LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's soccer will begin the 2022 campaign and push for another Great Lakes Valley Conference title and NCAA Tournament trip on Wednesday, August 25 with a matchup against Upper Iowa before taking on Concordia St. Paul on August 27. The Bearcats come into the season after winning another regular season title via a 10-2-2 mark in the league while earning a 12-3-4 overall record, earning an NCAA bid.
The Bearcats will be led by head coach
Tim Strange, who enters his 24th season at the helm. McKendree brings back two of three All-GLVC first team members in senior defender
Morgan Bova and junior forward
Anna Stiffler. The returners go beyond Bova and Stiffler with senior midfielders
Elizabeth Goldstein and
Allison Frederking, redshirt senior defender
Kathleen Kenny, junior forward
Destiny Johnson, junior midfielder
Reagan Mauch, and a number of impact rising players all returning to the pitch for Strange and the Bearcats. The program also brings aboard a signing class of 14 with an array of local and international talent to bolster its lineup.
The 2021 fall season capped-off an outstanding full calendar year for the Bearcats with two GLVC regular season titles, a conference tournament title and a multitude of postseason awards throughout the program. With the 12-3-4 mark in the fall, McKendree earned an seventh-straight season with a .500-or-better mark (2015-21) and a sixth-straight winning season (2016-21). The Bearcats lost All-GLVC performers
Emma Knoebel and
Danielle Knutson but retained its top-scorer in Stiffler (21p/8g/5a) and keeps other key players with Kenny (8p/1g/6a), Mauch (8p/4g), and Johnson (5p/2g/1a).
As a team, the Bearcats out-performed teams with 33 goals (1.74/game) to just 18 allowed (0.95/game) while placing 141 shots on frame and collecting 115 corners while giving out just 45. They began the year on a five-game unbeaten streak, beating Missouri S&T (non-conference), Kentucky Wesleyan, and Southern Indiana and then rattled off six wins from September 24 through October 10. McKendree also ended the regular season slate on a three-game winning streak, locking-up a fourth-straight regular season title in the GLVC.
PREVIEW @ Upper Iowa (8/25)
All-Time Record: 0-0-0
The matchup between the Peacocks and Bearcats will be the first between the programs and will open the regular season in 2022 for both teams.
Last year, UIU went 8-9 and 6-9 in the NSIC. The Peacocks return their top two scorers in Katie Samuels (11p/4g/3a) and Haley Ramberg (8p/4g) as well as Leah Willenbring, who led the team with six assists. UIU is led by a new face this season with Josh Davis taking over the program in 2022.
PREVIEW versus Concordia St. Paul (N) (8/27)
All-Time Record: 0-0-0
The Bearcats and Golden Bears will face each other for the first time on Saturday and will mark the second contest of the year for both squads. CSP finished out the 2021 season with a NSIC tournament second round appearance and went 10-7-3 (8-4-3) on the season.
The Golden Bears were chosen to finish fourth in the Northern Sun this year and are led by their top point scorers from a year ago with Katie Anderson (14p/7g) and Sophie Pawlyshyn (14p/4g/6a). CSP also brings back impact forward Corynn Grabau, who fired off five goals and dishing-out three assists in 2021.
OPENING SLATE:
8/25 | 6 PM | @ Upper Iowa | Fayette, Iowa |
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8/27 | 11 AM | vs Concordia St. Paul (N) | Fayette, Iowa |
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