This is the second installment of White & Blue Review’s preview of the 2010 Creighton women’s soccer team. Join us every day this week as we take a look at a different part of Bruce Erickson’s club, leading up to his team’s regular season opener Friday, August 20, against South Dakota State.
In 2009, the Creighton Bluejays scored 45 goals (while allowing just 13), tops among Missouri Valley Conference teams. Last season’s goal total was good for the fourth-best single season output in CU women’s soccer history. Creighton returns its top three scorers from the 2009 team, and all three will bring their All-MVC credentials to the front of the attack.
Emily Orbell is one of Bruce Erickson’s four seniors on the 2010 squad, and she enters this season as CU’s active leader in goals, assists, and total points. Since starting her Creighton career as the MVC Freshman of the Year in 2007, Orbell has earned All-MVC second-team honors (2008) and last year gained a spot on the All-MVC first team.
Joining Orbell at the front is junior Beth Fyles, who as a sophomore in 2009 earned honorable mention All-MVC recognition. Fyles scored 5 goals and collected 13 points for last year’s squad, both of which were the third highest totals in those categories. She came on strong down the stretch, too, translating those honorable mention credentials into a spot on the 2009 MVC All-Tournament Team.
Sophomore Brittany Neumann rounds out the starters on the attack in 2010. She is coming off one of the most impressive debut seasons for a freshman in the program’s history. Neumann earned a spot on the All-MVC first team and became the third Bluejay to win the MVC Freshman of the Year award. She led the Bluejays in goals, assists, points, shots, and shots on goal, and she finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference in points. She also tied for the lead conference-wide in assists. Her 8-point effort last August against South Dakota stands as the third-best individual match total in Creighton women’s soccer history.
2009 MVC Freshman of the Year Brittney Neumann
When asked about the capabilities Orbell, Fyles, and Neumann bring to the pitch as starters, Erickson was blunt with his assessment:
“This is the best forward ‘line,’ if you will, that we have had in my 12 seasons at Creighton. All three players are capable of scoring every game and they are really starting to gel.”
Creighton’s deepest position heading into the season looks to be forward, thanks in large part to the abilities of Erin Gunther and the other experienced players who will likely come off the bench following Orbell, Fyles, and Neumann. Gunther earned MVC All-Freshman team honors in 2008, and has played in the midfield and backfield most of her first two seasons at CU. Gunther improved her point total from 2 in 2008 to 9 last season, including 5 assists.
“Erin is the most versatile player on our team. She was awesome in midfield in the exhibition against Kansas, and played the last 20 minutes as a left back. I believe her best position may be as a forward.”
Joining those four in the attack are returners Annemarie Hengel, Tessa McKeone, and Sarah Kendall. Hengel, a junior, tallied 5 points as a freshman and 7 as a sophomore. McKeone, also a junior, played in 2 matches last season. Kendall played in 9 matches as a freshman in 2009, scoring the game-winner against South Dakota State for her only tally of the season.
Two freshmen from the state of Colorado join the Bluejays on the attack. Lauren Cingoranelli scored a goal in Creighton’s 3-0 exhibition win against Kansas last weekend, flashing the talent that earned here all-conference and all-state honors in high school. Emma Auld will push for playing time, too, and comes from Rocky Mountain High School a three-time letterwinner.