DWU women's soccer in rebuilding stage

Talk about it

The Dakota Wesleyan University women’s head soccer coach Dale Roden said this year is about rebuilding.

“We’re not the same team and we’re approaching things differently on offense and defense,” Roden said.

The Tigers have three seniors in midfielder Abby Hubbard, second-year goalkeeper Kari Durham and midfielder Yutzil Rodriguez. Roden said Rodriguez suffered a preseason injury, but they are remaining hopeful that she will be able to play later in the season.

“We have a very small senior class, but they all have a pretty rich history of program,” Roden said. “I look to them to lead by example, and I feel like this year is an opportunity to reinvent ourselves as a team.”

In already suffering an injury to Rodriguez, Roden said being healthy will be the main factor in how the Tigers do this season.

“Once our 11 players are set, I would put them up against any team, but we are shallow on the bench,” Roden said. “Keeping everyone healthy will be a key factor in how our conference season plays out.”

Another key returning player for the Tigers is midfielder Lindsey Peterson.

DWU begins its season against Jamestown College at 4 p.m. Sunday in Jamestown, N.D.

The Tigers finished last season in fourth in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. This season, DWU was picked fourth in the GPAC preseason polls.

“We try not to think about the polls because we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Roden said. “This season we want to take it game by game.”

Roden said the team had a challenging preseason.

“We had a challenging preseason schedule, and we’re looking for that one pay day,” Roden said. “We’re looking for some confidence, and we’re capable of getting a win.”

The Tigers begin their season with three consecutive road games.

“If you can be successful on the road, it says a lot about a team’s character,” Roden said. “We want to remain focused and be as experienced as possible going into conference.”

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