Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Soccer Preseason Progress Report
8/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 22, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - With preseason camp a little more than a week old, Northwestern University women's soccer coach Jenny Haigh can barely contain her excitement when talking about her squad.
"It has been great so far," she gushed recently. "Our spirits are really up, we as a coaching staff are really excited by what we've seen so far. A lot of our returnees are doing a great job of setting the tone of what we're all about, and the freshmen are learning what it takes to play at this level and picking things up quickly."
On August 21 the Wildcats were able to give themselves a test of where they stand, as they played Iowa State in a scrimmage at Lakeside Field. Thanks to goals by sophomore Carolyn Hack and freshman Tabitha Lowey, NU emerged with a 2-1 victory.
"We played good soccer," said Haigh. "We kept possession and created a lot of quality chances. That's what was so great to see, us getting good opportunities to score -- I was really excited by that. We are going to have a lot of people up front who can contribute, and when we go to the bench this year we won't be just buying time to give our starters a rest -- we'll be bringing on players who can add something new and different.
"Hack's goal was a nice header off an Aileen Guiney corner kick, and Ashleigh Garmon did a nice job of screening the goalkeeper," she continued. "Tabitha did a great job on the second goal, beating a couple of defenders to get in on goal and then showing good composure to slot home the shot."
Haigh was excited by her incoming class prior to the preseason, and so far they have not disappointed. Three, in fact, were on the field when the scrimmage started.
"Each day our freshmen have shown a little more that they belong," said Haigh. "Nell Compernolle and Julie Lipinski, in particular, have really impressed us."
The Wildcats will open the 2002 season on Friday, August 30, when DePaul comes to Lakeside Field for a 4 p.m. match.
