Air Force Academy

Aug. 15, 2011

Expectations are higher than ever for Air Force women's soccer as it enters the 2011 season. With 10 starters returning off the 2010 team that posted an 8-9-2 record, the program's winningest team since 2001, Falcon women's soccer is looking to continue its rise under third-year head coach Larry Friend.

After taking their lumps as freshmen and sophomores, where they saw just five wins combined during those two seasons, the senior class helped lead the Falcons to the second-most wins in the Div. I and Mountain West era last year. The senior class of defenders Meagan Eissele and Cassie Wilson, midfielder Krystin Shanklin and forward Bridgett Murphy, feature three four-year starters and have combined for 173 starts, making it one of the most experienced seniors classes in school history.

Backing the senior class is a talented junior class, led by forward Stephanie Patterson, Air Force's leading point-scorer each of the last two seasons.

Air Force's sophomore class is anchored by goalkeeper Kelly Stambaugh, who's 0.98 goals-against-average was the second-lowest in school history. The Falcons add 13 newcomers, including 11 freshmen, to complement the 12 returners.

With the strong leadership and experience of the senior class, an up-and-coming junior and sophomore group and the addition of another talented freshman crop, Air Force looks for this blend of classes to combine towards another successful season.

Friend took some time from his busy preseason schedule to talk a little about his team as it enters the 2011 season.

How has the success of 2010 helped as you get ready for the 2011 season?
I'm excited about the Falcons because of the quality people who are involved in the program. We want to continue building on last year's turn around.

We won more games last fall than the three previous fall seasons combined. We had the lowest goals against average and the most shutouts in the history of our program at the Division I level. That is a testament to the hard work and dedication our players and staff have put into making AFA soccer successful.

Our future looks promising. We have been working on changing the culture of this program and feel we are on the right track. Our team chose three words to describe our new culture in the fall of 2010. We will carry our motto of "COMMITTED, RELENTLESS, UNITED" into 2011. We don't accept anything below our best effort. The entire team has been working hard in the preseason and look forward to our strong effort carrying over into the season.

Tell us about the new coaching staff?
We have some new coaches, staff members, and support people that are bringing positive energy each day. Our new assistant coaches Kiha Sutta, Robin Grossman and Brian Lux are all working hard and pushing the players to a higher standard. They bring a lot of experience to our coaching staff and it is a pleasure to work with them.

Tell us about your seniors?
We have four great seniors who lead this team on and off the field. I expect the group of Krystin Shanklin, Bridgett Murphy, Meagan Eissele and Cassie Wilson to have a great season. Cassie and Meagan will anchor our defense. Krystin will hold the midfield and Bridgett is always a threat up top. We will miss fellow senior Kelly Bieber this season. She chose to go onto an exchange semester in Spain and we wish her the best.

How is your junior class?
Our returning juniors, Stephanie Patterson, Eryn Avjian and Sophia Lockerby have taken ownership in our vision and goals. Sophia, and Eryn will be helping our midfield and Stephanie, who has led our team in scoring her first two years here, is looking to have a breakout year up top. Fellow junior Kim Koeppen has one year of eligibility left and has chosen to sit this year out. She will play her senior year and finish with her classmates. She has elected to go on an exchange at West Point and we wish her the best.

How about the sophomores?
Our sophomores finished a demanding freshman year and are ready for their second season. We look for Kelly Stambaugh to continue and build upon her dominant 2010 as our goalkeeper. Leah Bratt will add to our midfield. Loren Catchpole and Megan Dozier are both coming back from ACL injuries. We hope to see them soon. Loren adds a defensive presence for us and Megan is always dangerous around the net. Kaleigh Moses will see time in the defense and midfield. Ariel Saltin and Abigail Buns joined our team in the spring and provide added depth. Abby is a defender and Ariel is a composed player up top.

And how are the freshmen looking?
We have a solid new class of freshmen. We expect some to start right away and others will definitely see time on the field. Our freshmen include Hallie Koeppen (GK), Hannah Schwartz (GK), Kelsey Orvin (D), Rahni Giardina (D), Kylie Williamson (D), McKenna Fox (M), McKenna Kimball (M), Tori Gullo (M) and Felicia Sturgeon (M). In addition, we are excited to see Casey Philbin (D) and Paige Saxton-Getty (D) return from injury as we approach conference play.