EVANSVILLE – After opening up practice just last week, the University of Evansville women's soccer team will face its first test of the preseason on Wednesday as the Aces are set to host Murray State at Arad McCutchan Stadium at 7 p.m.
The Aces, who are coming off a Missouri Valley tournament championship a year ago, finished the 2015 campaign with a 6-11-3 overall record. After a slow start to the year, UE bounced back to close out the regular season with three wins in the last four matches before punching their ticket to the national tournament with a penalty shootout victory over Loyola in the conference title match.
"It's definitely going to be a good test for us," UE head coach Krista McKendree said. "They had a great season last year, and it's going to be a great opportunity for us to see where we are and what we need to do going forward."
The Aces return a solid core from last season, including goalkeeper Whitney Biggs, who was named the MVP of the conference tournament after putting together 200 scoreless minutes in net in the event. Bronwyn Boswell and Emily Richardson also return after earning all-conference first team honors.
"I think the girls are fitting in nicely in terms of speed of play and being able to do what we've hoped that they would be able to do," McKendree explained. "It's still early and we're still trying to figure out who fits where in the puzzle, but overall, I've been impressed with the work ethic and the intensity of the girls. They've definitely come ready to work this preseason."
Meanwhile, Murray State will be looking to live up to its preseason plaudits. The Racers, who are coming off a postseason appearance last year as well, were tabbed as the favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference earlier this week.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday, and admission will be free.
MINOR'S INTERNSHIP FULL OF MAJOR EXPERIENCES
Aces returner Laura Minor enjoyed a fantastic hands-on learning experience over the summer as the senior forward took part in an internship that took her down to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and to Havana, Cuba.
"It was a chance to study abroad as well as an internship," Minor said. "On Tuesdays and Fridays we would work with people in the medical field, and then the rest of the week, we took classes and lived with the locals. I had a host family that spoke Spanish, so I was able to do that 24/7, and it helped me complete my minor."
The program, which counted as credit for Minor's public health major and Spanish minor, allowed her to work within both the public and private health care systems in Mexico. In addition to experiencing the day-to-day life in the field, she also dealt with some of the herbal treatments that are practiced in the more rural parts of the Yucatan peninsula.
"There was an emphasis on learning for most of the internship, but we were still given the opportunity to apply it," Minor said. "We still worked with the doctors, and we were actually able to make some of the herbal medicines as well. It was very much a hands-on environment."
Over the course of a five-day trip to Havana, Minor was exposed to how their medical schools operate compared to other places. She also learned the differences of their public health system in comparison to Mexico.
FALL PHOTO DAY
With both men's and women's soccer as well as volleyball all on campus now, UE held a photo day on Monday with all three squads. The event included both the annual headshots as well as posed pictures for publication, but there was a new wrinkle as well as several student athletes experienced recording in front of a green screen for the first time.
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