Women's soccer will be 'much improved'

As proud as Shiloh Posey was of how hard his short-handed Wayland Baptist women's soccer team competed with just 10 players in uniform in their final match last season, he would rather not have to ask them to do that again.
 
Based on the number of bodies on the roster to start this season, that's not likely to happen.
 
Posey's roster shows a program-record 27 names, with even more on the way.
 
"We could pick up a few more before classes start, so there's a possibility we could wind up with 31 or 32 on the roster," said Posey, adding that the most any team carried in his previous 11 seasons as head coach was 24.
 
"This is by far our largest group."
 
What's even better, Posey believes the 2018 Pioneers – even though they'll be young with 15 freshmen among 20 brand new faces – have a chance to be one of the better squads he's fielded.
 
"I'm really pretty excited about what we've been seeing (in practice)," the coach said. "We have a good talent level at all ages, freshman through senior, and the team dynamic seems to be pretty solid at this point. Obviously we've only been together a few days, but it seems like everybody is clicking.
 
"I believe we'll be much-improved."
 
Posey gets his first look at the squad in action against an opponent when the Pioneers open their season at 6 p.m. Friday against Texas A&M-Texarkana. The game will take place in Mt. Pleasant, home of Northeast Texas Community College, a team Wayland will meet in a scrimmage at 3 p.m. Saturday.
 
Wayland's men's soccer team also is in Mt. Pleasant for a pair of contests. First, WBU's first-ever JV team will face Texas A&M-Texarkana at 6 p.m. today before the defending NAIA national champions take on Northeast Texas (coached by former WBU assistant Dean Johnson) in a scrimmage at 3 p.m. Friday.
 
With so many new and young players, Posey knows there will be growing pains.
 
"Mistakes will be made the first couple of games, but we'll try to correct them and keep going," he said.
 
The coach is confident his veterans will help ease the transition and help bring along their younger teammates.
 
"Our eight or nine returners are a solid core that we're going to count on to provide some instruction and leadership."
 
Those vets include the team's three seniors in goalkeeper Victoria Bonahoom of Westminster, Colo., and defenders Julianna Christensen and Audrey Sierra-Bogan, both of California. Bonahoom is currently out with injury, so goalkeeping duties will fall on junior transfer Kaitlyn Brantzeg of Maple Valley, Wash., and returner Iris Nevarez, a sophomore from Dumas who also plays midfielder.
 
Last year's leading scorer with four goals, Chelsea Beaubouef, graduated, so the Pioneers will have to find some firepower to replace her. Likely candidates include lettermen Megan Attenborough, a junior from England, and Stone Graham, a junior from Amarillo. They put in two goals apiece last season.
 
Another scoring threat will be Taylor Moore, a junior from San Angelo who sat out last season due to accreditation issues.
 
"Taylor will be good on the offensive side of ball. We're looking for some production from her right now," Posey said.

Wayland's roster will have a little different feel in 2018. While 16 players are from Texas, the Pioneers also sport more international flavor, including freshmen Jennika Appelberg, a midfielder from Finland, and Madison McComasky of Australia, whom Posey said "will be a big deal for us as a defender.

"We were able to draw in some international players we've never had before," he said.

While the Pioneers likely will experience a few growing pains early in the season, Posey doesn't think those will linger.

"Even our new players are picking up really fast what we're asking them to do," he said. "They're coachable and have positive attitudes, and when you have those two things the rest of it can come pretty quickly."

Plus he added, "Some of these girls have been at larger schools, so they're used to the faster-paced, little more physical game. I don't think the jump (to college soccer) will be as big for some of them as it has been in the past with girls from smaller schools."

Wayland is picked to finish seventh in the Sooner Athletic Conference, mirroring the Pioneers' showing from last season which ended in the first round of the conference tournament and with a 4-13 record. It was WBU's second straight four-win season.

"That's probably fair based on the last couple of seasons and the struggles we've had," Posey said of the preseason ranking. "We've had five years of really good finishing, but they don't really respect us right now. So we have something to prove.

"Our goal is to finish in at least the top four. We're going to surprise some people, I think. We'll come with some players they've never seen. We have some talent and capability we haven't had the last season or two.

"I feel we're going to rebound rather quickly."

The Pioneers open the season with seven straight road contests prior to their home-opener Sept. 8 against Friends (Kan.). That begins a run of five consecutive home matches, including the conference opener against Bacone on Sept. 22.