The Razorbacks, under the direction of first-year head coach Colby Hale, play Southeast Missouri State on Friday and Saint Louis on Saturday.

The SEMO game is Friday at 7 pm on Lake Country Soccer Field in the Cooper Sports Complex in Springfield. Saturday’s game is at Saint Louis at 5 p.m.

The Razorbacks have played five spring exhibition games, including last week’s 2-0 loss at Oklahoma.

“There was a lot to take away from the game on Saturday,” Hale says. “We are getting answers to a lot of questions and the team’s cohesion is growing. In terms of culture and identity, I am pleased with where we are. It is a process, but I am pleased with the progress we’ve made in such a short time.”

This spring, the Razorbacks have a 3-0 win over former Razorbacks in the annual Alumni Game and a 2-0 victory over Tulsa, which was 10-8-3 in the fall.

Arkansas has had goals from five different players – junior midfielder Taylor Green, freshman forward Phyllis George, junior forward Yvonne DesJarlais, junior midfielder Jessie Givens and sophomore midfielder Beth Stratton.

“We started slow and OU capitalized,” Hale says of last week’s game. “That is something we need to fix. We are making mental mistakes that are costing us. We will fix some of those things this week and that will affect the outcome of games. Our performance over the last 70 minutes was good, and the staff and players take confidence in knowing we are improving. The mistakes are fixable and the effort is good.”

“Adding this group of talented players to the roster makes us very eager to start the 2012 season. I believe their positive attitudes and work ethics will mesh well with those of our returners, and I expect to remain very competitive in the MIAA. I look forward to seeing how each one will contribute to our program,” said Woolard.

They join a squad that just graduated 8 seniors, including midfielder Brianna McKenzie (Webb City) and goalkeeper Randi Russell (Joplin) who were both regulars during all four years at MSSU.

Not mentioned in the story is Natascha Lord, who appears on the roster as a senior. Natascha originally signed with Southwest Baptist out of High School but soon transferred to Culver-Stockton where she played soccer and basketball. During her time at Waynesville she paired with Katie Pritchard on the pitch and the hardwood.

Hannah Ishmael

Hannah was a four year starter at center midfielder for Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. As a freshman she earned All-District honors for Coach Caleb Horton and was the Sandites Offensive MVP. As a sophomore she earned an All-Conference nod and during her junior campaign was named All-Conference and All-District Honorable Mention. She is the daughter of Tony and Rebecca Ishmael and has two siblings, Nelson and Brooke. Hannah plans on majoring in Spanish while at Missouri Southern.

Kacie Hulse

Kacie was a three sport athlete for the Pirates of Pattonville High School competing softball, soccer, and swimming. Kacie was a three time first team All-Conference swimmer while earning the 2011-12 Scholar Activity Award at PHS, as well as earning a second team All-Conference nod her freshman year. She was a part of four straight team conference championships in swimming for the Pirates. Kacie was a three year starter on defense for Coach Tom Iffrig helping PHS to a third place state finish in 2009, and a state runner-up finish in 2010. She was also a part of three straight district championships and two conference championships on the pitch. In club soccer Kacie was a member of the 2010 President Cup Regional II champions team that eventually placed third in the nation. She is the daughter of Rodney and Carol Hulse and will join twin sister Kimberly on the Lions squad. Kacie and Kimberly also have two sisters Kristin and Kelli. Kacie plans on majoring in nursing at Missouri Southern.

Kimberly Hulse

Kimberly was a three sport athlete at Pattonville High School participating in soccer, basketball, and cross country for the Pirates. Kimberly was a four year starter on defense for Coach Tom Iffrig while earning a second team All-Conference nod her junior year and a first team accolade her senior season. Kimberly was a two time Scholar Activity Award winner at PHS. She was also a part of three straight district championships and two conference championships on the pitch. In club soccer Kimberly was a member of the 2010 President Cup Regional II champions team that eventually placed third in the nation. She is the daughter of Rodney and Carol Hulse and will join twin sister Kacie on the Lions squad. Kimberly and Kacie also have two sisters Kristin and Kelli. Kimberly plans on majoring in nursing at Missouri Southern.

Kayla Gajewski

Kayla was a four year started at midfielder for Coach Jack Baldwin and the Jaguars of Ft. Zumwalt West High School. While at FZWHS she earned Academic All-Conference honors all four years and was a part of three GAC South Conference Championships on the pitch. In club play was a part of the 2010 and 2009 Presidents Cup Regional II Championships, while helping St. Louis Scott Gallagher to a 2009 second place finish in the Missouri State Cup. Kayla also participated in the 2009 US Youth Soccer National Championships in Lancaster, Massachusetts. She is the daughter of Greg and Gina Gajewski and has one brother Ryan, who graduated from University of Missouri in 2011. Kayla is undecided on her major here at Missouri Southern.

Michaela Altvater

Michaela was a four year starter at outside middle defender for Coach Jackie Haller and the Bulldogs of Kearney (Missouri) High School. While on the pitch at KHS, Michaela earned All-District honorable mention honors in 2009, three second team All-Conference nods in 2009-11, and two second team All-District nods (2010-11). During her senior year Michaela also earned All-District honors for Cross Country and was selected as the Cross Country team captain, while leading the Lady Bulldogs to conference, district, and state championships. She played for the Kansas City Futbol Club Heat Soccer helping them to a State Cup finalist in 2009 and then a State Cup Championship and a third place finish at regionals in 2010. Michaela is the daughter of Steve and Mickie Altvater and has two siblings, Mackenzie and Tommie. She is currently undecided on her major at Missouri Southern.

Karley Thomas

Karley was a four year letter winner for Coach Baldwin and the Jaguars of Fort Zumwalt West High School at forward. She was a four time All-Conference Academic Team member, while earning honorable mention All-Conference her freshman year and second team All-District and All-Conference her senior season. Karley helped the Jaguars to a district championship during her senior season. In club play Karley was a member of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher club and helped SLSG to a two state cup finalist finishes, 2009 and 2010. In 2009, the SLSG were also regional champions and national participants. Karley is undecided on her major here at Missouri Southern and is a native of O’Fallon, Mo. She is the daughter of Keith and Christie Thomas and older sister Kayla played soccer for future MIAA opponent Lindenwood. Karley and Kayla have one other sibling, Kody.

Via MissouriStateBears – Missouri State women’s soccer head coach Rob Brewer announced that he has 11 commitments from players to join the program for the 2012 season.

“There is excellent speed among the newcomers that will add to the overall team speed,” said Brewer. “We are replacing a strong senior class, so we expanded geographically to recruit quality players. I know this age group well having watched my daughter compete over the past few years.”

2012 Women’s Soccer Commitments:

Molly Brewer, F/D, Springfield, Mo. (Glendale High/St. Louis Scott Gallagher)
Lauren Fussell, M/D, St. Louis, Mo. (Oakville High/St. Louis Scott Gallagher)
Lauren Josten, M, St. Peters, Mo. (Duchesne High/St. Louis Scott Gallagher Red)
Cassandra Le, D, White Bear Lake, Minn. (White Bear Lake High/St. Croix Soccer Club)
Alix Opfer, M/D, Springfield, Mo. (Glendale High/Springfield Soccer Club)
Kayla Seabaugh, M/D, Perryville, Mo. (St. Vincent High/St. Louis Scott Gallagher)
Rachel Sebald, GK, Menomonee Falls, Wis. (Wisconsin Lutheran High/Milwaukee Sport Club)
Lauren Shadel, D, Las Vegas, Nev. (Arbor View High/Players Soccer Club)
Kimberlea Smith, GK, Glendale, Ariz. (Mountain Ridge High/Sereno Soccer Club 94 Blues)
Erin Stewart, M, Bennington, Neb. (Marian High/Toro Bravo)
Kristina Tomaras, F, Aurora, Ill. (Benet Academy/Chicago Fire Juniors Red 11)

By the way, Kayla Seabaugh will be familiar to the Springfield Catholic fans as she is the Defensive Midfielder for the St Vincent squad that lost 2-3 in the Final last year and has also been to the Final 4 the last 3 years, winning it all in 2009

Visit the Bears website for details on each player

Women’s Open All Tournament Team
Mariah McClain, University of Missouri Most Outstanding Goalkeeper
Lou Opfer (Springfield Glendale), University of Missouri, MVP

Lauren Stockwell, University of Missouri
Alyssa Weatherly, University of Missouri
Melissa Murphy, University of Missouri
Nicole Newell, University of Missouri
Emily Chang, University of California, Berkeley
Mendy Berglin, University of California, Berkeley
Jane Rhodes, University of Southern California
Maliakelly White, University of Colorado
Kelsie Dickerson, University of California, Berkeley
Meagan Reitz, University of Illinois

With a pair of 2-0 wins, the first over James Madison followed by a similar result against Illinois on Saturday, the Mizzou Women’s Club Soccer program captured first place in the Open Division of the National Campus Championship Series, run by NIRSA, the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association.

For more details, check out the Tournament blog and visit the Mizzou Facebook page to offer your congratulations.

In 2010 the MU Women’s Club Soccer Team came in 3rd place at the NIRSA National Championships in Phoenix, Arizona. The team also finished the Kansas-Missouri Soccer League with the best overall record and played in a championship game at the Region 4 Tournament in Lubbock, Texas. In 2009 the team won the Region IV Soccer Tournament at Kansas State University and qualified as a top 24 team for the NIRSA National Tournament where they placed 17th in the Championship bracket.

Katelyn Fredrickson, Missouri State Bears

The Post-Dispatch talked to Head Coach Denny Bozesky about the event

“We’ve gotten close as a U-23 team; we were national runners-up in 2008 and 2009 and lost out in pool play last year in Kansas City,” said JB Marine’s Denny Bozesky, who coaches along with John Hayes and Larry Hulcer. “It can be tough putting together a team at this level because the players have so many things going on in their lives, but we’ve put together a team that we feel can compete.”

Starters for JB Marine are goalkeeper Jamie Farrell (Incarnate Word/IUPUI), defenders Courtney Hulcer (St. Joseph’s/SLU), Claire Hulcer (St. Joe’s/Tulsa), Mackenzie Ayer (Tulsa) and Emily Viviano (SLU), midfielders Allison Hu (Duchesne/Missouri), Ashley Hayes (IWA/SLU), Casey Berrier (Parkway Central/Loyola of Chicago) and Lauren Bozesky (Ursuline/SLU/SEMO) and forwards Becky Handley (St. Joe’s/Tulsa) and Katelyn Frederickson (Nerinx Hall/Missouri State).

Read More

Drew Fitzgerald, Missouri State Bears

“Drew has great attention to detail both on and off the field,” said Brewer. “He sees the game well and helped us to make positive adjustments last season. He has a good rapport with the team. Drew should hit the ground running and help keep the positive momentum going for us.”

Before coming to Missouri State, Fitzgerald spent four seasons as a women’s soccer assistant coach at McNeese State. As an assistant with the Cowgirls, he helped the squad to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006. He also helped guide the team to the Southland Conference Championship in 2007. In 2008, he aided the team, which reached the Southland Conference Tournament finals.

“I’m very excited to join the Missouri State staff this year and am eager to begin the season,” said Fitzgerald. “Missouri State has a great tradition and Coach Brewer has a consistent record of winning. Our student-athletes have demonstrated great character on the field and in the classroom. I count myself lucky to be a part of this program.”

Fitzgerald was the head coach of the Texas A&M men’s club soccer team before landing at McNeese State. As head coach of A&M’s club team, he led them to the 2004 NIRSA National Championship. His team was undefeated that season.

Fitzgerald earned a B.S. in Journalism (2001) and an M.S. in Sport Management (2005) from Texas A&M. He also received his NSCAA National Diploma, Goalkeeper I & II diploma and the USSF National “D” License.

Fitzgerald’s hire is pending final approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors at its next meeting.

The women’s soccer team begins the regular season on Friday, August 19 at UALR. The team’s home opener is Friday, September 2 with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against Kansas at Plaster Field.

Ger Coppinger

“Ger is a great addition to the Missouri State soccer program,” stated Leamy. “He brings energy, enthusiasm and experience that will continue the fine line of outstanding coaches we have had here at Missouri State. He has a great goalkeeping background as both a player and a coach. We are excited to bring him on board.”

Coppinger comes to Missouri State after spending last fall as the men’s and women’s goalkeeper coach at Missouri Baptist University. He also coached the U-17 O’Fallon Kixx men’s team for two seasons, leading them to the State Cup tournament in one of those seasons.

Joining the DU program this fall are:

Emily Cline, Glendale Falcons (2011)

Sarah Duffy – A central midfielder from Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, OK who led Bishop Kelley to a State Championship in 2008 and 2010, and is competing for a third title this spring. She’s an all-district performer and a member of the Tulsa Blitz club team. “Sarah is a very smart, energetic attacking player that will be able to play numerous positions for us,” Bilbao says. “She is an extremely competitive individual on the field.”

Shelby Hatz, Springfield Catholic (2011)

Andrea Parker, Springfield Catholic (2011)

Caitlin Redmond – A back from Thomas Edison Preparatory High School in Tulsa, OK, Redmond was her prep squad’s Offensive Player of the Year and a First Team All Metro selection her junior year, in addition to a teammate of Duffy’s on the Tulsa Blitz. “Caitlin is a solid, consistent back who likes to get forward from the wingback position,” Bilbao says. “She also has an ability to score goals, as she has proven at the high school level.”

Drury finished 8-9-2 last season and is 57-33-11 in Bilbao’s five seasons with the Panthers.

Coach Rob Brewer’s squad was the top point collector in the Bear Cup team competition for student development, academic achievement, athletic excellence, career development, and community outreach. The men’s soccer and women’s swimming programs were also finalists for the award, which women’s soccer won at the inaugural awards presentation in 2010.

MSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) served as the presenters for the evening and also took the lead in the nomination and selection process for the event and the awards presented. Read the rest here

Chris Cissell and Jefferson Roblee flank Megan Garrad (Glendale 2008)

Cissell has spent a combined 20 seasons at William Jewell as the head coach for the men’s and women ‘s soccer programs, he also served as the director of the soccer programs for the past 11 seasons.

While at William Jewell, Cissell compiled a 279-92-21 overall record in his 20 seasons as head coach. In that time, he has achieved top-10 national rankings with both the men’s and women’s soccer programs and compiled three Final Four appearances, two with the men and one with the women. Cissell has had eight squads make NAIA National Tournament appearances.

Cissell was named the NSCAA/adidas NAIA Men’s National Coach of the Year in 2006 and was a 2010 National Coach of the Year finalist. He has coached 37 all-Americans and mentored 45 Academic all-Americans.

Cissell coached the women’s program to a 165-43-11 overall record in 11 seasons. The Cardinals earned three conference championships, four NSCAA Team Academic Awards and three NSCAA Team Ethics Awards. The 2003 squad finished ranked third in the nation in the top-25 poll and the 2004 squad was the NAIA Region Champions. Cissell was a four-time Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and was the 2003 NAIA Region Coach of the Year and NSCAA/adidas Midwest Coach of the Year.

He served as the men’s head coach for nine seasons, compiling a 114-49-10 overall record. The Cardinals were the 2006 NAIA Region Champions, earned two conference championships and earned four NSCAA Team Academic Awards. The squad was ranked No. 1 in the National rankings poll for two weeks in 2007 and have consistently been in the top-25 during his time. Cissell was a three-time Conference Coach of the Year and a two-time NAIA Region Coach of the Year.

His assistant, Jefferson Roblee, will take over as Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s program at Jewell.

The women’s soccer team wraps up the spring exhibition schedule on Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. match at Plaster Field against Missouri Southern.