The Tigers hope to be celebrating a fifth straight NCAC Tournament title in 2010.

Following a fine 2009 season that included the Tigers' fourth straight North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament title and NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, the Wittenberg women's soccer team has some significant momentum. The hard part is building on that momentum to reach new levels of success, but Head Coach Norm Riker is optimistic that many of the pieces are in place for an even deeper postseason run in 2010.

Ranked among the top defensive teams in all of NCAA Division III over the last five years, the Tigers also can boast some firepower in the offensive third with the return of junior forward Sheryl Chambers (Victorville, Calif./St. Joan of Arc) and sophomore forward Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont). Chambers enjoyed a breakout 2009 season, starting every game and leading the Tigers with eight goals and one assist. She was honored after the season with first-team All-NCAC and third-team All-Great Lakes Region awards.

Striebel also started all 22 games a year ago, adding five goals and four assists to the attack en route to second-team all-conference honors. Among a host of other standout returners is junior forward Taylor Goss (Silver Springs, Md./Friends School), who contributed one goal and two assists in 2009. Overall, the Tigers scored 23 goals a year ago, and players who scored 20 of them are back to power the offense again in 2010.

Defense has been the Tigers' calling card in their recent emergence as one of the top teams in the Great Lakes Region, and senior Maggie Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy) returns to anchor the unit again in 2010. Amorello, who is coming off a 2009 season in which she earned NCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, followed by first-team all-region and third-team All-America awards, spearheaded a defense that allowed just 13 goals in 22 games a year ago.

Senior defender Kelly Foley (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) is another returning starter on the back line. She earned All-NCAC and second-team Academic All-America honors in 2009, her third year as a starter. Sophomore defender Lauren McMahon (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline) also returns after a tremendous inaugural collegiate campaign, and senior defender Erin McLeish (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) rounds out a stellar first defensive unit again in 2010.

In the midfield, senior Maureen Buckley (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) returns after starting 17 games and contributing two goals and two assists to rank third on the team in points with six in 2009. She figures to again be joined much of the time by sophomore Leslie Oliver (Enon, Ohio/Greenon), who made 12 starts in a stellar freshman campaign in 2009.

Numerous other returning players are again battling for time, including sophomore defender Kelly Brothers (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome), junior midfielder Megan Utter (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids), junior midfielder Kristi Burkitt (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), junior midfielder Allie Keefer (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East), senior forward Cailyn Roeble (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales), sophomore midfielder Amy Cook (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby) and junior midfielder Lauren McMahon (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson).

Rounding things out in goal, Riker has a couple of quality options, starting with sophomore Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula), who started every game in 2009. She finished with an NCAC-best .852 save percentage and recorded 12 shutouts, allowing just four goals in nearly 2,000 minutes. She is joined in the net by sophomore transfer Cassie Lythjohan (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville).

Written By: Tom Fisher '11