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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE August 2010 D5 SOCCER New MUSS, returning players create hopeful, positive energy Kelsey Price STAFF WRITER A split overall record of 10-10-2 last season left Utah women's soccer in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference and the Utes and their fans disappointed that once again the team had failed to return to the NCAA National Tournament. But with promising talent and eight returning starters, Utah will be a serious contender in the MWC this fall, putting the team in a prime position to make its first NCAA appearance since 2006. "We're really excited about the season and think we really have it in us to win and be the best we can," said head coach Rich Manning. "We have a lot of commitment to teamwork this season and I think it will pay off. Last year, we had some losses that taught us some hard lessons, but that knowledge will help us this year." The combination of returning starters, and new talent such as Utah native Lexi Krantz, is expected to give the team a good footing in the MWC. "The combination of new and old is giving the team a lot of positive en- TYLER COBB/The Daily Utah Chronicle ergy," said goalkeeper Hannah Turpen. "The returning players have gained a lot of experience, which is going to be valuable for us. We're really ready to go and prove what we can do as a team." Utah returns eight starters to Ute Field this August, including key players such as Turpen and forward Erin Dalley. In 2009, Turpen had 79 saves for the Utes, and Dailey led the team with nine goals. "Having significantly more seniors and juniors is going to make a huge impact for us," Manning said. "They're going to really be able to lead the team well and through tough times." Alongside Turpen, starters Morgan Skeen, Lauren Porter, Nicole Cardon and Lauren Dudley will return, marking the first time in several years the entire defense has returned to the team. "Our defense is very tight knit and close," Turpen said. "It's going to make us pretty formidable on the back row." Although the Utes finished their exhibition season this spring 3-3-1, including losses to both BYU and Utah State, the games gave the team valuable insight that prepared them for the fall season. "We've struggled in the past with unity, which makes it hard come losses," Turpen said. "But I think our team is very united with the girls coming in, and that unity is going to be what helps make us successful this year. The girls all want to be the best they can be and we're all doing our part to help the team as a whole." As part of an effort to excite not only the team, but also its fans for the upcoming season, soccer recently announced a new ticket campaign, which makes season tickets just $20 and includes a team scarf. Additionally, the team, along with the Alumni Association, announced the addition of the soccer MUSS for U students. Joining the MUSS is $io and also includes the team scarf. "We're really excited the alumni and student government were with us on this idea," Manning said. "It's great to have the support of the community." Utah kicks off its season at the Cougar Classic on Aug. 20 in Washington. The first home game will be Sept. 3 at 7:3o p.m. against Loyola Marymount University. k.price@chronicle.utah.edu All the sports news that's fit to Tweet. Follow @Chrony sports for sports news, events and updates. Senior forward Lauren Hair prepares to kick the ball during a game against Pepperdine. PAC-10 continued from Page D2 Even Sen. Orrin Hatch went to bat for the conference when he spoke before Congress against the BCS. If you can't beat 'em, I suppose you join 'em. What people often forget is that this is about a lot more than football...and money. Utah has 15 other sports programs that will be affected by this move as well. What does this move mean for everybody else? Men's basketball will be only two years removed from winning the MWC Championship and will be making a jump into the Pac-io, which was one of the most mediocre basketball conferences in the United States last season. In the 2010 NCAA Tournament, four MWC teams made the field compared with the Pac-io's two. With traditional powers such as Arizona and UCLA having down years, only time will tell where the Utes will rank among their new conferences foes. As for the women's team, what will this mean for head coach Elaine Elliott? Elliott is currently on a yearlong hiatus from coaching and with her future in doubt, will this encourage the Utah coaching great to head back to the sideline? One program that will be affected differently than almost any other at Utah will be the Red Rocks. Currently, Utah is independent from a conference in gymnastics and already faces the majority of the Pac-io annually anyway, including yearly season openers against defending National Champions UCLA. No matter what the future holds for Utah's top programs, the Utes are about to become part of a conference that has a total of 391 NCAA National Championships. Although Utah will add to that total already with NCAA National Championships in men's basketball, skiing and gymnastics, only time will tell how many more the Utes can bring back to Salt Lake City as the newest member of the Pac-io. b.chouinard@ chronicle.utah.edu Register on hronicle's website: allyutahchronicle.comf register contact k.pratt@chronicle.utah.edu for information about being a news writer for The Daily Utah Chronicle. |