Interest in women’s soccer was at a high after a successful and engaging World Cup run from the U.S. Women’s National Team this summer.

 

In the weeks following the thrilling final, Women’s Professional Soccer matches were setting records for attendance, appearing on ESPN highlights and the team's stars were Hollywood A-listers at events like the ESPY’s and blockbuster movie premieres.

 

Although the IUPUI women's soccer team members may not come with the same fanfare, senior Margaret Allgeier did throw out the first pitch at an Indianapolis Indians' game this summer and she and her teammates are poised to play great soccer in the Summit League. The recent Summit League preseason poll pegged the Jaguars fifth, but the girls have their aim set on returning to the NCAA Tournament as they did in 2009.

 

The fifth-place projection reflects a down year for the Jaguars after a strong 2009. In the 2009 (17-5, 7-2) season, the team sat atop of the Summit League table and won the conference tournament earning the program's first-ever spot in the NCAA tournament. Last year (8-11, 4-5) was a different story though, as the team missed out on the Summit League tournament after finishing seventh in the league.

 

With 10 returning starters, Head Coach Chris Johnson’s squad will be looking to replicate the 2009 season as it has the talent and experience to take the team to the top of the Summit League.

 

"We've got a good mix of experience and youth on the roster," Johnson said. "We're probably deeper, more talented and more athletic top to bottom that we've been in a long time. We'll need to develop some consistency and get more contributions from up and down the line, but we're cautiously optimistic that things will go our way.

"We always talk about controlling what we can control and so far, I think the girls have done a good job of focusing in on that and working hard to get back to the (Summit League) tournament."

 

 If success is to be found in 2011, then it will rest largely on the strength of the team’s senior class. This class contains multiple all-Summit League players, former Summit League Offensive Player of the Year and more than a few IUPUI career records might fall in 2011.

 

These seniors can be found all over the field with Allgeier and Alex Baer manning the back while Alicia Brock and Megan Hock team as lethal strike partners up top. What makes them possibly one of the “closest classes to go through IUPUI”, according to Allgeier, is their off the field connection.

 

“A tradition we started freshman year and still do to this day is going out to dinner for everyone’s birthday,” Allgeier said. “The birthday girl picks the restaurant, we bring the cake and it is just a lot of fun. Through this tradition we have had some great memories and have built a strong bond together.”

 

“We came in not knowing each other or what to expect,” Baer said. “We have all bonded and gotten closer each year. It is definitely something that will carry over into our lives after soccer. We have been able to form amazing friendships on and off the soccer field.”

 

The birthday cake and time spent together off the field might have created lifelong friendships, but right now the girls are focused on their time left on the field. The quartet of Allgeier, Baer, Brock and Hock have appeared in 232 games and started 188 times in an IUPUI uniform. It is safe to say they have formed some bonds on the field as well.

IUPUI has won better than 62 percent of its games since this class' arrival on campus in 2008. Included in that total was a school record 17 victories in 2009 and an 18-8 mark in The Summit League the past three seasons.

 

 With only so many games left to play together, the girls want to make the most of their time at IUPUI.

 

“After getting an NCAA birth I know what we are capable of,” Brock said. “I would love to help lead the team as a senior back to the NCAA Tournament and leave a great legacy here at IUPUI.”

 

“Everyone wants to reach the NCAA tournament, especially us seniors,” Allgeier said. “We couldn’t imagine a better way of ending our careers.”

 

Another NCAA tournament bid is not unlikely for this team and it seems to be the ultimate goal for all the seniors. They have acknowledged the responsibility and are ready to take on the challenge.

 

Obstacles in the way include Oakland, who topped the Preseason Summit League poll, and both North Dakota State and South Dakota State who tied for the second spot. The girls recognize these three as their chief rivals but are not taking the rest of the Summit League for granted.

 

“Every team in the conference is a tough opponent,” Brock said. “Every game is extremely important because we are playing for a birth in the conference tournament which is our path to the NCAA tournament.”

 

Another NCAA tournament appearance might not land the girls in the ESPY’s or at movie premieres, but they will leave behind a local legacy of women’s soccer at IUPUI.

 

It is certainly a benefit to IUPUI that the three toughest Summit League opponents all visit Indianapolis late in the season.

IUPUI will open its preseason slate on Sunday, Aug. 14 when the Jaguars trek to Normal, Ill. to take on Illinois State. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Central from Adelaide Soccer Field. 

 

After their lone preseason game Sunday, the Jaguars kick off the non-conference schedule with away dates to Miami (Ohio) and Indiana State the following week. Summit League play begins September 30 at UMKC before wrapping up with the final home game October 30 against Oakland.