Hoosiers open up season with pair of games in Wisconsin

The IU women's soccer team hopes to carry the momentum from its 4-0 exhibition win against Indiana State University into its first regular season games this weekend in Madison, Wis., against two teams who made the NCAA Tournament last season.\nThe Hoosiers open their 2006 campaign Friday against the University of California in the Wisconsin Tournament. The Golden Bears, ranked 10th in the preseason poll, advanced to the third round of the NCAAs last season. The Hoosiers will follow up that game with another one Sunday afternoon against Creighton University, which lost in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament.\n"We'll just take it as a stepping stone," IU coach Mick Lyon said about this weekend's games. "Nonconference games are about preparing yourself for the conference season. I'd like to win 10 conference games, and if we get a few losses leading up to that, I'm happy with that."\nLast season the Hoosiers finished 7-10-2 (3-7-1 Big Ten) and lost 3-0 to Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich.\nLyon said in the offseason the team felt "disappointment at not producing better results last year. I think for the players it was a case of readjustment and reassigning themselves to a commitment to be a better Big Ten athlete, a better IU soccer player and a winner."\nThe 2006 version of the Hoosiers is a mix of experienced players and new faces. The women's soccer team has seven returning starters and nine incoming freshmen, many of whom might see some significant time on the field this season.\n"We're young and we're still learning, so it's going to take some time," said senior forward Megan Pipkens. "But this has been by far the best preseason we've ever had in my four years here. The freshmen have brought a lot of talent to the team with speed and strength. We got three girls that are almost six feet, so we got some headers."\nSenior midfielder Carrie DeFreece, one of the team's captains, said the freshmen have done a good job mixing in with the chemistry of the team.\n"We needed some specific players to fill some specific roles, and I think our freshmen have come in and done that," DeFreece said. "I think Christie Kotynski in the middle has helped our game in the air, and then in the back we've had some more speed and confidence, so that's good for us."\nLyon says much of the Hoosiers' success this season will depend on the upperclassmen getting the team to produce results, which he said he feels they have been close to accomplishing the last couple years.\n"There's definitely talent in that senior group," the coach said. "(Midfielder) Ali Brown is an extremely fit, talented player. But we don't always see that in games, so that's the challenge to her. Megan Pipkens is the fastest, strongest girl I've ever seen but has to turn those strengths into goals for her as a forward. Those are the kind of things we've been pushing for as individuals. If they can be focused and turn outstanding personal traits into team goals and wins, we're going to be great"