Bowling Green State University Athletics
2005 Falcon Season Outlook
August 19, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - In women's soccer preview stories, as in life, there is usually both good news and bad news.
The good news: the Falcons are the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champions.
The bad news: Head Coach Andy Richards and company lost seven seniors from last year's team.
The good news: a total of 15 letterwinners return from that squad, and that group includes no fewer than nine seniors, the most in school history.
The bad news: the Falcons, as defending champions, will not be able to sneak up on any of the 2005 opponents, and will get everyone's best effort.
Or is that good news?
Richards welcomes the challenge of defending the tourney title, and will be looking for more consistency during the regular season as well. Last year's team struggled mightily during the first half of the season -- going over a month without winning a single match --before coming on strong at the end of the year.
Last fall, BGSU faced a win-or-go-home scenario in the final league match of the regular season, and earned a victory to capture the eighth and final seed for the MAC Tournament.
The Brown and Orange then proceeded to win three consecutive matches in the league tournament to take the crown and advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. BGSU, despite missing several key players due to injuries, battled host Ohio State to a scoreless draw at the half, before a pair of second-half goals lifted the nation's number-six team past the Falcons. Nevertheless, Richards and company opened some eyes around the league and the region, and the head coach knows that BG will not sneak up on anyone in 2005.
"As happy as we are to have won the MAC Tournament title, we also know that it's over and done," said Richards, entering his sixth year at the BG helm. "We are 0-0 in 2005, the same as everyone else.
"It is very, very tough to win the MAC, and to win it back-to-back is just that much harder. The fact that we've (won the tournament crown) gives us a little bit of confidence and a lot of fond memories, but that is all. We must not get carried away.
"We did it, it's in the history books, but now it's a new season."
Richards, joined on the bench by assistant coach Eric Golz, bid farewell to seven seniors at the end of the 2004 campaign, a group that comprised the most successful class in school history. During his entire BGSU tenure, the head coach has stressed the importance of seniors, and he knows that it will be difficult to replace the departed players.
The '05 seniors, however, have a chance to surpass the success of last year's team, as this year's group looks to be the first set of Falcons in school history to qualify for the MAC Tournament in all four seasons. Their head coach feels that the seniors have the ability and experience to make their final campaign a special one.
 Senior Megan Rapp  | |
In baseball, one adage is that teams want to be strong up the middle. On the soccer pitch, while the Falcons hope to be strong all over the field, Richards' squad has the potential for unprecedented experience `up the middle.' From goalkeeper (Ali Shingler) to defender (Natalie Sampiller), to the central midfield (Molly Bremen, Leah Eggleton and Samantha Meister), to the target forward (Britt Anderson), Richards could conceivably field an all-senior lineup in the middle of the pitch.
Add Julie Trundle on the left side of the field, Megan Rapp at a marking-back position and Ashley Wentzel at any number of spots, and the potential exists for by far the most experienced lineup in Falcon history.
Richards knows, however, that it is not only quantity, but quality, that makes his senior class special. The bulk of the seniors have been in the lineup for most, if not all, of their BG careers.
"So many of our seniors have `been around the block' in the MAC, so to speak," said the head coach. "Some of those kids -- Julie Trundle, Leah Eggleton, Sam Meister -- have played 60 or 70 college games already, so they're very experienced players. And, I only mentioned three names, but there are a lot of their teammates in that same position.
"And, not only have they each played (so many games) as individuals, they have played collectively as a unit. They know what the other person will do on the field, because they have seen it so many times before. It is part of jelling together and being a team, and we are looking for that experience and knowledge to pay dividends for us in 2005."
The following is a position-by-position look at the 2005 edition of the Falcons ...
GOALKEEPER
Shingler, a fifth-year senior, played in a total of only four matches in her first two years on campus, but has made 42 starts over the last two seasons. She had the unenviable task of replacing four-year starter and All-MAC performer Erika Flanders in 2003, but has helped the Falcons to back-to-back appearances in the league tourney championship. Last season, Shingler spearheaded the team's run to the title, with a total of 28 saves in the three tourney contests and a berth on the All-Tournament Team.
Shingler will be pushed by a pair of newcomers, Katie Krapf and Christy Zabek, for the starting job between the posts. Krapf, a junior, comes to BGSU after two years at Long Beach (Calif.) Community College, a perennial junior-college power. Zabek, from Hendersonville, Tenn., has played five years with the Tennessee Olympic Development Program at the state level.
"Ali had a tremendous season last year, which I think was reflective of how our team's season progressed," said Richards. "The longer the year went on, the better she got.
 Senior co-captain Natalie Sampiller | |
DEFENDER
Under Richards, the Falcon teams have displayed increased depth and versatility each year, and 2005 continues that trend. There is no shortage of capable candidates to comprise the defensive corps for the Brown and Orange.
Sampiller has been a starter in each of her first three years at BG, and, along with Wentzel, is a team co-captain this fall. A heady player, Sampiller has made 58 starts in her career, and Richards views her as a steadying influence for her teammates.
"Natalie has grown in confidence," he said. "She is a great kid with a lot of heart, and she always gives 100 percent for us. I think the change in system for us was conducive to her style of play, and she is rarely out of the team. I think we will see her on the field a great deal once again this year."
Co-captain Wentzel and junior Lindsay Carter could see time in the back, as well as at midfield or -- for that matter -- forward. Rapp will look to make her final year her finest year. She has started a total of 18 matches in her career to date.
"Megan has had some injury problems," said Richards, "but we are looking for her to come in and really stake a claim for a starting spot this year."
 Senior co-captain Ashley Wentzel | |
"Danielle really had a terrific spring," said Richards. "She had a decent freshman year, and got some increased playing time toward the end of the season. But, over the spring, she really showed herself to be a very good player. She has put herself in a great situation to start in the fall."
A pair of newcomers, Karie Sahly and Brianne Eisenhard, will look for time on the pitch as well. Sahly, a sophomore, already has collegiate experience, having started all 20 matches at Valparaiso University last season. Eisenhard, a native of West Chester, Ohio, was one of just nine defenders named to the NSCAA/adidas High School Girls All-America Team last year, and is just one reason the Falcons' recruiting class was rated best in the MAC by Soccer Buzz.
"We are excited to add Karie and Bree to the team, as we look for someone to step into (graduated senior) Nikki Pucillo's shoes at a central defender spot," said Richards. "Both are talented players, and Karie already has some collegiate minutes under her belt."
