JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — If there's a word to describe the 2010 Carson-Newman College women's soccer team, it would be "offended." The No. 5-ranked Lady Eagles were picked by the coaches in the South Atlantic Conference to finish second in the conference behind rival Tusculum.
"Coming into the season fifth in the nation and the SAC ranking us second is a slap in the face," senior All-SAC defender Melissa Morris (Sweetwater, Tenn.) said. "It has lit a little fire underneath us. It gives us something to prove."
Carson-Newman is coming in from a fantastic 20-3-1 season where they made it all the way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight before being knocked out by West Florida 2-1 in the final minutes.
It's a loss that has stuck with the Lady Eagles.
"We were two minutes away from the Final Four in Tampa, Fla. and saw it slip through our fingers," Morris said. "That was one of the hardest things to deal with."
The Carson-Newman women also had to deal with the departure of head coach Phil McNamara, who took over the program at UT-Martin.
Stepping onto the pitch in command of the Lady Eagles this season will be Carol Bonnes. Bonnes joins the program from Concord (W.Va.) University, where she led the Mountain Lions to a 24-15-1 record. Bonnes hopes her talented squad will be overlooked and counted out because of the coaching change.
"It's going to work to our advantage," Bonnes said. "This coaching change is an easier transition than they realize. The character of the ladies is excellent. The team morale and how close they are shows up on the field. The girls have rallied together and want to get past last year's Elite Eight."
Bonnes has a fiery group with eight returning starters, five of whom made the preseason All-SAC team. Morris, midfielders Andrea Saevik (Bolandet, Norway) and Morgan Gruenenfelder (Sweetwater, Tenn.) along with forward Trenna Howell (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) are all first-team selections.
Gruenenfelder thinks that Bonnes' coaching style is a perfect fit for the Lady Eagles.
"I hated to see Phil go, but Carol coming in has reignited the fire," Gruenenfelder said. "I think we needed a change. It's exciting."
Bonnes didn't come to town empty handed. She brought with her a talented group of freshmen including freshman Bianca Hall (Newcastle, England) who transferred over from Concord to play for her coach. Freshman Sylvia Palermo (Wintergarden, Fla.) has also caught some eyes in early work.
The nucleus of last year's team remains with defenders Katie Hunter (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), Brianna Buckley (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and Sam Thomsit (Bristol, England) as well as midfielder Lizeth Munguia (Wilmington, N.C.).
Regardless of where the SAC coaches feel Carson-Newman should finish, the Lady Eagles have their eyes on one thing, a trip to the Final Four. They were just moments away from it last season and the taste has left them hungry.
"I think a bunch of teams in our conference aren't respecting us like they should,"
Howell said. "It's motivation to work harder. To get there with a new coach would be amazing."
Gruenenfelder summed it up perfectly, saying, "We want to prove everybody wrong. It's just up to us."
The Lady Eagles open the season on Friday against Pfeiffer in the Queens Tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Match time is set for 6 p.m.
