The Western Mustangs women's soccer team knows patience will have to be a virtue for the team to be successful in 2010.
Despite a great off-season recruiting and training, the team was dealt with immediate adversity with six players and four probable starters out of the lineup with injury early in the year. However, head coach David Peak says he is optimistic about a turnaround this season.
"Our preseason went really well. And I think we brought in some good players who compliment those good players who are returning," Peak says. "We'll be a young team again, and we've had a disappointing start to the season with injuries and, well our first game we were a disaster. But our second game we turned things around and dominated, we just could not score goals."
"It's a frustrating start, we have played people who we had hoped to ease in who now have not seen an OUA game but are forced in, so it is a bit disappointing in that respect."
"But we'll come good. We just have to ride this downward blip right now."
Reason for optimism is between the pipes with Jodie Scoular of Oakville, Ont., leading a strong goalkeeping corps with depth provided by backup Melanie Oberholzer of Kitchener, Ont., Ashley Beggs of Whitby, Ont., Nicole Lee of Ailsa Craig, Ont., and Marissa Chinn of Toronto.
"Goalkeeping is our strength," Peak says. "Defensively and in the midfield we are strong as well."
"And we have some new players up front who will start scoring for us but we've got a far better strength now as far as depth goes."
Returning veterans in the midfield include Ginger Basnett of London, Ont., Chantal Blais of Toronto, Christina Fric of St. Thomas, Ont., Emily Maganja of Oakville, Ont., Jenn Spinozzi of Sarnia, Ont., and Jenna Schroeder of Sudbury, Ont. Rookie midfielders Evie Foster of Wallaceburg, Ont., Amanda Gaeta of Aurora, Ont., Christina Marchionda of Welland, Ont., Madison Seymour of St. Catharines, Ont., Greta Joy of Vancouver, and Victoria Di Loreto of Komoka, Ont.,
On defence, Kristyn Smith of Calgary. Sarah Ogle of Oshawa, Ont., and Julianne Macaulay of London, Ont., anchor a young group which includes rookies Hayley Slavin of Burlington, Ont., Andrea McElroy of London, Ont., Teagan Maier-Downing of Newmarket, Ont., and Ellen House of Sudbury, Ont.
Up front, rookies Emily Deckert of Kitchener, Ont. and Courtney Stocks of North York, Ont., provide youth, with returning forward/midfielder Erin Grand of Toronto
Peak had hoped to provide most minutes to top players to assist with building chemistry, but now a rotation is required due to the early injuries.
"You want to play your best players as often as possible to get the results you like and get the odd new person in," Peak says. "It's frustrating, it's disappointing, but we can only go up from here and we have reason to be optimistic."