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The Wittenberg women's soccer program opens a new era in 2011 as Head Coach Kwame Lloyd takes the reins. Hopes for a seamless transition are bolstered by the return of 18 letterwinners, including seven starters, to a lineup that produced records of 13-5-1 overall and 5-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) a year ago.
More often than not over the last decade, discussions about the Tigers started with a defense that ranked among the best in all of NCAA Division III. But in 2011, the greatest amount of experience returning is in the attacking third, led by junior midfielder Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont), who ranked among the conference leaders in 2010 in scoring with nine goals and seven assists. She moved up from second-team to first-team All-NCAC and added first-team All-Great Lakes Region honors to her resume after the season.
Senior forward Sheryl Chambers (Victorville, Calif./St. Joan of Arc) was solid again in 2010, contributing 15 total points en route to second-team All-NCAC honors. A year earlier, she led the team in scoring and earned a first-team all-conference award. Chambers has earned all-region honors following each of the last two seasons.
Also back after starting all 19 games and scoring two goals and two assists a year ago is senior midfielder Allie Keefer (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East). She earned honorable mention All-NCAC for her efforts. In the midfield, junior Leslie Oliver (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) battled through injuries to start 13 games a year ago, while junior Kelly Brothers (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) played several different positions in 2010 and contributed seven total points on just 10 shots on the season.
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Leslie Oliver
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In addition, senior Taylor Goss (Sandy Spring, Md./Friends School) has started at least five games in each of her first three seasons in the Red & White, and senior Megan Utter (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) returns after contributing five total points to the attack in 19 games off the bench a year ago.
On defense, the Tigers have a pair of talented goalkeepers to call upon in juniors Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) and Cassie Lythjohan (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville). Gartner has been the team's starter since arriving on campus and has been named a team captain for 2011 after finishing last season with a 0.88 goals against average and 45 saves in more than 1,200 minutes of action. Lythjohan played more than 500 minutes a year ago, contributing 26 saves and a 1.06 goals against average.
In front of them, however, three of the four starters have graduated after decorated collegiate careers. Kelly Foley was a four-year starter on the left side and earned a pair of Academic All-America designations, while Erin McLeish and Maggie Amorello teamed up to patrol the central part of the field. Both were first-team All-NCAC honorees in 2010, a year after Amorello was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned third-team All-America honors.
The lone returning starter on defense is junior Lauren McMahon (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline). Several players come into the season with plenty of valuable experience, however, led by seniors Kristi Burkitt (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) and Lauren McMahon (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson).
Following a preseason training trip to Europe, the 2011 season starts with a trip Pennsylvania for a challenging pair of games. The Tigers open on Sept. 2 at Messiah, which has won three national titles and had its 76-match unbeaten streak snapped in the 2010 national championship game, followed by a game at Moravian the next day.
Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photos By: Erin Pence