Soccer Preview: Blue Devils open season on month-long road stand

Live Stats | Live Video | WIAC Weekly Soccer Notes | St. Catherine Live Stats | Ripon College Live Stats | Ripon College Live Video

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WIAC) will spend much of the 2019 season on the road, with only four scheduled home games. The renovation on the soccer field in the Nelson Athletic Complex just began in late August, with an artificial surface to highlight the renovation. The Blue Devils will not have a home game in August or September, but are scheduled to play four conference games in Menomonie over the months of October and November.  The Blue Devils will be utilizing the Menomonie High School field just to the north of the high school building.

The Blue Devils are scheduled to open the season Friday, Aug. 30 when they travel to St. Catherine's for a 5 p.m. contest. The contest will be the season-opener for both teams. Stout will then "host" Ripon College Saturday, Aug. 31 at the UW-River Falls soccer field. Ripon will have an advantage when the teams meet. The Red Hawks were scheduled to play UW-River Falls, Friday, Aug. 30, in River Falls.  Live Stats and a live video stream are expected to be available. 

JUST AN ODD SCHEDULE THIS YEAR: All four of the Blue Devils home games are scheduled to be held at the Menomonie High School field just to the north of the high school building (1715 5th St W, Menomonie | Directions). The Blue Devils host UW-Stevens Point, Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. for homecoming; UW-Oshkosh, Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3 p.m.; UW-Whitewater, Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.; and UW-Eau Claire, Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. Stout will host Minnesota-Morris, Sunday, Oct. 27 at the UW-River Falls field. All of Stout's non-conference games are on the road. That will turn around next season when the new Stout facility is expected to be ready.

ON-LINE: At the moment, only a live video feed is expected for Stout's four home games. Broadcast of Live Stats at home games is still up in the air.  When the Nelson Field facility is completed, the facility is expected to have complete network capabilities. 

PARKING: Parking for Stout's four home games at the Menomonie High School field is adjacent to the field. Parking on the UW-Stout campus is restricted during the business week. For games at Nelson Field during the week, please plan to park in Lot 29. Do not park in Lot 4, which is a reserved lot for students that live in the residence halls.

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT:    St. Catherine kept firing and kept hitting the mark as the Wildcats defeated UW-Stout 7-0 in the season opener for both teams Friday in the Twin Cities. The Wildcats out-shot Stout 34-4 overall and 21-3 on frame. Claudia Anderson recorded nine saves, but was tagged for six goals over 62 minutes. Rachel Nowak came on to make four saves and allowed one goal. St. Catherine scored four goals in the first period and three in the second.   The Blue Devils lost 10-3 at UW-Whitewater, Oct. 20 and closed out the 2018 season with a 5-0 loss at UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 27. The Blue Devils finished the 2018 season with a 2-13-1 record and did not advance to the WIAC Tournament. 

A LOOK AT UW-STOUT: The Blue Devils last season had 17 freshmen on the squad and now many of those freshmen return with a year of collegiate experience under their belt. Sophomore Marissa Steele returns as Stout leading scorer from last season after driving in three goals and three assists. Senior tri-captain Bella Pedlar (Rogers, Minn) added three goals. Senior tri-captains Sarah Dickmann (Shawano) and Hannah Kirchner (La Crosse) added to the scoring, Dickmann with a goal and assist and Kirchner matching Steele in assists with three. Junior Lexi Fernandez (St. Charles, Minn) and sophomores Rachel Washington (Milwaukee), Ariel Kuchta Green Bay) and Caylee Boone (Eau Claire) each scored their first collegiate goals last year. Junior Lexie Wescott (Lake Geneva) and sophomore Kali Brahs (Lindstrom, Minn) each notched an assist.  Claudia Anderson (So, North Branch, Minn) returns after playing 14 games in front of the twine, recording 91 saves. Rachel Nowak (Jr, Lomira), all 6-foot-2 of her, returns to the goalie box after a year off. Nowak started two games in 2017, playing in four, earning a goals against average of 0.95. Freshman goalie Erica Seitz (Osseo, Minn), scheduled to wear the unconventional goalie number of 50, earned all-conference honors playing in a large school conference in the Twin Cities area.  | Season Preview  |  2018 Statistics


A LOOK AT ST. CATHERINE:  Finishing the season 11-4-2 overall and 7-2-2 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Wildcats had a .706 win percentage, the highest in program history. The 2018 program was the only team to ever achieve an undefeated home season of 8-0-1 and place three on the MIAC All-Conference First Team. | Season Statistics

THE WILDCATS THE LAST TIME OUT: The Wildcats last year finished the season at 11-4-2, 7-2-2 in the MIAC and advanced to the second round (semifinals) of the MIAC Championship. St. Catherine defeated St. Benedict, 1-0, in the first round of the MIAC Championship, 

THE LAST TIME ST. CATHERINE AND STOUT MET: After an early shot on goal, UW-Stout could not get into an offensive rhythm and were defeated 3-0 by St. Catherine University Sept. 1, 2018, at Nelson Field. Just minutes into the game, Stout freshman Marissa Steele attacked the net, but was stopped by Wildcat goalie Tayler Koop. Shortly thereafter, St. Catherine scored their first goal of the game when a corner kick by Iryna Talkachova deflected into the net in the seventh minute of the game. St. Catherine's Allie Bird scored unassisted in the 58th minute and the Wildcats put the game away in the 72nd minute on a goal by Sofia Campbell. All three goals were unassisted. St. Kate's held a 16-3 bulge in shots when the final horn sounded. | Game Story and Stats

THE SERIES: The Blue Devils lead the series, 4-3-0. Last season's meeting was the team's first meeting since the 2015 season. 


A LOOK AT RIPON COLLEGE: Ripon's women's soccer team is coming off a season that saw them qualify for the Midwest Conference Tournament for the first time in four years, taking conference champion Knox to the limit in the MWC semifinals, before losing in a shootout. With a bitter-sweet taste still left from last season, the Red Hawks hope there will be nothing bitter about their 2019 campaign. Leading the charge for the Red Hawks will be a two-time All-Conference selection in Senior Paige Pierce, who earned her first career First Team accolades last season. Also a two-time Academic All-Conference performer, Piece enters her final season with the Red Hawks ranking fourth in program history for career goals (39), fifth in points (94), and ninth in assists (16). Her team-leading 17 goals last year are tied for sixth in program history for a single season, to go along with six assists, which were tied for second on the team.Ripon's other returning All-Conference player is Junior Camrie Schmitz, who burst onto the scene with 11 goals and six assists last season after missing the previous year with an injury. Both of those totals ranked second on the team for the Academic All-Conference performer. | Season Preview | 2018 Season Statistics

THE RED HAWKS LAST TIME OUT: Ripon and UW-River Falls traded goals throughout the contest, but River Falls scored the game winner in overtime in a 3-2 decision at River Falls. Camrie Schmitz and Brianna Schnell scored goals for the Red Hawks. The Falcons' Maggie Koehler scored all three River Falls goals. Stefani Geiger recorded five saves in net.  The Red Hawks finished last season at 7-10-2 overall, 5-4-0 in the Midwest Conference. The Red Hawks last season when 0-3-1 against WIAC schools.   | UW-River Falls Game Story and Stats

THE LAST TIME RIPON AND STOUT MET: The teams played to a 3-3 overtime tie when the teams met Sept. 16, 2018, in Ripon. Stout scored three first period goals, Ripon College scored three second period goals and the two teams played to a 3-3 tie. Stout scored three times in the first half, Ripon scored all of their goals in the second half. | Game Story and Stats

THE SERIES: Last season was the first meeting between the two teams. 


AWARDS: 2018: Sydney Kasper earned all-conference honors and was a CoSIDA Academic All-American...playing in her first collegiate weekend, defender Katie Sukanen was named the WIAC defensive player of the week, Sept. 5, after helping hold Hamline University to one goal and eight shots in a 2-1 win, Aug. 31..


TEAM CAPTAINS: Blue Devil team captains for the 2018 season are Sydney Kasper, Melissa Rice and Sarah Dickmann.

UW-STOUT COACH RYAN RAUFUS: Coach Ryan Raufus (55-72-19) is in his ninth year as the head coach of the Blue Devils. Raufus played his college ball at Springfield College in Massachusetts and came to Stout after coaching at La Crosse Logan High School and La Crescent, Minn., High School. (Raufus began the 2019 season at 55-72-19)


TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF BLUE DEVIL SOCCER: After many years as a club sport, UW-Stout became the ninth WIAC team to join the varsity ranks during the 1995 season. The Blue Devils took their lumps to open the season, making their premiere by hosting Augsburg College, Sept. 10, in a 7-0 loss. Stout opened the conference season three days later at Nelson Field, hosting perennial conference powerhouse UW-Stevens Point, dropping a 6-0 decision. The Blue Devils finally broke onto the scoreboard in their third game. While hosting UW-Platteville, Sept. 17, Kari Stapleton scored in the 70th minute on an assist from Jenny Tyson in a 2-1 loss. The Blue Devils would get their first-ever win, a 3-0 decision at Martin Luther College, Sept. 23, collecting goals from Amie Frasier, Tyson and Joann Sognesand. Defender Andrea Schroeder was a second team all-conference selection in 1995, then was selected to the first team in 1996. Members of that first 1995 team include: April Amys, Beeta Bastani, Tammy Beuch, Carrie Blaska, Jen Chapple, Michelle Coon, Amie Frasier, Aimee Grimm, Jamie Jester, Julie Kremer, Dorian Loberg, Amy Lyons, Kristin Manion, Anglea McDowell, Andrea Schroeder, Joann Sognesand, Kari Stapleton, Jenny Tyson, Alisa Zimmerman. Lisa Petruccelli was the Blue Devils first coach, leading the team from 1995-98, followed by Dave Morris (1999-2005), Meagan Frank (2006-10) and Ryan Raufus (2011-present). | 1995 Statistics
DOWN THE ROAD: The road trip continues as Stout travels to St. Olaf, Thursday, Sept. 5 for a 4 p.m. contest and to Bethel University, Saturday, Sept. 7 for a 2 p.m. meeting with the Royals.