This is the third 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.
Through two exhibitions, Bruce Erickson has called on juniors Andrea Zuniga and Rachelle Holt and sophomore Laura Nasseri to control the midfield.
Those three started against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Kansas, with Zuniga looking right at home in her new position. The transfer from Nebraska scored 3 goals in 20 matches as a redshirt sophomore in 2009, and moves to an attacking midfield position this season. Through the two exhibitions the move looks to be paying off, as Zuniga recorded 5 shots (2 on goal) and 1 goal in the two friendly matches.
“Andrea playing the midfield will turn some heads,” Erickson told WBR. “She is very dynamic and will be a playmaker for us. She is very effective running at the opposing defense. She can slot passes to our talented forwards but also be a scorer in that attacking midfield position. She has made the adjustment to that position very well, and I believe she is the most fit she has been.”
Holt, also a junior, has yet to record a point in two years as a Bluejay. Nasseri, on the other hand, shot 19 times and put 6 shots on goal. She scored twice, including the game-winning goal against Missouri State that put the Bluejays into the Valley Tournament championship game. She had a solid performance in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Omaha, earning all-MVC Tournament team honors. Combined, these two returners will look to play off each other’s strengths and lock down the midfield for Bruce Erickson’s club.
Somewhere in this pile, Laura Nasseri celebrates her golden goal against MSU in 2009
The three Bluejays starters in the midfield will receive competition from three other returners. Sophomore Gabriela Guillen spent the summer playing for Costa Rica’s U-20 national team in the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. She looks to bring experience from that event to Omaha as she begins her second season in the program.
Junior Carey Dahlquist scored a goal in a 2009 exhibition against Minnesota State, but couldn’t notch a point during her sophomore season. She returns for her third season as a Bluejay.
Grace Kwon is one of four seniors on Erickson’s squad. She brings another level of experience to the midfield, having started 3 matches during her career at Creighton.