Frederick (Huntsville, Ala.) then sent a one-touch shot inside the far-right post for the 6th-minute goal ... the Tide scored again midway through the second of the three 30-minute periods, as sophomore forward Amanda Ortegon (McAllen, Texas) finished a pass from Rix for a 2-0 lead in the 42nd minute ... sophomore forward Lindsey Sillers (Birmingham, Ala.) capped the scoring in the 3rd period, after forcing a turnover and converting from the right side (73') ... Alabama racked up a 26-6 shot edge and had five corner kicks.

Kendall Khanna (left)

Alabama – looking to improve on its 6-11-1 showing a year ago (2-8-1 SEC) – currently is spending a week training at the Big Canoe resort in north Georgia ... the Tide will play an exhibition vs. Mercer (in Atlanta) on Aug. 14 (2:00), at the Tophat Soccer Complex (providing a homecoming for sisters K.K. and Meghan Duffy, along with assistant coach Jason Lowe) ... Tennessee Tech was 7-12-3 in 2009 (3-3-2 OVC) but nearly reached the NCAAs, losing to Murray State in the '09 Ohio Valley Conference title game ... the Golden Eagles have an Aug. 14 exhibition vs. Tennessee Wesleyan (5:00) and will open the regular season Aug. 20 at Auburn.

Tennessee Tech Season Outlook (ttusports.com)

• SOUTH FLORIDA 2, at MIAMI 1 – Junior forward Chelsea Klotz scored twice, as USF picked up the exhibition road win .... Bulls head coach Denise Schilte-Brown was encouraged by the pace of her team's play: "As the game went on, I thought we got stronger, which is what we wanted to see" she said ... Klotz scored in the game's opening minutes, Miami equalized midway through the game and Klotz supplied the decisive score with five minutes left to play.

Chelsea Klotz (left)

South Florida will be looking to improve on its 4th-place finish in the 2009 BIG EAST American Division (5-4-2; 9-8-3 overall), and the Bulls again have been picked to finish 4th in the division (behind Marquette, West Virginia and Connecticut) ... following at Aug. 14 exhibition vs. Mexico's Junior National team, USF will open its regular season on Aug. 20 vs. North Florida ... USF returns all of its starters except for record-setting goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi, with the top returners including Klotz ('08 and '09 leading scorer) and fellow junior forward Noelle Pineiro (6G-5A in '09) ... junior transfer Nicole McClure (Univ. of Hawaii) and freshman Hannah Jasurda are among the contenders to fill USF's open goalkeeper spot.

Miami – which does not have the USF scrimmage listed on its schedule and did not do a game report –  returns nine starters from its 2009 team that beat eventual NCAA champion North Carolina and nearly qualified for the NCAAs (8-10-1; 3-6-1 ACC) ... the Hurricanes must replace midfielder Beverly Goebel (a WPS 3rd-round selection of the Washington Freedom), but top returners include the likes of senior forward Britney Steinbruch (Wyckoff, N.J.; 28 career goals), senior defender Brittney Macdonald and sophomore forward Kate Howarth ... Miami will open the regular season at the University of Florida, on Aug. 20.

TUESDAY, Aug. 10

• INDIANA 3, at WEST VIRGINIA 1 – The Hoosiers registered the road win at Dlesk Stadium, overcoming an early deficit to defeat the 24th-ranked Mountaineers ... WVU opened the scoring early in the second of the three 30-minute periods, as senior forward Megan Mischler (Moon Township, Pa.) slotted home the ball after a scramble sequence deep in the penalty box (32') ... later in the period, an own-goal tied the game – as WVU 'keeper Sara Keane was pressured as she cleared a ball off the back of teammate Meghan Lewis (the ball deflected back into the goal for a 1-1 game) ... the visitors then took the lead when freshman midfielder Kristin Leist (Mason, Ohio) latched onto a thru-ball and beat Keane for the 2-1 margin ... IU added an insurance goal in the 3rd period, as a pass from freshman midfielder Rebecca Dreher (Westlake, Ohio) sprung sophomore forward Orianica Velasquez (Bogota, Columbia) for a 1-on-1 chance with the 'keeper ... Indiana finished with an 11-8 shot edge and had a 5-2 margin in corner kicks.

Orianica Velasquez (left)

IU head coach Mick Lyon: "I'm very excited with how well we played. The group that started played well and brought some people in off the bench, they all did well too."

WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown: "While we are disappointed with the loss, we are able to gain perspective to help is prepare for Penn State in our season opener. Exhibitions are great teaching tools and it allowed our coaching staff to see where we stand. I am now accountable for correcting our mistakes and preparing this team to get better each week. ... Give Indiana credit for finding the back of the net and creating chances with their different combinations."

Indiana returned eight starters and 14 letterwinners from its 209 team that went 10-7-2 (2-6-2 Big Ten) ... the Hoosiers have added a promising group of 10 freshmen, along with junior defender Marco McAuley (a transfer from Floria State and native of Noblesville, Ind.) ... IU will open its regular season with three road games, starting Aug. 20 at Evansville.

WVU's Bry McCarthy (left)

West Virginia (10-7-6 in 2009; 5-3-3 BIG EAST; reached '09 NCAA second round) is picked to finish second in the 2010 BIG EAST American Division standings, behind Marquette ... Mischler was named to the 2010 preseason all-BIG EAST team ... WVU has another noteworthy exhibition,  on Aug. 14 at Wake (which beat the Mountaineers in the '09 NCAAs), followed by the regular-season opener at home vs. Penn State (Aug. 20) ... the Mountaineers returned eight starters and 13 letterwinners from the 2009 squad.

• LOUISVILLE at DAYTON – There is little to report from this game at Baujan Field, as (per daytonflyers.com) "Both coaches agreed to limit post-game information for competitive reasons" (such intrigue!) ... postgame comments from Dayton head coach Mike Tucker indicate he was pleased with the play of two Flyers freshmen who started at the center backs spots (not their natural positions).

Dayton Photo Gallery (UD link currently broken)

Kelsey Owen (left)

Dayton – which went 16-1-6 in 2009 (10-0-1 A-10) and reached the NCAA second round – returns eight starters and has been picked to repeat as the Atlantic-10 Conference champion (ahead of Charlotte and Fordham) ... the Flyers will open the regular season on Aug. 20 vs. Butler ... four Dayton players are among the 11 named to the 2010 preseason all-Atlantic-10 team: sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Boone (Kirkland, Wash.), junior defenders Kathleen Beijan (Hillard, Ohio) and Kelsey Miller (Barrington, Ill.), and sophomore midfielder Colleen Williams (Titusville, N.J.) ... Boone was named the 2009 A-10 defensive player of the year, also posting a 0.41 goals-against avg. with 13 shutouts (she also earned Freshman All-America honors from Soccer America) ... Beljan (1st team) and Miller (2nd team) both earned all-A-10 honors in 2009, when they helped Dayton total 15 shutotus ... Williams was the A-10's rookie of the year in 2009, after ranking as the league's top-scoring freshman (23 points; 7G-9A) ... Dayton also has two players on the A-10 preseason all-rookie team: D/M Juliana Libertin (Uniontown, Ohio and F/M Maggie Murname (Libertyville, Ill.).

Louisville is returning nine starters from its 2009 team that went 5-1-11 and finished 7th in the BIG EAST Conference National Division (2-8-1).

• VALPARAISO 1, at ILLINOIS STATE 0 – The Crusaders knocked off the defending Missouri Valley Conference champions, on a hot and humid afternoon at Adelaide Street Field ...  freshman goalkeeper Kristen Manski (Saint Charles, Ill.) made some key saves while another rookie, Hailey Chmela (Hawthron Woods, Ill.) scored the lone goal with 14 minutes left to play ... Illinois State nearly tied the game in the closing minutes, but Anna Stinson's shot glanced off the crossbar  ... Chmela struck a 15-yard shot from the right side, with the ball sailing over 'keeper Mara Kremenovic and into the upper-left corner of the net ... moments after the goal, ISU appeared to have tied the scored – on a rebound shot by Rachel Bostick (the goal was disallowed due to a Redbirds foul) ... the game was fairly even statistically, with an 8-7 ISU edge in total shots (3-2 in shots on goal; 2-1 corner-kick margin for Valpo).