ST. PAUL, Minn. -  The Concordia University women’s soccer team finished the 2009 season with an overall record of 8-10-3, 5-6-2 NSIC. It was a season spotted with new marks in the CU record book and periods of great perseverence despite challeges that came up due to injury. VIEW COMPLETE RELEASE

Concordia’s eight victories was the most wins in a season since 2006. They came up one point shyof the CU record for team points in a season. They scored 37 goals and had a 1.41 goals against average.

The Golden Bears got off to one of the best starts in program history going 4-0-1 in the first five games of the year.  They won their season opener against St. Francis 1-0 with senior Katie Johnson providing the team’s first goal of the season.  

One of Concordia’s best games of the season came in just the second game of the year when matched up with then #5 ranked UW-Parkside.  A defensive standhold from both teams limited the total shots on goal to just 10, with both teams notching a single goal.  The Golden Bears went up early in the game as Katie Johnson delivered, scoring at the 5 minute mark.  UWP put a score across midway through the first half but CU goal keeper Kaitlin Budd preserved the game by making six total saves.  The game went down as a 1-1 tie and proved that the team could rely on their solid defense to stick with any opponent.

A big moral win came with an 11-0 shutout of Robert Morris, featuring goals from nine different CU athletes.  The team then beat Northwestern 3-2 to get off to the second best start in program history.

A huge day arrived for the CU soccer program on September 5 as the Golden Bears christened a new home field, SeaFoam Stadium.  A crowd of 317 showed up to usher in a new age of Golden Bear soccer in a contest against Northern Michigan, but they would have to wait for the second home game to see the first CU goal scored.

A hiccup in the Concordia season was righted with the start of NSIC play.  CU improved to 7-3-2 on the year and was one of few NSIC teams without a loss five games into the league schedule, putting up a 4-0-1 NSIC record.  It was at this point in the year that freshman forward Arielle Stimson began to emerge as a huge scoring threat.  Johnson worked her magic with goals in the first two NSIC wins and Stimson then stepped in with two-goal performances in the following two games.  Both players put up two goals in a 5-1 win over Southwest Minnesota State that gave CU a 4-0-1 start in the league.

From there, the Golden Bears looked ahead to a difficult stretch of scheduling, hoping their success would carry them to big wins.  They nearly upset #7 Minnesota State at SeaFoam Stadium on Sept. 26, Kari Janes striking the first blow of the game and CU holding onto a 1-1 tie throughout much of regulation.  The Mavericks found luck and a win in a penalty kick in the 75th minute for the 2-1 decision.

The Golden Bears went 1-7-1 in the final nine games of the year, but were always in the thick of things in every game played.  Six of the nine games were decided by one goal.  CU’s hearty defense always pulled through, limiting six of these nine opponents to just a single goal.  It was a run that, although often frustrating, also treated fans to some incredible soccer.

Concordia made an appearance in the NSIC Tournament for the eighth time in nine seasons.  They drew a game against top-seeded Winona State on the road.  The Golden Bears continued their tradition of playing the talented Warriors tough on the pitch, allowing only one goal but ending their season as the offense failed to cross a goal into the net.  This was the 7th time in the last eight meetings that CU held WSU to a goal or less.

CU was led on the field by senior Katie Johnson, who was having a record-breaking season until an injury sidelined her half way through the year. Johnson finished as the second leading goal scorer for the Golden Bears, showing determination and grit in returning for the final two games of the year after sitting out for a month. The senior tallied seven goals and five assists for 19 points this season. That was good enough to move Johnson into ninth in the CU single season scoring record with and into seventh in the CU single season record for goals with seven. The four-year student-athlete had two game-winning goals this season while recording 30 shots, 16 of which landed on goal.

Johnson finished the season by being named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Team, to the All-NSIC Third Team and to the All-Central Region Second Team.

Freshman Arielle Stimson had a breakout season, taking charge from her first game, where she contributed an assist. The 5-3 rookie from Lakeville, Minn. led the team with 10 goals off of 49 shots with 30 on goal, four assists and 24 points for the season. Her 10 goals ties the CU single season goals record.  She had two-goal games against Robert Morris, Southwest Minnesota State, Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead. She scored game-winning goals against Minnesota, Crookston and Upper Iowa.

Kaitlin Budd, freshman goalkeeper from Antioch, Ill., also made a huge contribution in the success of the season. Stepping into a starting role after her upperclassman cohort suffered a summer knee injury that kept her out of competition, Budd’s improvement throughout the season was apparent in her end-of-season stats. Budd tallied eight victories, tying her for first in the single season record for wins.  Budd also moved into fourth for the best goals against average for a season with 1.41. Her three shutouts put her in fifth for the single season record. Finally, Budd’s 92 saves put her in seventh for the most saves in a season.

Finally, senior forward/midfielder from Overland Park, Kan., Kate Campione finished the season with six assists, enough to move her int a tie for sixth in the single season records. Campione also contributed one goal from 17 shots.

Several other players made significant contributions to the success of the season.

Junior Kari Janes, midfielder/forward, from Indianiola, Iowa booted in four goals and contributed two assists. Emily Weimelt, forward, sophomore from Lakeville, Minn. scored three goals including the game winner against Southwest Minnesota State University. Weimelt also had three assists during the season.

Nacole Kiss, midfield/forward, junior from Sammamish, Wash.scored two goals for the season off of five shots. Her shot percentage was .400, the highest on the team for the year. Kiss also had one assist.

Without the tireless work of all of the CU defensive players, the young CU squad would not have seen the tremendous amount of success this year and given themselves a high standard to strive for next season.

Senior Roxy Kashani and freshmen Kristi Loobeek and Kim Sauberlich had the most impact for the defensive line.  Sauberlich also scored two goals for the season, coming in back to back games against Upper Iowa and Winona State.

Goals were also scored by Sara Sather, Savannah Nolen, Lauren Hoof, Brittany Brandt, Samantha Genung, Lauren Nelson and Roxy Kashani.

Coach Joe Alianiello ended the season one game shy of tying for the all time winningest coach in CU soccer history. He will have that to shoot for next fall. With the return of Stimson and Budd plus several other starters, the Golden Bears have solid prospects for next fall.