For everything the Pitt-Bradford women’s soccer team accomplished in 2011, there was sense the Panthers were capable of something greater.

Behind one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, the Blue and Gold posted 13 wins, the most in program history, and finished second in the AMCC, also a new high mark for the Panthers. Yet Pitt-Bradford saw its season come to an abrupt ending in the conference tournament semifinals for the third straight season, this one in overtime nonetheless.

Entering the 2012 season, Pitt-Bradford again takes aim at the program’s first ever AMCC championship with six starters returning from last year’s squad, including three first-team all-conference performers.

The strength once again will be the team’s defense and play in the midfield. The attack will be a work in progress to start as fifth-year head coach Mike Idland incorporates several new faces. Despite the addition of new personnel in key spots, the expectations are elevated after last year’s deflating defeat.

“The only measuring stick can be advancing to the final and winning it,” said Idland. “If we do that, then we have been successful. If we don’t, then we haven’t.”

A sense of urgency is present throughout the upperclassmen, but an adjustment period is to be expected; Idland is adding 15 new players to the mix.

“They all have to adjust to the college game and to our ways of going about business here,” said Idland. “Our returning players all have to adjust to their new teammates and embrace both their personalities and their skill sets.

“Ultimately I feel we will adjust successfully and reinvent ourselves as a better team.”

Even if the team is to reinvent itself, the strength of this unit will lie in its defensive prowess. Pitt-Bradford will be led defensively by senior captains Alisa Cornell and Linsey Stack.

Cornell, a first-team all-conference and ECAC South Region All-Star selection at goalkeeper last year, put together one of the top seasons in AMCC history, establishing a new conference record for save percentage. Her ten shutouts on the season were second most all-time in league play, and she ranked among the nation’s best in save percentage and goals against average.

Stack anchored the back line on a defense that allowed just eight goals all season, including only two markers against conference opponents. A first-team all-AMCC pick, Stack was also one of the team’s top goal producers, tallying three scores.

Senior Alex Snellbaker returns to bolster the back line. A second-team all-conference selection, Snellbaker will primarily play outside and give the Panthers another strong presence defensively. Sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Bott will see increased playing time in anticipation of taking over the full-time job in 2013.

Freshmen Molly Carson, Sarah Turner, Amber Abers, Jamie Christensen, Emily Hendricks and Gabrielle Neuhof will all be given a chance to see playing time on the back line as the Panthers prepare for the departure of Stack and Snellbaker after this season. Allison Nolan, a freshman, will serve as the team’s third netminder.

Juniors Andrea Gundlach and Vicky DeLong are back to solidify the midfield. Gundlach, also a team captain, is creative in the open field and will be expected to play a bigger role as a leader this season. DeLong scored a pair of goals last year and paired with Gundlach gives the Blue and Gold a tough-minded midfield.

Sophomore Ursula Maillet, primarily a defender in 2011, should see more time higher up in the field and figures to have an impact in goal production. Newcomers Taylor Perkins, Victoria Pearson, Paige Wallace, Kaitlyn Riethmiller and Casey Schrimpf will add depth to the midfield.

Offensively, Pitt-Bradford will be led by the return of senior captain Dani Zeamer. A first-team all-conference selection last year, she has led the team in goals scored the last two seasons. Senior Emily Mitchell, who netted three tallies last year, also returns to give the Panthers experience up front.

Nevertheless, the Panthers will look to obtain the balanced production they had last year. A total of 12 different players found the back of the net and nine scored more than once. In 2012, Idland hopes the offense makes the same jump the defense did last year.

“Last year we established ourselves as the best team defensively in the AMCC,” said Idland. “At times we were just as good on attack.  This year we would like to bring the same consistency to our attack that we have brought to our defense. “

Freshmen Kelsea Robbins and Maggie Boehler, coincidently the first two recruits to commit last year, will play important roles in the team’s attack, and freshmen Tess Follman also figures to be in the mix for playing time.

The non-conference schedule figures to challenge the Panthers, with marquee games against Juniata and Waynesburg. Susquehanna and Buffalo State were also added to the schedule in efforts to further test the women before conference play.

Once league play begins, the perennial strengths, Penn State Altoona and Penn State Behrend, will figure into the equation. Unlike last year when the schedule broke the Panthers’ way, the women must hit the road this year for their matches against the two Penn State schools. Many of the returners will look to the Penn State Behrend matchup as a chance for redemption. The Nittany Lions were the ones to hand the Panthers that overtime defeat last fall.

Ultimately though, this year’s squad will be measured by how far they play into the postseason. The program has been building up to something greater ever since Idland stepped foot on campus, but the last three seasons have all ended in heartbreak.

Last year the Blue and Gold hosted its first home playoff match. This year, every intention is to hoist the school’s first ever AMCC championship.