LOGGERS SET TO OPEN 2007
The 2007 season kicks off for the Loggers this Friday when they play host to Northwest University at 5:00 p.m. on Peyton Field at Baker Stadium. The Loggers will then take on UC Santa Cruz in an important early season contest beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Season Preview
After five straight Northwest Conference titles, the expectations for the Puget Sound Logger women's soccer team is quite lofty but for the Loggers to succeed in 2007, they will have to find a way to restock the cupboard after losing five All-NWC players to graduation.
That's not to say the Loggers don't have any talent remaining. 2006 Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year Adrienne Folsom (Lakewood, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) returns up front for the Loggers after scoring 19 goals last season. Also returning in the attack for the Loggers is senior Katie Gillette (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley), who earned Second Team All-NWC honors last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore Kallie Wolfer (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline) returns in net after securing First Team All-NWC honors as a freshman in 2006.
Junior Fiona Gornick (Portland, Ore./Grant) earned Second Team All-NWC honors as a sophomore and should provide the Loggers strength at midfielder, a position that has been traditionally strong for the Loggers.
Puget Sound opens up the season on the last day of August when they host Northwest University at 5 p.m. on Aug. 31. The Loggers will then prep for a big non-conference match on Sunday morning against UC Santa Cruz, ranked fourth and eighth in the national polls.
The Loggers have been picked by the coaches to win the NWC title for a sixth straight season. Puget Sound collected seven of nine first-place votes to gather 85 points. Willamette was picked second, with 72 points and the final two first-place votes. Whitworth and Whitman were third and fourth respectively, followed by Pacific Lutheran, George Fox, Linfield, Pacific and Lewis & Clark.
National Attention
The Loggers are already garnering national attention in 2007, holding down the 14th spot in the NSCAA/adidas preseason poll and the 21st spot in the D3Kicks.com preseason Top 25.
Player vs. Coach
Logger head coach Randy Hanson, who is also an assistant coach with the Seattle Sounder Women's team, will be taking on one of his players on Friday when Northwest comes to Tacoma. Eagle's head coach Erin Redwine, in addition to her duties at Northwest, plays for the Sounders following a collegiate career at University of Montana and Seattle Pacific.
Scouting Northwest
The Eagles, who play at Western Washington on Wednesday afternoon, head to Tacoma on Friday afternoon. Northwest, who is entering their second season as a varsity sport, played to a 0-0 draw last week against Northwest Christian College.
Scouting UC Santa Cruz
The Banana Slugs will spend Labor Day weekend in Tacoma as they open the 2007 season on Friday against Pacific Lutheran and then take on the Loggers on Sunday. Last season, the Slugs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 after recording a record of 17-0-4 in regular season play.
The Coach
Leading the Loggers in 2007 is six-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year Randy Hanson, who has put together a record of 151-49-21 in 11 seasons with the Loggers.
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