Carrollton, GA - The long preseason leading up to the 2010 campaign is nearly over, as West Georgia head coach
Marisa Kovacs and her squad gear up for the season opener Friday afternoon at the annual Cougar Invitational in Columbus, GA.
Game Week Page
The Wolves are looking to take a step forward in the coming year after enduring a rough schedule and tough outcome in the 2009 campaign. After finishing 4-11-1 last year, the Wolves will be on the prowl for victory in 2010.
Leading the charge is an extremely deep midfield for the Wolves, led by the return of Angie Jolly in the midfield. Jolly was the kickstart for the UWG offensive attack a year ago, but went down four games into the season with an injury and was forced to miss the rest of the season.
Kovacs will look to get a big bounce back from senior Melanie Kilburn, who has 12 career goals, but struggled to find the net in 2009. Kilburn should get plenty of offensive help from sophomore Kate Marnock, who led the Wolves with three goals last season. Junior Cydney Raymond has been playing well in the preseason and will get a chance to improve on her career goal total.
But West Georgia is also ready if a defensive battle is necessary, as co-captains Brittany Harvey, Meg Sytsma and
Jessica Turner will roam the defensive half of the field. Joining that crew will be sophomore
Brittany Dawkins, who returns after a one-year hiatus from the field.
Senior keeper Patricia Logsdon returns in the net for the Wolves as the starter, but freshman
Mary Laza has shown promise in the preseason and could get a shot in the early part of the year. Logsdon will end her career as one of the most prolific keepers in UWG history, but a trip to the postseason would be a solid conclusion to a great career.
The Columbus State Cougar Invitational has been on the schedule before, as the Wolves last played in the tournament in 2008. In that appearance, West Georgia beat Georgia Southwestern by a 5-0 count, but fell to the then 13th-ranked Cougars 2-0 to close out the weekend.
The Wolves played both Columbus State and Tampa in the 2009 campaign, falling 4-0 to both teams. Columbus State was ranked seventh last year when they visited Carrollton.
A Quick Look - Tampa
The Spartans return eight starters from last season as head coach Gerry Lucey brought in a talented group of newcomers that includes five transfers. Among them are heralded goal-scorer Luana Miessa, who comes from NCAA Division I Sam Houston State University. The Spartans return their 2009 leading scorer, Jazmin Perry, who had eight goals last year as a sophomore. One place where Lucey and his team may be vulnerable is in the net, as his keeper staff is completely new for the 2010 campaign.
A Quick Look - Columbus State
Columbus State, ranked #12 in the NSCAA preseason top 25, won their fifth consecutive regular-season championship in 2009 and is 38-2-3 against league opponents in the regular season during that run. Head coach Jay Entlich will have to replace some scoring for 2010 with four of his top five scorers gone, but does return preseason All-Conference selection Stephanie Parrish who was second on the team with 10 goals last year. Also departed is goalkeeper Kelly Nimmo who was tied for the league lead with a 0.59 GAA. The Cougars do return seven of 11 starters from last year’s team that advanced to the NCAA regional finals.