2022 Women's Soccer Preview
Eagles look to build off a third-place national finish
It will be a "new look" as Coach Zack Barron's Faith Eagles women's soccer team debuts tonight with a scrimmage against Buena Vista University at 5 p.m. at Pyche Field. The Eagles will feature several newcomers as key contributors to this year's team, which will also be donning new uniforms as part of their new look.
The Eagles are coming off a successful finish to their 2021 season when they placed third in the nation at the NCCAA Division II National Championships. Faith returns 13 players from that team but will have to replace some key leadership and the graduation of two All-Americans in Karina Fritz and Allison Yuan. Tonight's scrimmage against Buena Vista will provide a litmus test for Coach Barron to see where his team stands. Last year's scrimmage against Buena Vista ended in a 1-1 tie.
"I'm excited about the first game," said Coach Barron. "It's always good to see where you are at. It's nice to have an opponent to see how much we've learned. We're young, so it will be a good test. It will show a lot of our deficiencies, but some of our strengths as well."
Key returnees from last year's team that finished #3 in the nation include senior Captain Abigail Speichinger, junior Captain Kierstan Fritz, senior defender and midfielder Kristin Yuan, goalkeeper Alexa LaFleur, and a slew of sophomores, including Captain Evelyn Holbert, and forwards Brenna Penrod and Ali Lundberg. Penrod is the team's leading returning scorer, with four goals in 12 games a year ago.
The success of the 2022 season will be impacted by several newcomers. Three that should get significant playing time include forward/midfielder Kayla Stephens, forward/midfielder Demi DelPrior, and freshman defender Allison Fincham.
Faith begins its regular season on the road with a challenging trip to the Twin Cities where they will face Providence University and Crown College on back-to-back days September 1 and 2. The Eagles' first home match is Tuesday, September 6. Faith will need to hit on all cylinders by the latter part of the season. A Michigan road trip on September 30 and October 1 will be similar to a "mini national tournament," according to Coach Barron as the Eagles face defending national champion Great Lakes Christian and perennial power Grace Christian University on back-to-back days. The month of October stays challenging with a Homecoming match against Maranatha Baptist University on October 8 and a trip to Watertown, Wisconsin on Saturday, October 22 for a rematch with Maranatha.
The theme for this year's team is "A Passion for Faithfulness: Standing Firm in the Face of Opposition," from the book of Nehemiah. Coach Barron says his team will focus on themes of prayer, leadership, staying faithful, and repentance that leads to worship.
If you can't make it to Pyche Field tonight, you can view the Livestream at https://www.fbbceagles.com/multimedia/livebroadcast
