Titans Logo
2000 News

Aalbers, Gilbert Gain All-Region Accolades

Jolanda AalbersCarrie GilbertRecording its best season ever, the UW-Oshkosh women's soccer team landed two selections on the 33-member NCAA Division III All-Central Region squad. Receiving second team mention from the Titans were freshman forward Jolanda Aalbers and senior defender Carrie Gilbert. The all-region squad is sponsored by adidas and selected by members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

UW-Stevens Point led the all-region selections with six honorees, while Macalester College and UW-Eau Claire had three each. UW-Stevens Point had three first-team picks, senior defender Margaret Domka, senior goalkeeper Abby Rabinovitz and senior forward Marie Muhvic.

Aalbers (Renswoude, Holland) and Gilbert (Appleton) are only the second and third players in the eight-year history of the UW-Oshkosh women's soccer program to ever receive all-region recognition. The only other UW-Oshkosh player ever honored on an all-region team was defender Kristy Werblow, a third-team selection in 1996.

Playing in just 15 of the Titans' 19 matches this past season, Aalbers tallied 30 goals and 68 points, both school records. Aalbers became only the fifth player in NCAA Division III history to average two or more goals per match. In addition, her average of 4.53 points per match was the seventh-best in NCAA Division III annals. Aalbers scored six goals in a 7-0 win over UW-River Falls on Oct. 6, the third-highest tally in NCAA Division III history. In just one season she has become UW-Oshkosh's career leader in goals and points.

Starting all 19 matches for UW-Oshkosh after transferring from UW-La Crosse, Gilbert anchored a defense that held opponents under an average of two goals per contest. UW-Oshkosh allowed only 16 goals this past season and recorded nine shutouts. Offensively, Gilbert contributed three goals.

The 15-4 record compiled by UW-Oshkosh during the 2000 season marked its best year ever. UW-Oshkosh's previous best was an 8-9-2 ledger in 1997. The Titans set school records with their nine-match winning streak (Sept. 30-Oct. 24) and their 83 goals scored, exactly one-half of the total compiled during the previous seven seasons. UW-Oshkosh also placed fourth (5-3 record) in the WIAC to achieve its highest finish ever.

Aalbers, Gilbert Receive All-WIAC Honors

Jolanda AalbersCarrie GilbertUW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point each placed seven members on the 22-player All-WIAC Women's Soccer Team. UW-Stevens Point's Marie Muhvic was selected the inaugural WIAC Player of the Year, while her coach, Sheila Miech, was named the Coach of the Year.

Leading UW-Stevens Point's selections is Muhvic, a three-time all-league honoree. Muhvic is the all-time leading scorer at UW-Stevens Point with 73 goals, 24 assists and 170 points. She enters Saturday's match in the semifinal round at the NCAA Division III Championship with 29 goals and 13 assists.

Joining Muhvic on the All-Conference Team were offensive teammates Molly Cady, Jenny Bruce and Mickey Jacob.

Senior goalkeeper Abby Rabinovitz led the defensive effort for the Pointers this season. She led the WIAC with a miniscule .19 goals-against average. Pointer senior defenders Margaret Domka and Jenny Schmit were also named to the All-Conference Team.

UW-Eau Claire's 15-5 squad also landed seven players on the All-Conference Team. The Blugolds were led offensively by senior forward Kari Blasczyk. Blasczyk was joined on the All-Conference Team by junior forward Erika Thompson and midfielders Tina Welle and Andrea VandenHeuvel. Defensively, the Blugolds were led by junior goalkeeper Chandra Butterfield and defenders Becca Gibson, a senior, and Sarah Pierringer, a junior.

UW-Oshkosh is represented on the squad by Jolanda Aalbers and Carrie Gilbert. Both players helped the Titans to a 15-4 overall record, the finest in team history. Aalbers, a freshman forward, tallied 30 goals and 68 points, both school and conference records. Playing in just 15 matches, Aalbers became only the fifth player in NCAA Division III history to average two or more goals per match. Her average of 4.53 points per match is the sixth-highest in NCAA Division III annals. Earlier this season, Aalbers scored six goals in the Titans' 7-0 win over UW-River Falls. The performance was the third-best in NCAA Division III history. Gilbert, a sophomore, anchored the Titan defense and notched three goals from her defender position.

Titans Edged In WIAC Tournament Semifinal

Lindsay RauSarah SnyderWith a strong second half wind at its back, regular season champion UW-Stevens Point scored a pair of goals to rally from a halftime deficit and defeat UW-Oshkosh, 2-1, in the semifinal round of the WIAC Women's Soccer Tournament held Friday (Oct. 27) in Stevens Point.

The win pushed UW-Stevens Point's record to 17-4 and was the Pointers' 11th straight victory, tying a school record. UW-Stevens Point aims for its eighth WIAC Tournament title in nine years on Saturday (1 p.m.) when it meets UW-Eau Claire (15-4) in the championship match. The Blugolds defeated UW-Whitewater, 3-1, in Friday's other semifinal. UW-Oshkosh finished the year with a 15-4 record and had its school-record nine-match winning streak snapped with the loss.

The Titans took an early lead, just 10:09 into the match, when freshman Lindsay Rau fed freshman Sarah Snyder for a header in front of the net and a 1-0 lead. The advantage stood until halftime when UW-Stevens Point took the wind and took over the half, outshooting the Titans, 17-4. Andrea Oswald got the Pointers on the board with a 20-yard turnaround kick at the 54:24 mark. After several missed opportunities, Mickey Jacob scored the match-winner for the Pointers at the 68:01 mark on a header off a cross shot from Oswald.

Titans Win First-Ever WIAC Tournament Match

Joland AalbersLindsay RauFreshmen Jolanda Aalbers netted three goals and Lindsay Rau a pair as the UW-Oshkosh women's soccer team defeated UW-Stout, 7-0, in the opening round of the WIAC Tournament played Tuesday (Oct. 24) at the Kolf Sports Center Complex. It was UW-Oshkosh's first victory in WIAC Tournament action after going 0-6-1 in its previous seven matches.

Aalbers, who leads the NCAA Division III in goals and points per match, put the Titans ahead early, scoring at the 5:28 and 8:49 marks of the first half. Aalbers also reached the net at the 53:37 mark of the second half, her 30th goal of the season. Aalbers played only 25 minutes, 28 seconds against the Blue Devils. Rau tallied her fourth and fifth goals of the season at the 47:55 and 56:42 marks of the second half, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh, 15-3 and riding the wave of a school-record nine-match winning streak, also received goals from Sara Snyder at the 30:33 mark of the first half and Stacy Landgraf at the 81:08 mark of the second half. Snyder now has nine goals on the season and Landgraf six. Recording assists for the Titans were Sandie Brink, Jessica Cleeremans, Erin Katzenberg, Marhya Peters and Amy Robel. UW-Oshkosh outshot UW-Stout, 15-10, in the match.

The shutout for UW-Oshkosh was its eighth in nine matches and ninth of the season. Earlier this year, UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-Stout (8-9), 4-0. The Titans are now 4-2-1 in matches played against the Blue Devils.

UW-Oshkosh's victory advances the Titans to a semifinal round match on Friday at 11 a.m. in Stevens Point against WIAC regular season champion UW-Stevens Point. The Pointers, who defeated the Titans, 2-0, earlier this year, advanced in the tournament on Tuesday with a 10-0 win over UW-Platteville. Other opening round victors were UW-Eau Claire, a 7-0 winner over UW-River Falls, and UW-Whitewater, which defeated UW-La Crosse in a shootout after the two teams played to a 2-2 tie.