UW-Oshkosh midfielder Michelle John (So. • Whitefish Bay) has received NCAA Division III All-Central Region second team honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

A total of 33 players were chosen as first, second or third team selections on the NCAA Division III All-Central region squad, including five from the WIAC. In addition, to John other WIAC players recognized were Melissa Becker and Tara Schmitt of UW-Stevens Point and Melissa Ballweg and Carrie Schrank of UW-Stout.

John started all 22 matches for UW-Oshkosh this past season and registered five goals and a team-leading eight assists for a total of 18 points. John ranked eighth in the WIAC in assists and 16th in points. She scored one goal and dished off one assist in the Titans' 7-0 victory over UW-Superior on Oct. 2. John also scored one goal in matches against Albion College (Mich.), The College of St. Catherine (Minn.), Lawrence University and UW-Platteville.

In 2003, John started all 21 contests for the Titans and compiled five goals and three assists for a total of 13 points.

UW-Oshkosh posted a 15-4-3 record and finished third in the WIAC this past season.

UW-Oshkosh players voted by league coaches to the 23-member squad were midfielder Michelle John (So. • Whitefish Bay), forward Nicole Kunick (Jr. • Green Bay) and defender Stacy Stroud (Jr. • New Berlin).

Starting all 22 matches for UW-Oshkosh this past season, John tallied five goals and a team-leading eight assists for a total of 18 points. John ranked eighth in the WIAC in assists and 16th in points. She scored one goal and dished off one assist in the Titans' 7-0 victory over UW-Superior on Oct. 2.

Kunick, who started 20 contests for UW-Oshkosh this past year, scored 14 goals to lead the Titans and rank third in the WIAC. She also dished off four assists to total a team-best 32 points. Kunick led the WIAC with five-game winning goals while ranking sixth in points. Kunick scored two goals in a match three times this past season, including a 5-3 win over UW-Stout in the semifinal round of the WIAC Tournament held Nov. 5. Kunick has counted 29 goals during her UW-Oshkosh career, the second-highest total in school history.

Stroud started 20 contests for the Titans this past season and registered three goals and three assists for a total of nine points. She helped UW-Oshkosh record eight shutouts and a 1.01 goals against average, the third-lowest mark in the WIAC. Stroud scored two goals and dished off one assist in UW-Oshkosh's 7-0 victory over UW-Superior on Oct. 2.

Joining the UW-Oshkosh trio on the All-WIAC first team were Marcia Foltz, Emily Meisinger, Kelly Peterson and Becky Westbrock of UW-Eau Claire; Stephanie Harbaugh, Mandy Rue, Jayna Stransky and Julie Taylor of UW-La Crosse; Sarah Carlson, Amy Jensen and Ashley Peterson of UW-River Falls; Melissa Becker, Megan Frey, Tara Schmitt and Alyssa Souza of UW-Stevens Point; Melissa Ballweg, Shannon Hermes, Carrie Schrank and Kelly Stolarczyk of UW-Stout; and Jacie Hein of UW-Whitewater. UW-Stevens Point's Schmitt was named the WIAC Player of the Year.

UW-Stevens Point's Sheila Miech was named WIAC Coach of the Year.

UW-Oshkosh posted a 15-4-3 record and finished third in the WIAC this past season.

The WIAC Tournament brings out the best in the UW-Stevens Point women’s soccer team and it did so again this season as the Pointers won their eighth straight league tournament and 12th in the 13-year history of the event with a 1-0 win over UW-Oshkosh on Saturday (Nov. 6) in Stevens Point. The win qualifies for the Pointers for the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins on Wednesday (Nov. 10).

However, the wins haven’t been getting any easier for the Pointers, who held off a furious Titans’ rally in the final minutes to earn the victory.

UW-Stevens Point scored the only goal of the match off its only corner kick of the second half, coming with under 34 minutes remaining. Katie O’Leary’s kick was battled for the penalty box and collected by Alyssa Souza, who passed to Melissa Becker for a header that hit off the crossbar and off the hands of diving UW-Oshkosh goalie Christine Barutha (Jr. • Brookfield), landing in the back of the net for the only score of the match.

The Pointers went on the defensive from that point and stopped several good scoring chances for the Titans, who had six corner kicks in the second half. Their best chance was saved by Pointers’ goalie Meredith DeCaluwe on a close range shot in the final minute.

There were limited scoring opportunities in the match, but they were nearly all quality chances. Both teams had solid opportunities in the first half as Barutha and DeCaluwe both made leaping saves and UW-Stevens Point had another shot rocket off the crossbar. However, the shots were limited as UW-Oshkosh held an 8-7 advantage for the match. DeCaluwe made three saves and Barutha had four saves.

Nicole Kunick (Jr. • Green Bay) took five of UW-Oshkosh's eight shots, while Melissa Gruber (Jr. • Oak Creek), Maggie Hoffman (Fr. • Waukesha) and Michelle John (So. • Whitefish Bay) fired one each.

The victory was UW-Stevens Point’s eighth consecutive and their 22nd straight conference tournament win as it improved to 15-4-1 overall. The Pointers are now 34-1 all-time in the tournament and won by one goal for the sixth time in their 12 title match wins, including their fifth by a 1-0 count. It marked the fourth time UW-Stevens Point has not allowed a goal in the tournament after blanking UW-River Falls 1-0 in the semifinals.

UW-Oshkosh had a school-record 10-match unbeaten streak snapped and tied a school record for victories, finishing 15-4-3 overall.

After a first half that featured a frantic flurry of goals, UW-Oshkosh finally took control over UW-Stout and advanced to the championship game of the WIAC Women's Soccer Tournament with a 5-3 victory over the Blue Devils on Friday (Nov. 5) in Stevens Point.

The Titans (15-3-3) extended their unbeaten streak to a school-record 10 straight matches with the win and will take on host UW-Stevens Point (14-4-1) in the title match on Saturday (Nov. 6) at 1 p.m. UW-Oshkosh had lost in the semifinals of the tournament the past four years and is led by first-year coach Erin Leinweber, who played on UW-Stevens Point's 1994 and 1995 WIAC championship teams. The Pointers have qualified for all 13 tournament championship matches and have won seven straight titles. The winner of Saturday's match advances to the NCAA Division III Championship.

By halftime, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout (13-3-2) had already combined for the highest-scoring match in the semifinal or final round of the WIAC Tournament with a 3-3 stalemate. UW-Stout's three goals were the highest for a losing team in any WIAC Tournament contest.

In a 33-minute span from the 19th minute to the 52nd minute, the teams scored seven goals, including one at least every eight minutes. UW-Oshkosh jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals four minutes apart as Nicole Kunick (Jr. • Green Bay) scored on a breakaway and Melissa Gruber (Jr. • Oak Creek) headed in a corner kick. Four minutes later, UW-Stout also scored a pair of goals four minutes apart as Carrie Schrank blasted an open shot from 15 yards out and Shannon Hermes headed in a cross just inside the post.

The scoring outbreak continued less than five minutes later when UW-Oshkosh regained the lead as Nikki Goes (So. • Mokena, Ill.) slid a pass through the defense that Mandy Vinje (Fr. • Madison) collected and finished on a wide open shot. The Blue Devils tied the match just before halftime when Hermes made a nifty move around a Titan defender and scored with 27 seconds left, giving UW-Stout apparent momentum heading into halftime.

However, the Titans controlled the second half, firing five shots in the first seven minutes, including the go-ahead goal by Kunick, who scored on a breakaway similar to her first goal off a long pass from Maggie Hoffman (Fr. • Waukesha). Melissa Ballweg kept the Blue Devils in the match with 13 saves, including 10 in the second half. The Titans added an insurance goal with 5:17 left when Kunick headed a ball to Gruber, who scored for the second time in the match.

UW-Stout managed two shots in the final four minutes as the Titans held a 16-2 advantage on shots in the second half and 28-7 for the match.

UW-Oshkosh, which matched a school single-season record with its 15th win, played to a 2-2 double overtime tie with UW-Stout on Oct. 24.

With a new head coach and the inheritance of five starters and three reserves from last year's squad that posted a 14-5-2 record (5-2-1 WIAC), the UW-Oshkosh women's soccer team enters the 2004 season looking to continue its development and ascent within the WIAC.

Last fall, UW-Oshkosh recorded 13-plus wins for the third time in four seasons and came within seconds of claiming a share of the WIAC championship. UW-Oshkosh tallied the second-highest victory count in school history a year ago by yielding just 11 goals and shutting out 12 of its 21 opponents. The Titans lost all five of their matches by one goal last season, including a contest with 14 seconds left in double overtime to eventual WIAC champion UW-River Falls. UW-Oshkosh also played scoreless ties a year ago with perennial NCAA Division III powers UW-Stevens Point and Wheaton College (Ill.).

UW-Oshkosh's maturation process and mission will be guided this fall by former All-WIAC standout Erin Leinweber. Leinweber, an Oshkosh native who helped UW-Stevens Point to a pair of WIAC championships as a player in the mid-1990s, comes to UW-Oshkosh from North Park University (Ill.), where she served as the school's head women's soccer coach the past three seasons.

A good combination of experience, youth and depth will serve as key components for Leinweber's first UW-Oshkosh team. Expected to lead this year's UW-Oshkosh squad are returning starters Michelle John (21 starts), Nicole Kunick (21 starts), Kristen Malmstrom (20 starts), Karin Reinke (21 starts) and Stacy Stroud (21 starts) and 2003 letter winners Christine Barutha (1 start), Nikki Goes and Kristi Olejnik. Providing additional leadership to this year's squad is Melissa Gruber, who sat out the 2003 season after starting 36 of a possible 38 matches for the Titans over the 2001 and 2002 campaigns.

Reinke (Sr. • Green Bay), a midfielder, is UW-Oshkosh's most heralded returning performer. Last season, Reinke received NCAA Division III All-Central Region third team and All-WIAC first team honors after scoring 20 points on eight goals and four assists. Reinke counted four goals and five assists for the Titans in 2002 and six goals and six assists in 2001. She has started 47 of UW-Oshkosh's 59 matches the past three seasons.

Kunick (Jr. • Green Bay), a forward, was UW-Oshkosh's top scorer last season, compiling 24 points on a team-best 11 goals and two assists. She had four goals and one assist for the Titans in 2002.

Midfielders John (So. • Whitefish Bay) and Stroud (Jr. • New Berlin) both tallied five goals last season to rank third on the team behind Kunick and Reinke. John also contributed three assists a year ago and Stroud one. Stroud recorded one goal for UW-Oshkosh in 2002.

Malmstrom (Jr. • Brookfield), a defender, played a key role in UW-Oshkosh holding last year's opponents to less than one goal per match. Malmstrom has scored one goal for the Titans in each of the past two seasons.

Barutha (Jr. • Brookfield), a goalkeeper, compiled a 0.79 goals against average last year after allowing three goals in nearly 340 minutes in the net. Barutha started five contests for UW-Oshkosh in 2002, posting a 0.19 goals against average on the year after yielding just one goal in nearly 483 minutes played. Olejnik (Sr. Elm Grove), a midfielder, had two goals and three assists for the Titans last year and one goal and one assist in 2002. Goes (So. • Mokena, Ill.), a midfielder, had one goal in her limited playing time a year ago.

Gruber (Jr. • Oak Creek), a midfielder, brings thrust to the UW-Oshkosh attack. She registered nine goals and two assists for the Titans in 2002 and six goals and six assists in 2001. Gruber ranked second on the team in goals both seasons.

Another past letter winner returning to the Titans this season is Katy Werginz (So. • Waupaca). Werginz, a forward, rejoins UW-Oshkosh this year after sitting out the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In 2001, she had five goals and three assists.

UW-Oshkosh's list of newcomers is led by freshmen Katie Cobb of De Pere, Dana Gudel of Middleton, sisters Jessie and Maggie Hoffman of Waukesha South, Kendall Hugel of Cary Grove (Ill.), Kristyn Piotrowski of Stevens Point and Mindy Vinje of Madison La Follette high schools.