Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS but I am not sure if we've put a com- plete game together just yet." The Irish open the regular season Aug. 28 in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic against Maryland at Bill Arm- strong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. DEFENSE KEY FOR NO. 9 WOMEN'S SOCCER Two talented and veteran defenders will lead the way for the Irish, who received a No. 9 preseason rankin. Senior defender Cari Roccaro, a two- time All-ACC first-team selection, re- turns after being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list (awarded to college soccer's best player) for the third straight year. Senior defender Katie Naughton was named to the All- ACC second-team last season and has already made 67 starts in her Irish ca- reer with a season still to go. "We've got a handful of players that can all play center back and do a very good job," head coach Theresa Romag- nolo said. "We've got a lot of outside backs who've got good feet, who can attack for us but also be great defend- ers. "I think the back line will be experi- enced, athletic and technical, which is great for us because we're looking to build out of the back." The midfield will be led by senior captain Glory Williams, with junior Sandra Yu and sophomore Sabrina Flores also looking to make contri- butions. Offensively, Notre Dame returns se- nior Anna Maria Gilbertson, whose four goals last year are tied with Naughton for most among returning players, and junior Kaleigh Olmsted, who tied Gilbertson with a team-high 10 points in 2014. True freshman Nata- lie Jacobs could also break into the lineup, after a prep career in which she was ranked No. 6 in the Top Drawer Soccer Girls IMG Academy 150 rank- ings. "On the front line, we have a lot of people who can score goals," Romag- nolo said. "I think it'll be interesting to see who steps up this season. That's one big question mark for us, is we're going to see who's going to emerge. "Who wants to be that goal scorer for us, or goal scorers?" Junior Kaela Little returns at goal- keeper after playing a large majority of the minutes last year, when she al- lowed just 16 markers, made 72 saves and posted 12 shutouts. ND opened the season Aug. 21 with a 6-0 home win over Valparaiso. CROSS COUNTRY ADDS TALENTED FRESHMEN Head coach Alan Turner retains a valuable contributor for the 2015 sea- son in senior Molly Seidel. The veteran runner won the 10,000 meters at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships — the first individual national title for a woman in program history — and was also named a UST- FCCCA All-American in cross country after placing 19th overall at the NCAA Championships last year. But Turner could also have his next Seidel waiting in the wings, with the addition of incoming freshman Anna Rohrer. She earned 2014-15 Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of