Soccer | 8/19/2021 4:36:00 PM

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Minnesota State University Moorhead athletics held its media day (virtually) for women's soccer, volleyball and football on Thursday.

All three teams have one thing in common — they had their 2020 fall seasons cancelled because of the Covid-19 Pandemic and are eager to return to competition this fall.

Women's Soccer

MSUM returns six starters and 11 letter winners from the 2019 squad that went 6-8-4, which was the most wins for MSUM in eight years.

"I'm just really happy that we are in practice and we are going to be playing games," MSUM head coach Christie Kopietz said. "We made it through the Covid year and I think the whole team is just really excited to be able to get back out there and compete against other people and showcase everything they've been working on the last two years."

"We just been working together, making sure we're one as a team going into it," MSUM senior goalkeeper and captain Kayleigh Sedlacek said. 

The Dragons will play a pair of exhibition games, starting Sunday vs. Jamestown, before opening the regular season on Sept. 2 vs. Nebraska-Kearney in Aberdeen, S.D.

"I think it's gonna be such a great opportunity, especially for the sophomores last year, who didn't get to experience the fall," senior defender and captain Kaylee Parsons said. 

The Dragons have a large 28-player roster this year.

"You know soccer does have a good amount of injuries, so I would say, at any given time, you might have between three to five players out so everybody on the bench needs to be ready to contribute," Kopietz said. "Because they're as important as who's playing on the field."

"This is our biggest class I think we've had since i've been here and it's nice to have a lot of depth depth," Sedlacek said.  "We are training hard and we're making sure every line is good, even though, like people might get five to 10 minutes, we still need them to be ready and prepared for that game speed."

Volleyball

Bob Jones is in his second season as the MSUM head volleyball coach, although his first season in the fall of 2020 was cancelled.

This year, Jones is joined by former Division I head coach Kari Thompson and Chloe Solum, a former assistant coach at Central Washington.

MSUM returns seven letterwinners from a team that went 9-19.

"We've made the statement —  it's a clean slate. Everybody has the same opportunities that everybody else and we're really trying to build on that," Jones said. 

"I think the strength of our team this year is our trust in one another. We have really recreated our culture and learned to bond with each other on and off the court," junior hitter Amanda Carlson said. 

The Dragons were picked 12th in the NSIC preseason coaches poll. They open the regular season on Sept. 3-4 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Billings, Mont. 

"The goal last year was to be try to get into the top eight of the conference, and if we're a top eight team, then we can go to conference tournament," Jones said.  "That's not a set in stone goal,  but that's in the back of our minds going, can we take that step up to that top eight?"

"I think we're making great improvements," Carlson said. "We're just working together as a team and just trusting one another."

Football

The Dragons have nine "super seniors" who came back to compete in 2021 after the 2020 campaign was cancelled. That includes seven players on defense which returns an experienced group.

"I'm glad they get their chance to finish things the right way," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said.

"We have a very good two deep," senior safety Shad Vedaa said. "It's been going great and there is great competitiveness between guys."

MSUM returns 26 letterwinners from the 2019 that went 6-5. That includes three starters on offense and eight on defense. But there are also the 2020 freshmen class that has yet to play a game, and the current crop of freshman.

"I think one of the challenges has been blending so much experience with so much youth," Laqua said. "We're trying to blend those guys together trying to close that experience gap.  Our older guys have done a good job, helping the younger guys learn kind of the ropes on and off the field."

MSUM opens the 2021 season at Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 2 in Marshall, Minn. 

"'It's a great feeling — knowing that that's coming soon," Vedaa said. 

"The key thing for us and I think that's probably one of the keys to our season is, balancing everybody's roles and understanding what's your role on the team," Laqua said.  "and how can you excel in that role and understanding that maybe it's not exactly the role you want or the role you've had, but the role that's needed from you right now."