Aug. 17, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland women's soccer team heads into 2007 with confidence that the struggles of the past two seasons, and the reasons behind them, are in the past.

That optimism stems from an exciting blend of returning talent and leadership with athletic and skilled newcomers. The health problems that have plagued the program for the past three seasons also appear to be over.

Third-year head coach Brian Pensky is anxious to get the season under way and show the nation that Maryland is prepared to return to NCAA tournament contention.

"We are extremely excited about this fall," says Pensky. "Our players had a terrific spring season, and have worked hard this summer to make sure they come in prepared."

Here's a quick look at the 2007 Terps by position:

Forward
It was no secret the Terps had trouble scoring goals last season, but a solid corps of forwards should be the cure for that ailment.

Senior co-captain Kelly Rozumalski returns for her fourth season in College Park and appears to be on track for her best season yet. She is among the fittest players in the conference and her speed makes her a threat to get behind defenders.

Melissa Hornfeck will look to find the finishing touch that earned her two junior college national player of the year awards. The senior has a dynamic left foot that is a danger to score from nearly anywhere in the offensive third of the field. Her versatility is also an asset and she could play wide midfield as well.

Fourth-year junior Lauren Gamble will also play a significant role up top for the Terps. The former defender made the transition to forward during the 2006 season and led the squad in scoring in ACC games.

Another pair of juniors are also expected to contribute up top as well. Kaila Sciascia is a natural finisher the coaching staff expects to have a breakthrough season. Stephanie MacCormack saw limited minutes last season, but had a tremendous spring season and is among the most competitive players on the Terrapin squad. Both players could also contribute at other spots on the field with Sciascia seeing time as a center midfielder, while MacCormack was also used as a defender in the spring and gave an outstanding effort.

Three newcomers who could prove to be instrumental to the Terps' offensive production are Kylie Ricker, Annesia Faulkner and Olivia Onyeador. Ricker is an NSCAA All-American after scoring 93 goals and adding 25 assists during her prep career. Faulkner was the 2006 Baltimore Sun player of the year after putting up 20 goals and 18 assists for St. Vincent Pallotti. Onyeador is a special athlete, blessed with speed and power, and could contribute up top or along the Terps' back line.

The x-factor at forward could be redshirt-sophomore Kimmy Bunting. After missing all of the 2006 with a concussion, Bunting appears ready to fulfill the promise she showed in 2005.

Central Midfield
A team needs to be strong up the middle of the field to compete against the nation's top teams, and the Terps seem to have several talented options in the central midfield.

"We enter this season with solid depth in a number of spots," says Pensky. "Losing Molly Dreska to an ACL tear this summer will not help; yet we're very confident that several of our other players can step in have a significant impact in a similar role."

Nataly Arias, widely considered among the best center midfielders in the ACC, returns for Pensky's squad after missing the entire 2006 season due to knee surgery. The redshirt-junior from Alexandria, Va., is healthier than she's ever been during her tenure in College Park and is eager to prove that she belongs among the nation's best.

Co-captain Shelly McDuff started all 18 games for the Terps last season, anchoring a central midfield that was shredded by injury. The senior leader proved to be solid asset who played well beyond her 5-foot-2 frame.

Emily Maynard began her Terrapin career with a bang last season, scoring the game-winning goal in Maryland's 1-0 upset of No. 10 Tennessee in the season opener. She went on to become just the sixth freshman in the history of the Maryland women's soccer program to lead the team in scoring - and she missed four matches along the way due to injury. She heads into this season fully healthy and is incredibly fit. Pensky expects big things from Maynard in her sophomore season. She could also see time as a wide midfielder.

Freshmen Caitlin McDowell and Mallory Baker will also be given the chance to compete for playing time in the central midfield. Both are coming off of fantastic summer club seasons. McDowell led her U18 Solar team to the U.S. Youth National Championships, while Baker's U18 PDA Fury squad advanced to the regional finals.

Wide Midfield
The wide midfield spots are an open competition as the Terps head into fall camp. Maryland's depth at central midfield and forward will help out at the wide midfield position.

Junior Amanda Paizs will get a chance to compete at her natural midfield position after contributing as a defender during her first two seasons. That experience could prove vital, with Pensky planning to continue with a three-back defensive formation.

A pair of sophomores who enjoyed some success during their freshman campaigns return to compete for playing time. Maureen Dowling showcases tremendous speed and is a natural left-side attacking midfielder. Brittany Cummins brings great technical skills to the table in addition to outstanding speed. She saw time as a wide defender last season, but returns to her natural position this year.

Freshman Erika Theisen is expected to come in and compete for playing time right away and provide an offensive spark. The two-time NSCAA all-region honoree brings an expectation of winning after leading River Hill High School to a 20-0 record in 2006. Theisen could also see time along the back line as well.

Colleen Deegan is another freshman who could compete for playing time at wide midfield, while fellow freshmen McDowell and Baker could contribute there as well.

Defense
The backbone of the Terrapin team lies along its defensive line as all three starters return from a 2006 defense that allowed only 15 goals, which ranked second in the ACC behind only the national champion UNC Tar Heels.

Senior Ashly Kennedy returns for her final season as a Terp and looks to cement her legacy as one of Maryland's all-time best defenders. The 2007 co-captain is among the fastest defensive players in the conference, but its her physical style of play that sets her apart from the rest.

Junior Aimee Bresani is a tough, no-nonsense player who has been a fixture in the Terrapin backfield the past two seasons. The native of Woodbury, N.J., has started all 36 games during her Maryland career.

Joining Kennedy and Bresani could be sophomore Mary Casey, who started the final 12 games of the season as a defender. The only thing that could stop Casey, who showed great progress throughout her freshman season, from returning to start at defense in 2007 would be if she won the starting goalkeeping job.

In addition to Onyeador and Theisen, who could also be used in the back, freshmen Chelsea Sprague and Alissa Bourne will also compete for playing time. Sprague helped her club team to the Region I title game, while Bourne is a two-time All-Metro selection.

Goalkeeping
The most intriguing position battle heading into the season is the starting goalkeeper battle. Two-time first team All-ACC keeper Nikki Resnick finished her brilliant career last fall and her successor will come down to Casey or talented freshman Wendy Balogun.

Each competitor brings tremendous athleticism and shot-stopping abilities to the table and Pensky expects it to be a great battle. One thing is for certain, Maryland, which has a history of top goalkeepers, will have another in between the pipes this fall.

Casey arrived on campus as a talented goalkeeper with a big upside. She was Resnick's backup last year, but injuries and problems with depth forced Pensky to try the ultra-athletic Casey in the defensive backfield. She could return to her natural position of goalkeeper this season, following a summer that saw her win the Golden Glove Award, awarded to the tournament's top goalkeeper at the U.S. Youth National Championships. She led her team to the U19 national title game.

Balogun is arguably the most highly-touted recruit to come to Maryland. She was rated the No. 3 recruit in the entire nation by SoccerBuzz. Earlier this year she was invited to the U20 U.S. women's national camp.

Schedule
The Terps always have one of the nation's toughest schedules and the 2007 slate is once again filled with tough games against quality opponents, including nine teams that were in the NCAA tournament last year.

"As always, we play a very competitive schedule," says Pensky. "The IU tournament will be a quality test as we play USC and LMU from the west coast. Then we come home to play tough, physical teams like Dartmouth and George Mason. The ACC will be a bear again this year; however I feel great about our team knowing that we were second in the ACC in goals against last year to UNC."

The ACC is widely regarded as the toughest women's soccer conference in the country and that isn't going to change this season. Three ACC schools, Florida State (2), North Carolina (3) and Boston College (4) boasted recruiting classes ranked among the top five in the nation, according to SoccerBuzz. Overall the ACC had seven of the top 25 recruiting classes with Duke (8), Virginia (11), Maryland (20) and Miami (21) joining the Seminoles, Tar Heels and Eagles.

Maryland's ACC schedule is highlighted by home games vs. Wake Forest (Oct. 5), 2006 NCAA champion North Carolina (Oct. 7), Virginia Tech (Oct. 28), Boston College (Nov. 1) and NC State (Nov. 4). The Terps will travel to meet Clemson in the conference opener on Sept. 27. Maryland will also hit the road to face Florida State (Oct. 11), Miami (Oct. 14), Duke (Oct. 21) and Virginia (Oct. 25).

Before Maryland even gets to its conference schedule it has to get through a challenging non-conference lineup. The Terps open the season with a pair of home matches against Eastern Kentucky (Aug. 31) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Sept. 2). From there the Terrapins head to Bloomington, Ind., to compete at the Hoosier Classic against a pair of opponents from Los Angeles - USC (Sept. 7) and Loyola Marymount (Sept. 9).

Maryland then plays three straight home matches against Dartmouth (Sept. 14), George Mason (Sept. 16) and Kent State (Sept. 22). After coming back from Clemson, Maryland finishes its non-conference schedule with a home match with Patriot League foe Lehigh (Sept. 30). The ACC tournament will be held in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 7-11.