Twelve seniors, a head coach and a freshman phenom concluded their careers with the Monmouth College women’s soccer team last fall, leaving the window of opportunity wide open for individuals to step forward and lead the 2001 squad.

Answering the coaching call was Sarah Comeaux, an accomplished NAIA and NCAA Division I soccer player, who will make her head coaching debut Saturday at 3 p.m. as the Fighting Scots host Upper Iowa University at Peacock Memorial Athletic Park.

"I’ve got a bunch of hard-working girls," said Comeaux, who was hired over the summer after serving three years as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona University. "A bunch of them even handled the recruiting while the position was vacant. They did a good job. They have a desire to make the team become better."

And a good job was needed due to the loss of 74 of the 83 points (two for a goal, one for an assist) that the team scored last year en route to a 5-11 record. The main contributors to that total were Jessica Adams, who ended her career as the leading scorer in school history, and Kim Olson, who burst onto the scene with nine goals in her first three collegiate games. Olson, who has transferred, and Adams combined for 52 points during head coach Simon Cordery’s seventh and final season.

Before discussing the recruits that Monmouth’s returning players drew to campus, it’s important to meet those "core players," as Comeaux calls them. They include senior center midfielder Jen Northway, senior forward/midfielder Jen Roth (East Peoria, IL/HS), junior goalie Lauren Bentrup and sweeper Anna Koenig (Hinckley, IL/Hinckley-Big Rock).

"That group is why I can say that right down the middle, we’re very strong," said Comeaux. "Even though 12 players were lost last year, we still have the basic positions covered."

Although she’s the least experienced of the group, Koenig, a sophomore, could emerge as the top player. She made a strong run at earning All-Midwest Conference honors last year but fell short as did, surprisingly, Adams and Olson.

Northrup and Bentrup both played their high school ball in the soccer hotbed of St. Louis, and each figure to play huge roles for the Scots. Northway, who’s now two years removed from

a season-ending ACL injury, will quarterback the team from her center mid spot, while Bentrup, who has shared time between the posts in the past, is now the unquestioned No. 1 goalie.

Roth is the wild card of the group, and she has skills for both the forward and midfield slots. Her offensive talent could improve thanks to Comeaux, who knows a little about scoring. She led the nation in that department as an NAIA player at William Carey College and then topped the powerful SEC in scoring as an upperclassman at the University of Mississippi.

"I have a lot of forwards," she said. "Besides Roth, I’d say the other top one right now is Carrie Murphy (Oak Lawn, IL/Mother McAuley). I think they can have a lot of success once they start learning how to play together."

Freshman Caitlyn Fry (Bloomington, IL/Normal Community) and sophomore Shannon Fitzjarrald (Decatur, IL/Warrensburg-Latham) are also battling for playing time up front.

In the midfield, Comeaux looks for freshman Christine Del Re (Cary, IL/Cary Grove), "very fit" freshman transfer Elizabeth Berkes (Seymour, IL) and sophomores Rachel Giantomasso (Peotone, IL/HS) and Wendy Thomas (Mt. Pleasant, IA/HS) to battle for outside spots, and she’s counting on "versatile" freshman Melissa Hague (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) to pair up with Northway at center mid.

Comeaux has pencilled in freshman Elizabeth Gray (Princeton, IL/HS) as the team’s stopper and said that sophomore Kelly Schoen (Elgin, IL/Larkin) and freshmen Jessica Enck (Lindenhurst, IL/Antioch), Vickie Boyd (Bartlett, IL/HS) and Katherine Guinea (Frankfort, IL/Lincoln-Way) are in the mix at fullback.

Sophomore Vicky Hughes (Palatine, IL/Fremd) is another wild card. A year ago, she missed all but four games due to an injury, and she’s been slowed by having her tonsils removed in the preseason. When healthy, Hughes is a very solid midfielder, and she’s also been assigned the backup role to Bentrup.

Freshman Rachel Moore (St. Charles, IL/St. Francis) and sophomore Melissa Hemzacek (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) round out the 20-member squad.

"This is a bit of a rebuilding year because so many were lost," said Comeaux. "Really, we’re all new together. The team’s worked hard in the preseason, though, and I’m pleased with their work ethic and their desire."

Comeaux didn’t discuss team goals, but it’s no secret that every squad in the 10-team league seeks to reach the four-team MWC playoffs. The Scots have been picked eighth in the preseason poll, ahead of Illinois College and Knox, with St. Norbert, last year’s unbeaten regular season champ, viewed as the team to beat. Also favored to make the playoffs were Grinnell, Lake Forest and Lawrence, which pulled off back-to-back upsets in the playoffs to earn the MWC title and a berth in the national tournament.