FROSTBURG, Md. - After one of its most successful campaigns in 2009, in which the Frostburg State women’s soccer team set a season record-high 18 wins and made its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2005, the Bobcats look to continue their dominance on the field as they join the Capital Athletic Conference for the 2010 season. FSU finished the season outshooting its opponents 507-130 and allowed just 13 goals all season. Frostburg State returns almost its entire starting 11, including the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Player of Year and Rookie of the Year.

Senior Lauren Russell (Waldorf, Md./Westlake) will once again lead the attack for the Bobcats as she set the FSU single-season records in goals (27), assists (16) and points (70). She finished the year ranked fifth in the country in points per game (3.18), ninth in assists per game (0.73) and 11th in goals per game (1.2). She scored in 16 of 22 games and netted a season-high four goals in FSU's 5-1 win over Medaille. Russell collected several postseason awards including ECAC Division III South Women's All-Star Offensive Player of the Year and First Team honors, AMCC Player of the Year, NSCAA Scholar All-East Region second team and NSCAA Division III Women's All-Great Lakes Region third team honors.

Three of the four starting midfielder positions this season will be occupied by seniors, Shonna Ferree (Frostburg, Md./Beall) and Taylor Jenkins (Frederick, Md./Thomas Johnson (Francis Marion)) will hold down center midfield and Kierstin Stevenson (Frostburg, Md./Beall) will play as a wide midfielder.

Ferree and Jenkins, a DI transfer from Francis Marion will lead the center midfield positions and provide strong leadership for the younger players in the midfield.

Stevenson, who started in all 22 games for the Bobcats and was an AMCC honorable mention selection last season, round out the senior starting midfield. She will hold down a wide midfield position and also help lead the younger athletes in the same position.

Senior Heather Fleishell (Middletown, Md./Middletown) will lead the defense as a starter at center back. Fleishell was a First Team All-AMCC honoree and started in all 22 games in 2009. She helped the defense to a 0.59 goals against average while netting two goals on the season including the game winning goal in the conference semifinals.

Ferree, Fleishell and Russell have been named tri-captains for the 2010 season.

Junior Michelle Buckmaster (St. Leonard, Md./Calvert) brings a lot of starting experience in goal for the Bobcats. Buckmaster is likely to earn starts in the goal as she posted a 0.42 goals against average and collected the most minutes in the net last season.

Junior Cassie Donahue (Cumberland, Md./Fort Hill) is likely to start in the midfield as she tested as the fastest player on the roster in the preseason. In 2009, Donahue appeared in all 22 games making 21 starts for the Bobcats and netted five goals.

Competing for time on the defensive side will be juniors Meische Cox (Laurel, Md./Laurel) and Nikki Rieland (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll). Cox played in 18 games last season as she helped the defense to a 0.59 goals against average and Rieland appeared in 19 games.

Juniors Erin Ford (Waldorf, Md./Westlake), Jessica Kraemer (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) and Olivia Winant (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) will all be competing for time in the midfield. Ford will help the center midfielders as Kraemer and Winant will play the wide midfielder position. Ford played in 20 games last season while Kraemer and Winant played in 13 and 19 games, respectively.

Rounding out the junior class is Kristin Prochniak (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) who will look for playing time in goal. Last season, Prochniak appeared in eight games making eight saves and posting a 2-0 record.

Sophomores Erin Proctor (Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls) and Liz Seligman (Rockville, Md./St. Johns College) are returning starters on the defense this season. Seligman started in all 22 games in 2009 and was an All-AMCC second team honoree. Proctor played in all 22 games making 18 starts. Each defender will be a key piece of the defense this season as they helped the 2009 squad to a 0.59 goal against average.

Also competing for time on the defense will be sophomore Megan Johnson (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach). Johnson played in 12 games last season and will be looking to break into the starting lineup in 2010.

Sophomore Amanda Wharton (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll) returns to help lead the attack with Russell. Wharton, the 2009 AMCC and ECAC South Rookie of the Year, scored 24 goals, the most ever by a freshman for FSU. She finished 19th in the nation in points per game (2.59) and 25th in goals per game (1.09).

Sophomores Heather Kinsey (Sykesville, Md./Century), Lina Quiroz (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) and Dorie Gedridge (Lusby, Md./Patuxent (Virginia Tech)) will be looking for time in the midfield. Kinsey played in four games for the Bobcats. Quiroz is returning to the team after a season ending injury which had her sidelined for the 2009 season. Gedridge comes to the Bobcats after playing for Roanoke in 2008 and is a transfer from Virginia Tech.

Goalkeeper Jessica Flewellyn (Arnold, Md./Broadneck) rounds out the 2010 sophomore class as she looks for time in the net for the Bobcats. Flewellyn made six appearances in goal last season while posting one save.

Freshman Adria Graham (Grantsville, Md./Northern Garrett) and Stephanie Mueller (Baltimore, Md./Garrison Forest) will play as forwards for the Bobcats. Graham is a local standout who was named Cumberland Times News Player of the Year three years in a row (2007-2010). Freshman Chelsea Paskowski (Leesburg, Va./Hertiage) will be looking for time at the midfield and forward positions.

Freshmen Kyrsten Buck (Mt. Airy, Md./Linganore) and Malory Brunett (Clarksville, Md./River Hill) both come from strong high school and club programs and will be looking for minutes as defenders.

Emmett Rutkowski begins his first year with the FSU soccer coaching staffs in the fall season and will work with both the men’s and women’s goalkeepers. Rutkowski, a goalkeeper himself in college, played four years at the University of Mary Washington. While with the Eagles, he served as team Captain, team MVP and garnered First Team All-CAC honors in 2009. On the coaching side of things, Rutkowski served as an assistant coach for Chancellor High School, head coach for the Fredericksburg Generals and a goalkeeper trainer for the Fredericksburg Hotspurs.

FSU opens its 2010 season with three NCAA tournament teams within the first five games and will play three separate conference champions on the season. Catholic University was the Landmark Conference champion and Christopher Newport took the USA South title. Virginia Wesleyan was the Old Dominion Conference regular season winner and captured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The final conference champion on the schedule this season for the Bobcats is Mary Washington, which took the CAC title.

The 2010 Bobcat squad has had a successful history against the top competitors in the CAC, including a win against St. Mary’s and a tough loss to Stevenson last year. The Bobcats are confident this year that they can compete in the upper half of the CAC and look forward to the challenge.

“The CAC is so tough that bringing a consistent level of intensity and energy to the field every week is clearly a requirement” stated Coach Parker.