Season Preview
Women’s soccer led by strong junior class

Last September, the Muhlenberg women’s soccer team took on Dickinson, leading the Red Devils into the second half. But Dickinson came back to tie, converting a late corner kick with 1:05 left in regulation.

In October, after leading for almost two-thirds of the game, Muhlenberg lost to Johns Hopkins when the Blue Jays scored three times in a 15-minute span.

And there were others. Kean. Scranton. Swarthmore.

Junior Jayne Condon believes a breakdown in communication had

Schaefer scored her first career goal in Muhlenberg’s 5-0 shutout of Washington.

a lot to do with giving up leads late.

“We just hit a wall and lost momentum,” Condon explains. “Last year we didn’t have that intensity for the whole game. We would talk to each other in the beginning, but after awhile we just stopped being vocal. This year, we’re not afraid to talk.”

The Mules have been working on their communication during preseason and they will get the chance to test out their skills this Saturday, when the season opens with the Cougar Classic at Kean University. Muhlenberg will face St. Joseph’s on Saturday and Kean on Sunday.

It’s a new season and the Mules are returning with new

Condon has played in all 36 Muhlenberg games, starting 31, the last two years.

confidence, coming from the experiences the team gained last year. After starting 10 freshmen and sophomores for almost the entire 2007 season, the Mules are returning with 10 varsity letterwinners, nine of whom are juniors. These team leaders are returning faster, stronger and prepared. Condon, who earned a spot on the Centennial Conference Sportsmanship team last year, says everyone came to the preseason physically and mentally prepared.

“Speed is our greatest strength, without a doubt. There will be no teams contending with us on the wings.”

Christina O’Grady, who leads the Mules with 28 career points, has been named to the All-Centennial Conference second team as a freshman and sophomore. This year the Mules will look to her speed at midfield and forward to add to the four goals she had last year.

Junior Ashley O’Grady started all 17 games last year and had the first two goals and first two assists of her career.

Kimberly Hacker, a junior, received All-Centennial Conference honorable mention last year and tied for first on the Mules with four assists, starting 17 games.

Junior Kasey Hacker returns as Muhlenberg’s leading scorer with six goals, five against Centennial Conference opponents.

Jennifer Lynch and Christine Schaefer both played in 17 games last year, Lynch starting 16 and Schaefer 13, and both juniors earned the first goals of their Muhlenberg careers.

In the back, the Mules will count on junior Samantha Hoffman. Last year, Hoffman earned All-Centennial Conference honorable mention, and the Mules recorded six shutouts with her on the field. Hoffman will be playing in front of goalkeeper Kate Morrissey, who recorded 69 saves in 17 games last year.

But it’s not just the upperclassmen that have come ready to go. Sophomore Emily Olson, who earned a first varsity letter starting 15 games, is impressed with the five incoming freshmen. “They didn’t look scared at all. They came ready to play and ready to get into things. As soon as we started preseason we could tell we had a lot of chemistry.”

Condon agrees. “Everyone complements each other. You can tell we’re friends on and off the field. I laugh every day.”

The 2008 Mules have a goal this season: to win the Centennial Conference championship. And they are counting on their confidence and chemistry to get them there.

“We’re playing with so much pride and passion for the sport,” says Condon. “I know we can be successful. We’re going places.”