One year after finishing in a tie for second in the NACC during the 2022 campaign but falling short in the conference tournament semifinals during a double overtime contest, MSOE women's soccer has been picked to hold down that same spot once the 2023 season has reached its conclusion. We now take a deeper dive into what the new Raiders season could look like and their path back to the NCAA tournament.
MSOE women's soccer secured their 15th straight season of 10 or more wins last year with an overall record of 13-4-4 and a NACC mark of 9-1-2 which was good for a share of second place and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Unfortunately, the homefield advantage in the semifinals wasn't enough as they were bounced from the NACC playoffs by Illinois Tech, the other second place team in the regular season, in a 3-2 double overtime loss.
words from the coach
"Every year there is a little panic as we start the season about how and who will we replace the seniors. It is not easy to replace an all-American student-athlete and all-conference players, but this year will showcase a truly well-balanced returning team, as well as a strong incoming freshmen group.
The returning players achieved great success last season, but are hungry to take their game to the next level as they look to erase the bad taste of the season finale last year. To name just one returner would be unfair as this year's team is extremely deep.
The athleticism at all positions is a strength we look forward to capitalizing on. The ability to bring in players off the bench and keep the level extremely high is a testament to the work the players did in the off-season as well as the incoming class of freshmen. It will exciting to watch the team grow."
- MSOE Women's Soccer Head Coach Rolf Zersen
STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT
Even with losing their leading scorer from last season, this Raiders team is loaded with talent. The group is led by junior Addison Spilman (10 goals, 3 assists, 23 total points), a student-athlete that was selected to the All-NACC first team and was named All-Region by the United Soccer Coaches. Grace Quinn and Elizabeth Kuhn also make their returns as +20 point scorers from last season and the trio will look to improve on their 3.10 goals per game average from last season
All three keepers will be back for the Red & White, something that should allow the defense to pick up where they left off last season. MSOE allowed just 0.71 goals per game to their opponents and had a +50 scoring margin over 21 contests. Reagan Tompkins served as the primary starting keeper in Coach Zersen's split system, earning nine wins and averaging 0.95 goals against in 20 games. Tompkins also saved a career high 11 shots against Illinois Tech on Nov. 1st.
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
MSOE will have 11 games in total that will take place at away or neutral sites in 2023. The Raiders will begin the season on the road on September 1st when they take on Albion in Michigan and will be followed by another Mitten State battle against Kalamazoo the next day.
Other key road contests will take place on Sept. 8th at UW-Whitewater, Sept. 30th at Dominican, Oct. 4th at Concordia Wisconsin, and Oct. 9th at UW-La Crosse. The Red and White's first NACC road game will happen on Saturday, Sept. 16th when they travel to the state capital to take on Edgewood while they will also finish up the season on the road against Wisconsin Lutheran on Wednesday, Oct. 25th.
The Red & White won't have to wait long for their action on Viets Field to begin as they will face off against Lake Forest on Tuesday, Sept. 5th at 7:00 pm. They will also take on St. Scholastica (Sept. 9th) and Simpson College (Sept. 11th) in non-conference play before beginning NACC action on Wednesday, Sept. 13th against Alverno at 5:00 pm.
Another key home matchup will feature the Raiders trying for revenge when they host Illinois Tech on Saturday, Sept. 23rd. They will also welcome conference rivals Lakeland (Sept. 20th), Concordia Chicago (Oct. 7th), Rockford (Oct. 11th), St. Norbert (Oct. 18th), and Benedictine (Oct. 21st) as part of their 10 game 2023 schedule.
For up-to-the-minute MSOE Raiders news, visit us at MSOERaiders.com. You can also follow the Red & White on Twitter @MSOE_Raiders and @msoe_raiders on Instagram.