ALLIANCE, Ohio -- After doubling its win total from 2010 last season, second-year head coach Kelley Clark and the Mount Union women's soccer team look to build on its 2011 success in 2012.  Sixteen players that saw action on last year's eight-win squad return this year.  Joining them in 2012 is a talented group of first-year players.

"I really like our group this year," Clark said.  "We have plenty of veterans to lead our younger players, who at the same time are pushing our veterans."

On the offensive end, 2011 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Honorable Mention selection Kylee Kolesar (Mentor/Mentor) returns for her senior season.  A 2010 second team All-OAC selection, Kolesar finished second in goals (seven) and led the team in assists (six) for the Purple Raiders last season.  

Fellow seniors Jackie Lowdermilk (Wadsworth/Wadsworth) and Aly Rice(Lodi/Cloverleaf) are also back for their final season at Mount Union.  Lowdermilk started all 19 games for the Purple Raiders last season and scored two goals, while fellow midfielder Rice played in 14 games a year ago.

"We took a big step forward last year, going from four wins to eight wins," Clark said.  "It is very important for us to continue to move in the right direction.  I am really looking forward to building on the success that we had last year."

Also returning to help the Mount Union offense are sophomores Gina Wall (Warren/Howland), Allison Fouss (Lowell/Marietta), Ashley Sams (Alliance/St. Thomas Aquinas) and Nicole Moldovan (Cortland/Lakeview).  Forward Wall and midfielder Fouss finished the 2011 season in a tie for third on the team in points (nine) while Sams and Moldovan posted eight and seven points, respectively.  Wall tallied four goals while Fouss, Sams and Moldovan combined for eight goals a season ago.  Additionally, Fouss and Moldovan finished in a tie for second in assists (three) behind only Kolesar.

Sophomores Erika Druzina (Kirtland/Lake Catholic), who started all 19 games as a freshman, and Jessica Finkler (Brunswick/Holy Name), who posted a goal in 18 starts in 2011, are back to anchor the Mount Union defense with second-year goalkeeper Maria Favorite (Chesterland/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin).  Favorite posted 33 saves in seven games last season.

"As proud as I was of the last year's improvement, I still know we are capable of a lot more," Clark said.  "Our goal this year is to not only make the OAC Tournament but make a significant postseason run."

Joining Clark on the 2012 coaching staff is assistant coach and 2012 Capital graduate Tara Zimmer, who was named the 2011 OAC Midfielder of the Year.

The Purple Raiders open its 2012 campaign at Denison on Sept. 1 and follow with a Sunday matinée in Gambier, Ohio, against Kenyon.  After a four-game road trip to open the year, Mount Union plays Penn State-Behrend under the lights at Mount Union Stadium (6 p.m.) for the 2012 home opener.  The Purple Raiders travel to Ohio Northern on Sept. 29 to open OAC play.

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