Entering his fifth season, St. Kate's soccer coach Steve Bellis has been developing one of the most dramatically improved soccer programs in the region. After inheriting a team that finished 2-13-1, Coach Bellis' Wildcats have steadily improved their technical skills, style of play, and game knowledge to move up in the standings. After compiling records of 5-10-3 in 2007 and 9-7-2 in 2008, the Wildcats finished the 2009 campaign at 6-9-3, in a season characterized by tough breaks, as five of their losses came in tightly contested 1-0 games. Look for the 2010 Wildcats to take another step forward and make a run at the MIAC conference tournament.
On a team that lost no starters to graduation, a talented senior class returns with a year of leadership experience under their belts.
Brittini Deeb has won all-conference honors the past two seasons for her solid play on defense.
Kelsey Nistler also earned all-conference honors in 2009, leading the team in scoring (20 points).
Kim Engel garnered a MIAC honorable mention nod for her play in 2009.
Kayla Engel and
Gina Thorwick bring experience to the field as three-year starters. Altogether, the cohesiveness and MIAC playing experience of the senior class will provide a strong foundation for the Wildcats.
Juniors
Sam Levercom,
Kaitlin Kramer,
Kolletta Dorsher, and
Jamie Kelly add firepower to the offensive attack of the Wildcats. Sophomores
Christina Paik and
Liesl Wolf will add depth to the defensive end of the field. The continued development of the sophomores and juniors will be vital to the team's success.
In addition to the 15 returning letter winners, 15 new players join the Wildcats for the 2010 season. The newcomers add depth to both attack and defense and provide a daily challenge for the returners that will only increase the teams' competitive mettle.
In the MIAC preseason coaches' poll released Monday, the Wildcats were picked to finish 10th in the standings. Two MIAC squads are ranked in the top ten in the nation and the Wildcats will face tough competition in every conference game. A complete look at the MIAC coaches' poll and season preview can be found
here.
The Wildcats open the season on September 1st when they travel across town to play Northwestern College. After playing host to the Wildcat Invitational on September 11th and 12th, they open up their conference schedule with a game against St. Thomas on September 14th.
With the experience and depth of the 2010 team, expectations are higher than ever before that this squad can challenge in the MIAC and beyond.