There will be several new changes for Lady Cougars this year as former MVNU men’s soccer standout Daniel Seiffert will take over as head coach after Jonathan Meade posted a 134-61-7 record over the past nine varsity seasons that included four conference titles and two National Christian College Athletic Association national championships.

Seiffert will inherit a veteran roster as 19 players including nine starters return from last year’s squad that posted a 16-8-1 overall mark, won the NCCAA East Region title, advanced to the American Mideast Conference Tournament semifinals, and went 2-1 at the NCCAA National Tournament.

“It is quite a privilege to have this opportunity to come back to my alma mater,” said Seiffert, who starred for the Cougars from 2003-2006 and played in all 76 of the team’s games during that span as they went 40-28-8. He was also named the NCCAA’s Kyle Rote Jr. National Player of the Year as a senior. “There is a great tradition with the women’s program and I know that this year’s team is really looking forward to building on that tradition.”

The Lady Cougars will be led defensively by seniors Mara Hughes and Angie Misamore, junior Denée Stentz, and sophomore Kelci Rhodes. Sophomore Lindsey Shaffer and freshman Stacy Culbertson are also expected to see time on the back line. Hughes scored six goals and added one assist last year as she was named to the NCCAA All-American First Team and the NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Team. Misamore was an AMC Second Team selection, while Stentz and Rhodes made 14 and 12 starts respectively a year ago for a defense that posted 13 shutouts and allowed just 23 goals in 25 matches. Shaffer also saw action in 21 matches as a freshman, and Culbertson comes to MVNU after a solid high school career.

Junior goalkeeper Jenessa Loewen returns as a starter for the third straight year for the Lady Cougars. Last season, she posted nine shutouts and a 0.95 goals against average and she was named the NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week once. She will be backed up in goal by sophomore Courtney Ball, who allowed just one goal in 205 minutes of action over five matches last year.

Senior Erin Miller and junior Jessica Estep will be joined in the MVNU midfield by sophomores Erin Washington, Heidi Moeckel, Sarah Buehler, and Ashley Smithberger along with freshmen Rachel Elder and Haley Sparks. Miller was an AMC Second Team pick last year after registering five goals and eight assists, while Estep, who was a member of the NCCAA All-American Second Team, will shift from the forward position that saw her lead the team with 20 goals and nine assists a year ago. Washington (three goals and one assist), Moeckel (one goal and one assist), Buehler (two goals and three assists), and Smithberger (two goals) each have a year of college experience under their belts, and Elder and Sparks are two talented freshmen who are ready to contribute.

The Lady Cougars’ offensive attack will be led by seven forwards who are eager to find the back of the net. Senior Nikki Bruscino scored four goals with one assist last year from the midfield, while junior Jamie Blair (three goals and two assists) and sophomore Courtney Ricker (four goals and six assists) will also look to score with more regularity. Freshman Jessica Linger and sophomores Amanda Woods (two goals and one assist), Andrea Fisher, and Camille Smith (two goals) will also figure into the playing mix up front.

“Despite losing just two players from last year’s team, we still have a young team with 16 sophomores and freshmen,” said Seiffert. “However, our seniors and juniors provide stellar leadership and we are expecting great things from the team chemistry that is being developed.”

“The strength of our team will be its heart and determination,” Seiffert continued. “Each one of our players has been working very hard for the others on the team. This, coupled with continued improvement in our overall play, will be the keys to our success this year.”

MVNU will kick off the 2009 season on August 26 when the team will travel to East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University, an NCAA Division II school. The Lady Cougars will then head on to Nyack (N.Y.) College, another NCAA Division II school, on August 29 before returning to Ohio for an away match at NCAA Division II Ashland on September 4. Other non-conference matches for the Lady Cougars include the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, Kenyon College, and NAIA No. 20 Ohio Dominican University, a former member of the AMC.

MVNU will also look to battle for its fifth conference title in the past seven years when the Lady Cougars turn their attention to the AMC portion of their schedule. Houghton (N.Y.) College is always a perennial conference power, while Notre Dame College, Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College, Cedarville University, Malone University, Walsh University, Shawnee State University, Ursuline College, Carlow (Pa.) University, and Daemen (N.Y.) College all make the conference slate a challenging proposition. The AMC will once again send two teams to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round with the regular-season champion and either the tournament champion or tournament runner-up (if the regular-season champion wins the six-team tournament) receiving those berths.

“Conference play in the AMC always involves very competitive soccer,” said Seiffert. “We expect the same to be true this year and, quite frankly, that is the way we like it. Playing in a tough conference makes us stronger which in turn prepares us for our postseason run.”

“Our primary goals are to get better every day and to improve on our performance last year,” Seiffert added. “We would like to be battling for championships come November.”

Lady Cougars' 2009 schedule: http://www.mvnu.edu/sports/nazwsc/news/results.asp