Geri Woessner in action during an early-season 2002 game.

Second-year Wittenberg women's soccer head coach Norm Riker hopes his team is about to turn a very important corner in 2003. After a promising 2002 season was derailed by injuries and the growing pains involved with any coaching transition, the Tigers enter the new season with great optimism and a host of fresh faces intent on putting Wittenberg women's soccer on the regional and national map.

Offensively, the Tigers are led in 2003 by senior forward Geri Woessner, one of the most prolific scorers in school history. After earning all-conference and all-region honors her first two years, Woessner was sidelined in 2002 by a knee injury, but she is back strong in 2003 in hopes of leading the attack again. She is joined on that end of the field by a host of young players, most notably sophomore Lindsay Zigler, who suffered a season-ending injury midway through the 2002 season after scoring four points in five games, senior Cristin Gill, a three-year starter, and senior Kaiti Hiscar, who made a big impression in her first season in 2002. Among the freshmen expected to make immediate contributions are Liz Volz and Aimee Earney.

In the midfield, the top returning player is sophomore Emily Hiscar, who made second-team All-NCAC in 2002. Junior Meredith Belser and sophomore Alecia Dimar are two other returning letterwinners who figure prominently in that mix. Several newcomers are expected to get significant playing time in 2003, starting with Karla Bergman, Mandie Dimenna, Tara Beckman, Lucia Cornett and Elena Geiger-Simpson.

Defensively, the Tigers hope to get a big season from senior Jenny Miller, a three-year starter in goal. Among the players who will see extensive playing time in the defensive backfield are three-year letterwinner Jessica Shellhause and numerous talented freshmen, including Jamie McIntyre, Lauren Fraley and Phoebe Gaston.