There are many new faces on the Illinois Central College women's soccer team, but optimism is brimming thanks to the amount of talent that fifth-year head coach Javier Valle has assembled. And while the road to earning the program's first-ever NJCAA DI National Tourney bid will again most likely go through two-time defending champion Iowa Western in late October, Valle and the Cougars are working hard now for the program to take the next step.
In 2023 the Cougars posted an 11-6-2 overall mark and made it to the Central District Finals where they fell to Iowa Western 3-0. ICC will look to better that mark this fall, meshing experience with a talented freshman class.
May, Bruns, Guerra Will Lead Way
ICC will look to sophomore center back Kirsten Bruhns (Frankfurt, Germany) to anchor the defense and be a team leader. Bruhns, a captain who leads by example on a daily basis, will team up with another captain - defensive midfielder Rylee May (Hamilton, New Zealand). May spent last fall as a redshirt due to a hip injury but gained valuable experience during the spring season.
"Riley and Kirsten were chosen captains for a reason," Valle said. "The leadership they've displayed so far has been very good for us and they'll keep pushing the team each day to improve."
All-Region 24 performer Isabella Guerra (Quito, Ecuador) will again provide firepower on offense. The sophomore center attacking mid led the team with 11 goals a season ago with a .833 SOG%.
Freshmen Holding Their Own
Despite the fact that two-thirds of the roster is made up of freshmen (12 of 18), Valle has seen many positive signs from the rookies including Kaya Berhmann (Oldenburg, Germany), who is another center back holding her own after joining the team in the spring.
"We have a lot of newcomers, but several of them have shown great potential so far," Valle said. "We have Kaya who has picked up where she left off in the spring and then Vivienne Hardiman (Alchenstorf, Switzerland) and Noelia Zaengerle (Beinwil am See, Switzerland) have also been bright spots. We've had some really intense practices so far and we've been able to lay the foundation of how we want to play."
Season Opens Friday at Indian Hills
A popular phrase in sports is "To be the best you have to beat the best," and Valle and Company will be put to the test early as they travel to Ottumwa, IA this weekend to participate in the Indian Hills Showcase. The Cougars will play the hosts, Indian Hills on Friday, Aug. 23 at 3pm and then battle with #1 Iowa Western on Sunday, Aug. 25.
ICC's home opener will come on Tuesday, Sept. 3 as they host Southwestern Illinois and then play their rival, Lewis & Clark on Saturday, Sept. 3 in East Peoria. They'll take on new foes, UI-Springfield JV, Waubonsee, and Oakton, before finishing out Region 24 regular season action in mid-October and then readying for the District Tourney on October 25.
"We hope this is the year for us to finally take it from Iowa Western," Valle said. "Right from the start we have them, the best team in the country, so that will show us where we're at. It will test us early, but we will continue to improve and hope to be playing our best at the end of the season."
AT INDIAN HILLS CLASSIC - Ottumwa, IA
Friday, Aug. 23
vs. Indian Hills at 3pm
Livestream: www.facebook.com/gohillstv
Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live & archived information
Sunday, Aug. 25 at Ottumwa, IA
vs. #1 Iowa Western at 1pm
Livestream: www.facebook.com/gohillstv
Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live & archived information
