Women's Soccer Capsules
Akron Zips
2008 Record: 7-9-2, 2-7-2, 11th
Looking Back At 2008: The season began in grand fashion, with Akron starting off 5-0. Unfortunately, once MAC play rolled around, the Zips season took a turn for the worse. In Akron's final eight conference games, the Zips went 0-6-2 and were shut out in six of those contests.
Akron's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Toledo on Oct. 9. The Zips game against the three-time defending MAC champs will be Akron's third straight road game. An upset here would give UA momentum heading into the second half of the season. This road trip as a whole though will likely determine if Akron has a shot at making the MAC Tournament.
Honest Outlook: Akron's big problem last year was that it stopped scoring. If the Zips want to get back into the postseason, then that has to change. A lot of pressure therefore will be on Akron's two senior forwards, Adrienne Knox and Heather Rains. If they can find the net, then Akron could its tournament drought. Otherwise, it looks like another early finish for the Zips.
Ball State Cardinals
2008 Record: 9-10-1, 5-5-1, 7th
Looking Back At 2008: The Cardinals September trip to Michigan basically sums up their entire year. For its Friday game, Ball State got hammered by Central Michigan 3-0, but two days later, the Cardinals returned the favor, drubbing Eastern Michigan by the same 3-0 score. From start to finish, it was a year where with a win one/ lose one mentality.
Ball State's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Miami on Aug. 28. No, it's not against the RedHawks, it's that other Miami team. The one in Florida. It's also a season opening game against a dark horse team to win the ACC. The Cardinals should enjoy the South Florida sun, but they'll enjoy it a little more with a win.
Honest Outlook: For Ball State, last year was a disappointment. It was the first time since 2000 that the Cardinals didn't win 10 games, which was a remarkable feat in itself. I have no doubt that the talent is still there, but my concern with the 2009 Cardinals is youth. This team only has three seniors on it (Megan Ridley, Patti Hoeg and Caitlin O'Hara), and in a league as nip-and-tuck as the MAC, that could be a problem. If second year coach Michael Lovett can get this group to gel, then they'll finish in the top half of the MAC. At the same time though, I could see this team going the complete other way and missing the tournament all together.
Bowling Green Falcons
2008 Record: 12-6-4, 6-3-2, 4th
Looking Back At 2008: For the third straight year, Bowling Green finished fourth in the MAC, and was helped greatly by its ability to defend its home turf. The Falcons lost their first home game to Michigan State 3-0, but then went undefeated at Cochrane Field, posting an 8-0-1 record. In the MAC Tournament, the Falcons beat Western Michigan 2-0 before falling to No. 1 seed Toledo 1-0 in the semifinals.
Bowling Green's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Michigan State on Aug. 30. The Falcons game against this talented NCAA Tournament team will be a measuring stick of the upcoming season. The fact that Michigan State was the only visiting team that won at Cochrane Field should not be underestimated.
Honest Outlook: The Falcons are well coached and will be putting an experienced team on the field, so BGSU has all the makings of a successful team. The one concern though is the conference schedule. Bowling Green plays the same 11-game schedule as everyone else, but only has four home games. To make matters worse, Bowling Green finishes the regular season by playing the top three teams from last year (Toledo, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan), all on the road. If the Falcons can get to the conference tournament though, they should be able to contend for a title.
Buffalo Bulls
2008 Record: 4-10-4, 0-9-2, 12th
Looking Back At 2008: The good news is that Buffalo started the year 4-0, not to mention that all four of those wins were of the shut out variety. The bad news is that the Bulls didn't win another game all year.
Buffalo's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Akron on Oct. 23. The Bulls and Zips seem to always be fighting for position and although neither of these teams is likely to contend for a MAC title, the winner should have the better final spot in the standings.
Honest Outlook: Michael Thomas did some great things with Denver, so he certainly didn't expect to go winless in his first MAC season. Now, with a season under his belt, nine seniors on his roster and seven conference home games, his team should show some improvements over a year ago. The Bulls could sneak into the MAC Tournament if they get a couple of bounces. One guarantee, they will win a conference game this year.
Central Michigan Chippewas
2008 Record: 12-5-3, 6-2-3, 2nd
Looking Back At 2008: The Chippewas made an incredible jump, going from 10th place in 2007 to second place last year. The Chippewas started the year with an impressive 11-2-1 record, but fell apart towards the end, finishing out the season with an 1-3-2 stretch. In the MAC Tournament, CMU beat Ball State 1-0 at home before falling to Eastern Michigan 2-0.
Central Michigan's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Michigan State on Sept. 6. It's not just that the Spartans are a good team. The game in East Lansing, Mich. will be CMU's third straight game against Big Ten teams, and all three are on the road.
Honest Outlook: Central Michigan has been a real yo-yo type of team. They'll have a good year, but then follow it up with a subpar season. This year though, the Chippewas return the same basic team as a year ago. Because of that, they should be able to stay near the top of the conference. It'll be a bad year if they don't get a first round home game in the MAC Tournament.
Eastern Michigan Eagles
2008 Record: 13-5-5, 6-2-3, 3rd
Looking Back At 2008: In two years, the Eagles jumped from 11th place to a spot in the MAC Championship game. In the nonconference season, Eastern Michigan's only losses were two a pair of NCAA Tournament teams. The Eagles lost 3-0 to Michigan State and 1-0 to the Miami Hurricanes. Once MAC play rolled around, EMU put together a strong effort, finishing the year 5-0-1 before falling in the conference championship 1-0 to Toledo.
Eastern Michigan's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Central Michigan on Oct. 29. This rivalry game will end the regular season and likely will help determine seeding for the MAC Tournament.
Honest Outlook: Along with Toledo, the Eagles should be considered the favorites to win the MAC. EMU coach Scott Hall has once again put together a very strong team. Last year, Chelsea Detrick led the Eagles with 11 goals, which was impressive because she was just a freshman. With more seasoning, she should be even more lethal. On defense, Monique Budani, who had a miniscule 0.58 goal against average is also returning in net.
Kent State Golden Flashes
2008 Record: 6-11-1, 3-7-1, 10th
Looking Back At 2008: Last year, KSU played a very tough schedule and it caught up to them. The Golden Flashes only played one nonconference home game, a 2-1 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. In MAC play, Kent State started 2-0, but then went winless until the final game of the season.
Kent State's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Akron on Oct. 25. Throw out the fact that this is a rivalry game and it's still going to be a huge date for both teams. They'll likely both be on the bubble for the MAC Tournament, and a win for either team could push then into the postseason.
Honest Outlook: The Golden Flashes are returning eight starters from last year. They've also softened their schedule. For instance, KSU's first three nonconference games are all at home. The Golden Flashes probably won't compete for a title, but they should end their postseason drought at one season.
Miami RedHawks
2008 Record: 6-12-1, 5-6-0, 8th
Looking Back At 2008: The RedHawks won their opener 3-1 over Morehead State but didn't get another win for over a month, going 0-7-1. In MAC play, Miami played well enough to earn the No. 8 seed in the MAC Tournament, but fell 1-0 to Toledo in the first round.
Miami's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Eastern Michigan on Oct. 9. The RedHawks will play in Ypsilanti against a very good Eagles team. An upset would greatly help Miami's postseason chances.
Honest Outlook: The tandem of Jodi Zwingelberg and Sara Lund is dangerous. What hurt the RedHawks last year was that when they didn't click, Miami didn't score. With another season together, this duo should be firing on all cylinders. From a schedule aspect, Miami should be given a boost as well, finishing the regular season with three home games. Look for the RedHawks to be back in the tournament in November.
Northern Illinois Huskies
2008 Record: 9-6-5, 5-4-2, 6th
Looking Back At 2008: The Huskies came out strong, starting the year 4-0-3, but finished the season almost as poorly, capping the campaign with a 1-3-1 showing. The Huskies reached the MAC Tournament, but lost in the first round 2-0 to Eastern Michigan.
Northern Illinois' Biggest Test Will Be Against: Eastern Michigan on Oct. 18. The Huskies last home game of the year will be against the team that ended their 2008 campaign. A win would put NIU on the right foot heading into the home stretch.
Honest Outlook: Northern Illinois is just as talented as anyone, but this team's success will come down to execution. Last year, the Huskies tied for last place in goals per game with Western Michigan (0.95). So, the first thing that NIU needs to fix is its scoring touch. The other disconcerting thing in DeKalb is the schedule. The Huskies will play all but two of their home games between Sept. 13 and Oct. 4. Despite its talent, Northern Illinois feels like a team that will miss the MAC Tournament this year.
Ohio Bobcats
2008 Record: 5-10-3, 4-5-2, 9th
Looking Back At 2008: The Bobcats started they year against some tough opponents, falling to No. 19 Georgetown (2-1) and No. 23 Minnesota (2-0) during a 1-5-0 start. Once conference play rolled around, things improved for Ohio, which just missed making the MAC Tournament. With the season on the line, the Bobcats lost a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker to Eastern Michigan that allowed Miami to sneak into the postseason.
Ohio's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Purdue on Aug. 21. The Bobcats open up the year against one of the Big Ten's best teams. An upset would be the perfect way to begin the year and show the MAC that Ohio is ready to play.
Honest Outlook: In the ultra-competetive MAC, Ohio looks like an average team. Jess MacLean is a good goalie and Amy Lower can mix it up on offense. If Ohio can score, they'll do all right. But that's a pretty common statement. The honest outlook is that Ohio should be right on the bubble for the MAC Tournament again.
Toledo Rockets
2008 Record: 16-5-1, 8-2-1 1st
Looking Back At 2008: It's tough to improve on back-to-back titles, but Toledo found a way. Breaking its two-year title trend, the Rockets went into the MAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. They then took the title for the third straight season by shutting out all three opponents. In the NCAA Tournament, UT lost 5-2, but it was to the top-ranked team in the nation, Notre Dame.
Toledo's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Ohio State on Sept. 20. The Rockets will be tested often this year, but their final nonconference game is huge. It starts a five-game road trip that could make-or-break UT's season.
Honest Outlook: There has never been a four-time MAC champion, and it's hard to buck tradition. But it's also hard to ignore what the Rockets have done. This group of seniors could go out without ever losing the MAC. There are two certainties right now. First, the title game should be a good one. Second, Toledo should be in it.
Western Michigan Broncos
2008 Record: 7-11-1, 6-4-1, 5th
Looking Back At 2008: The Broncos started the year 2-9-0, so the fact that Western Michigan rebounded and made the MAC Tournament speaks volumes on its own. Once WMU got to the postseason, it played Bowling Green, falling 2-0. It was the Broncos second loss to BGSU on the year.
Western Michigan's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Marquette on Sept. 20. The Broncos home opener will be against one of the Big East's best teams. As WMU's only nonconference home game, it's important to win, but since it's against a team that will likely be ranked, this could be a statement game for the Broncos.
Honest Outlook: The Broncos have had the hardest offseason in the MAC. Teams lose coaches all the time, but with how MIke Haines left and with how it dragged out, has to weigh down this team. Interim coach Suzie Grech deserves a lot of credit keeping this team together, but if any team should have a drop off, it will be the Broncos.
