2007 Marietta College women's soccer preview
Pioneers striving to make OAC Tournament

Aug. 8, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta, under the guidance of eighth-year Head Coach Pat Holguin, will look to take that important next step in 2007. After finishing just shy of an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament bid the last two years, the Pioneers are working to overcome that hurdle and become a consistent participant in the year-end tournament.

Marietta will be a veteran-led squad with six seniors—Vanessa Nicholls, Natalie Jackson, Kileen Lehman, Jennifer Wickerham, Marianne Siders, and Colby Cardwell—providing the necessary leadership and in-game experience for the younger players to feed off of this fall.

The Pioneers return their top six goal scorers from last season, including junior Jessica Martinez, a 2005 and 2006 All-OAC honorable mention honoree, who led the team with seven goals and 16 points. Cardwell, who collected five goals and four assists, as well as Nicholls, Siders and junior Allie Williams, who each had seven points, are all expected to have improved seasons in 2007.

Marietta's defense will be anchored by sophomore goalie Jenna Freeman. The All-OAC second team performer finished with an OAC-best 139 saves to go along with seven shutouts and a 0.90 goals against average in 1,807 minutes.

The Pioneers open the season at home on Sept. 1-2 with the Marietta College Soccer Classic. On Saturday at 11 a.m., Marietta will take on Rochester (Mich.) in the first of four games, which includes a pair of men's contests. SUNY-Brockport (N.Y.) will battle Juniata (Pa.) in the other women's match-up at 3 p.m. The consolation game is set for Sunday at 9 a.m. with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. Marietta will also be returning to the Penn State-Altoona Tournament when it visits Altoona, Pa., Sept. 15-16. The squad has won the tournament each of the last three seasons. The Pioneers will then open OAC play at Otterbein on Sept. 29.