The Skyhawk women’s soccer team comes into the 2005 season with hopes of avenging last year’s injury-plagued and disappointing 4-11-2 win-loss-tie record that resulted in the team failing to reach the OVC tournament for only the third time in school history.

With 12 players returning from last year’s squad and the addition of nine newcomers, head coach Nathan Pilfer and the Skyhawks are confident they can return to the winning form they are accustomed to.

In order to get back on the winning track, the Skyhawks took little time off after last season, knowing that if they wanted to improve they would have to avoid the injury bug that plagued them so heavily in 2004.

With the help of strength and conditioning coach Charlie Rayburn, the Skyhawks began an intense program to become stronger, faster and better prepared for the 2005 season. Their work brought immediate results as they participated in three spring tournaments compiling a 10-1-1 record, giving them great confidence going into the summer break and preseason.

Now that the 2005 season is here, the Skyhawks are reaping the benefits of their off-season work. During the opening weekend Waterfront Classic in Monroe, La., the Skyhawks dominated the Ladies of Centenary College in every category, except the one that mattered most; on the scoreboard. The Skyhawks out shot Centenary 27-4, but were unable to finish all but one shot when sophomore Katie Behrens netted an 80th-minute goal. Pifer says of the effort against Centenary that it was “a great learning experience,” and that while they didn’t win, the bad feeling from that game is “one they can keep in the back of their mind and try to keep it from happening again.”

The Skyhawks got on the winning track during the second game of the Waterfront Classic as goalkeeper Megan Dempsey collected her first shutout of the season and UTM defeated host Louisiana-Monroe 2-0, with both goals coming from OVC player of the week Katie Jackson.

The Skyhawks continued their dominating ways by putting six goals in the back of the net against UT Chattanooga, while allowing none for the second game in a row. These were the first back-to-back shutout games in Skyhawk soccer history.

The Skyhawks suffered their second setback of the season as they were downed 4-0 by Missouri Valley Conference opponent Southern Missouri (formerly Southwest Missouri) Bears on Sunday afternoon.
The Skyhawks will continue their non-conference schedule with matchups against Memphis, South Alabama, Arkansas-Little Rock and Belmont before opening their OVC schedule and ending the regular season with a visit to Nashville where they will face Lipscomb University.

The 2005 edition of Skyhawk soccer is loaded with veteran talent, especially seniors. Pifer says they will look to senior co-captain Lindsey Tilk for her “on the field leadership and will to win”, along with expecting “big things” from seniors Katie Jackson and co-captain Dani Myrick, who together are responsible for 52 goals in their careers. Neither netted a single goal in 2004 because of injuries.

Senior Katie Hausaur will be asked to use her size and strength to continue dominating the backfield for the Skyhawks and senior goalkeeper Megan Dempsey will look to continue adding to her 233 career saves and 8 career shutouts.

In the junior class, 2004 overall team MVP and All-OVC first team selection Jamie Ohlheiser will be asked to continue her consistent defense in the Skyhawk backfield, while Kindal Keim will look to add to her team leading five goals from last year.

Many of the sophomore class gained valuable experience last year as freshmen because of the amount of injuries to upperclassmen and hope to draw on that to continue improving on last year’s performance.