Women’s soccer looks to success in '22

Samuel Barber
MSMU Class of 2022

(9/2021) The athletic prowess at Mount St. Mary’s over the better part of the past ten years has been nothing short of spectacular. The Mount St. Mary’s women’s soccer team is one of the teams that has seen a staunch upward trajectory over the past five seasons. This upcoming season has the potential to be one of the most historic campaigns in program history. Spearheading the buzz around the team is third-year head coach Tori Krause.

There are plenty of reasons to be excited within the program, however, the same cannot be said within the conference as the opposing coaches are not as optimistic regarding the Mountaineers. However, according to Coach Krause, the roster is absolutely loaded on all fronts: "We are very excited to have been able to bring back our entire roster from last year, and especially, Liz [Rockhill], our leading scorer." Krause continued by saying, "she was our first all-conference player since 2007, so we expect her to continue leading our attack."

Maria Bunomono will also continue her steadfast success with the Mount. "Maria has always been a leader. She has probably played the most, if not close to the most minutes of anyone on the team so we expect her to lead both the defense and start of the attack," exclaimed the coach.

A team with graduate-level experience is bound for success, however, the team is deeper than it appears on the surface. Two returning players are set to make waves this season. Senior Maddie Tchou could land herself in the Most Improved Player conversation. "Maddie Tchou has always been a significant player for us. She may not do anything flashy but behind Maria, she has played close to the most minutes of anyone. She has continuously improved, so I expect her to have another great season".

One of the most exciting players to keep your eyes on this season will be Isabella Wendler. Wendler has developed into one of the most versatile players on the team. During her freshman campaign, she found the back of the net three times off seven shots on goal (SOG). She tied with Rockhill for most goals on the team. Krause is one of many that hold Wendler in high regard: "Isabella started her freshman year off with a bang- scoring her first two collegiate goals in the first 90-seconds that she played and earned one of our program’s two All-Rookie team selections."

Understanding that a team is not made of solely their core players is crucial in determining the success of the season. The Mount is loaded on that front, as second-string goalkeeper Maggie Barron is back for her sixth year. Other players worth mentioning that will make an immediate impact are sophomore Kayla Pennington, who was named to the Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team a season ago and Madie Bee. Bee, who is a transfer from Temple, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. During her time with the Owls, she saw considerable time as she earned her first collegiate brace during her sophomore campaign. The utilization of Barron, Bee, and Pennington will be crucial to Krause’s squad down the stretch.

Staying towards the theme of player importance, no class serves a more important role on any team, in any sport, than the freshman class. The future foundation of programs is built upon the freshman class. Although building longevity is of utmost importance to Mount St. Mary’s, this year’s incoming class is a small one, however, Krause remains incredibly optimistic despite the small ensemble. "We have a really small freshman class, we only brought in three players, but we expect them all to make impacts this year. We have a very experienced team, so it will take them some time to learn our system of play, then we expect them to dive right in."

The Mountaineers’ three freshmen hail from Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Drew Camp will add to the depth in net while Emily Street and Kelsey White will bring more experience to both the offense and defense.

During the 2020 season, the kryptonite of the team was finishing out close games down the stretch. Mount St. Mary’s found themselves on the wrong side of two contests that were decided by one goal. This was a big stressor for the coaching staff: "We are looking to put away a few more chances throughout games to grow these leads a little more so we are able to more comfortably finish out games."

An exciting anecdote that could benefit the team is how competitive the NEC is from top to bottom. It is obvious that winning a conference title and punching their ticket to the Big Dance is a goal; however, there is one goal that would be truly historic: finishing above .500. "We hope to finish above .500. It is something no Mount women’s soccer team has ever done, so we are looking to try to break another record this year by doing that," says Krause.

The Mount finished 4-5 overall and 3-5 within conference play last season.

The experiences throughout the season are not just for the players, but for the coaches as well. Krause, who was a 2014 graduate from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, has a lot to look forward to this season. "The NC trip stands out. One, because we are going down and playing my alma mater which makes it a special weekend. Also, because as a long road trip, it will help us prepare for the longer stretches that happen during conference play."

Preseason polls are a feature of collegiate sports that are loved by fans, but often brushed aside by the coaching staff. The Mount’s coaching staff is no exception to this sports phenomenon. In the preseason poll, the Mount was tabbed to finish ninth in the conference. Krause does not believe it is an accurate representation of where this team is capable of finishing. "No, I do not think anyone would say ninth-place is an accurate pick for their team. We finished tied for fourth in the spring and returned our entire team, so I think it is fair to say we were surprised by the poll."

For NEC women’s soccer history buffs, the last time the Mount was slated to finish ninth, they finished third, which was last season. "We were picked to come in ninth and ended up third, making our first conference tournament in 21 years," stated Krause.

Central Connecticut State, who is vying for their fourth consecutive NEC title, was the overwhelming favorite over FDU and Sacred Heart, compiling nine of the eleven first-place votes. The Blue Devils have dominated the conference for the better part of half a decade.

The conference expanded to eleven teams this year, as the Howard University Bison joined as an associate member for women’s soccer. The Bison’s primary conference is the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Mount St. Mary’s will open the 2021 regular-season with a road bout against the Radford Highlanders. Their first home match is slated for Aug. 21 against former NEC foe Robert Morris. Tip-off for each match is 7:00 and 1:00 p.m. respectively.