Cedarville College
Yellow Jackets
1999 Women's Soccer
Season Outlook
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| Michelle Ruhlman |
The Cedarville College women's soccer program continues its growth process and more positive results are expected in 1999. Despite having completed just two varsity seasons, the Lady Jackets have shown themselves to be competitive from the start and have qualified for postseason play in each year.
Only nine players are back from last year's 8-9-2 squad. However, a committed attitude and unified spirit could give this fall's edition of Lady Jacket soccer an added boost.
John McGillivray, who enters his 26th overall season of coaching soccer at Cedarville and his second at the helm of the women's team, senses this new attitude. "Our first two teams put forth an exceptional effort and have laid a good foundation here. However, this squad appears to have a passion for the game unlike what we've had before. They are committed and soccer is important to them in the right way."
Co-captains Kristen DeVinney and Katie Mummau will set the tone with their leadership on and off the field. DeVinney is the only player to have played and started in all 31 matches of the program's young history. The junior midfielder was an American Mideast Conference First Team selection in 1998 and produced four goals with a team-high seven assists for 15 points.
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| Katie Mummau |
Mummau, the team's lone senior, has been the team's primary goalkeeper for two seasons. She has started all 29 matches in which she has played including all 19 last year.
Sophomore forward Michelle Ruhlman returns after putting together an impressive rookie season. She was voted the team's Most Valuable Player upon recording seven goals and six assists for 20 points to rank second in scoring. She was also named to the NCCAA All-America Second Team and to the NCCAA Midwest Region Team.
Six other players also return who each saw action in a minimum of 12 matches last season. That group includes junior defender Amy Nyhuis, who has been a two-year starter in the back. Also on that list are sophomores Jessica Alexander, Amiee Arimura, Lisa Hockenberry, Sarah Hastings, and Jennifer Walker.
Cedarville lost three key players in NCCAA All-American Lisa Thomson, all-time leading scorer Allison Hume, and two-year starter Carrie Orme. It's no secret that new players will have to help for this year's team to be successful.
"Eleven of our 20 players are newcomers," McGillivray revealed. "Even with the youth I think we'll be deeper. We have some strong athletes that are quite good, technically."
The Lady Jackets play a 14-game schedule with eight of those dates against American Mideast Conference foes. The final six matches of the season will be on the home turf including non-conference assignments with Wittenberg and the Homecoming match with Marian.
