Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raider Soccer Reports for Training Camp
August 03, 2010 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 3, 2010
Senior Goalkeeper Colleen Pitts
LUBBOCK, Texas - The 2010 Texas Tech soccer season is underway as 26 student-athletes reported for training camp on Tuesday afternoon at the John Walker Soccer Complex.
Red Raider head coach Tom Stone returns 15 letterwinners, including seven starters, from a team that went 8-8-4 and returned to the Big 12 Championship for the third-consecutive year in 2009. Of those 15 returnees, seven of them are sophomores. Of those seven sophomores, six of them were in the starting lineup last year as freshmen. One player, not among the 15 returners, is sophomore Conner Williams, who will miss the entire 2010 season after sustaining a knee injury during summer club play. Williams started all 20 matches in midfield last year and was third on the team in goals, shots and shots-on-goal a year ago.
"It is always exciting to begin the process of building a team for the upcoming season," said Stone. "The foundation was built in the spring and by all the work these girls have put in over the summer. Now we have two weeks to get the pieces to fit together. I am always specifically interested to see how the freshmen face up to the challenge of college soccer - we have some good young leaders to show them the way and a sophomore class who logged some crucial minutes for us in 2009. The energy is high around here right now and the team seems ready to get going."
This year's roster consists of just two seniors in Colleen Pitts and Leanne Mihelich, and six juniors, led by Taylor Lytle and Casey McCall. Among those juniors is transfer Whitney Sharpe, who comes to Tech via UCLA. Leading the way for the sophomores are Dawn Ward, Tiffini Smith and Morgan Johnson.
Four of Tech's returnees, Williams, Johnson, Haley Fowler and Erin Wikelius, and one freshman, Jessica Fuston, had a very successful summer as they were all members of the Lonestar '91 soccer club that won the US Youth Soccer U19 National Championship.
The Red Raiders also welcome nine new freshmen, while redshirt freshman Leah Christensen will suit up this year as she sat out last season after suffering a knee injury during her senior year in high school. Among the freshmen are two players, Hayley Haagsma and Gabby Kaufman, who were part of the US Youth Soccer U18 National Championship team, Laguna Hills Eclipse. Haagsma was also named the MVP of the tournament.
Tech will play its lone exhibition match on Sat., Aug. 14, at New Mexico and will open the 2010 season on Fri., Aug. 20 as it hosts in-state rival TCU at 7 p.m. at the John Walker Soccer Complex. The Red Raiders also host Texas State on Sun., Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. That weekend will be the first athletic event of the year at Texas Tech and freshmen students will eat free with a Tech I.D. Additionally, each student in attendance will be eligible for a halftime giveaway of two flat-screen televisions. Head football coach Tommy Tuberville will give a Red Raider freshmen welcome and kick out the first ball.
