Fifth-year head coach Sheena Van Roekel has a more balanced roster mixed with a great deal of veteran and experienced leadership to go along with a talented group of newcomers, and she and the team is hoping that will help lead to more wins going forward starting here in 2018.

"We are blessed to have a strong group of upperclassmen to lead the team; seven seniors and seven juniors," says Van Roekel. "Each class of ladies brings strengths in play and in character, both on and off the pitch. Honestly, we have a wide variety of leaders, and I'm not certain the ladies look to and (or) follow anyone in particular. They have each shown their leadership rolls and have carried that responsibility together."

One leader that will play a vital role this season is junior goalkeeper Katie Voortmann.  She takes over the role following the graduation of two-year starter Rachel Novotny following last season.  Voortmann played in over 250 minutes in 2017, allowed six goals and posted 16 saves.  The Beavers are looking to trim down on the 58 goals allowed overall.

"Everyone on the team has shown improvements, but should one have to choose, I'd have to tip my hat to Katie Voortmann," Van Roekel adds. "This past spring, she put in a lot of hours in her personal fitness, time between the posts and being a voice of confidence for the ladies. The past two years, she has grown and gained a lot of ground!"

Voortmann will be leading a trio of keepers for BVU this season with freshmen Samantha Hawkins and McKeely Tjaden adding depth and competition to the position.

"They will increase the level of competition for the starting spot by pushing and learning from the each other," says Van Roekel.  "They each have their own strengths that will allow for growth from practicing with one another.

The Beavers have just three goal scorers back this season as Dana Mefferd, Brittany Tillman and McKinzie Tjaden each posted one goal with Tillman also chipping in with one assist.  It will look to fill the void left behind by Caroline Maher, who registered eight of the team's 15 goals in 2017.  The team also returns nine players that started at least five matches last season, including three of those with double-digit starts.

Junior Ella Wiebusch will also help lead on the defensive end after earning Honorable Mention All-Conference accolades as a sophomore.

Van Roekel has added some new faces as well and says each one brings her own individual strength to the program and she's excited about what they'll produce over the next four years.

BVU was held winless in what is a tough and balanced American Rivers Conference.  Van Roekel says her team needs to remain confident and take advantage of the opportunities as they present themselves in order to get the program into its first-ever conference tournament.

"The reality is consistency with pressure and not being afraid to be creative in moments when they feel the cap in the net might not work," she says. "Confidence in our decision making will carry us far. This group is willing to bend and break to make sure they surpass their team goals for one another."

The Beavers open the season Friday, August 31, by hosting Concordia-Moorhead at 5:00pm.  They'll play six of their first seven matches this season inside of J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.  The team opens American Rivers Conference play at Luther College on September 29.