The match will make history on two different levels, serving as the first-ever varsity contest for the visiting Red Devils. It will also feature Monmouth’s largest women’s soccer roster in nine years, with 27 players in uniform, including 15 who will be suiting up for the Fighting Scots for the first time.

"We’ve expanded our schedule by two games, so we definitely have our sights set on posting a double-digit win total for the third straight season," said McNamara, whose 2006 squad finished 10-5-1. "To reach the MWC playoffs, we need to finish at least fourth, and we feel that’s within reach as well."

Last year, Monmouth was tied in the second half against three of the league’s four playoff teams. The Scots couldn’t hang on, though, losing twice by 1-0 scores on their way to fifth-place MWC finish.

"We were in every single game we played last year," said McNamara, whose team’s lone non-conference loss was also by a 1-0 score. "I’m hoping we’ll see a similar development this year, as we should be strong enough defensively to stay in the game against everyone we play."

Leading the defense is sophomore sweeper Whitney Ott, one of two returners who started every game last year. Ott’s speed and hard-nosed style make her a natural for the defensive "quarterback" position, and McNamara is expecting more of the same from her this fall.

The back four’s other central defender figures to be freshman Becca Baur (Jacksonville), an IHSSCA All-Sectional pick in the spring.

"Although we lost a great player (Kristin Mertel) to graduation at the stopper position, we feel Becca possesses many of the same talents and should allow us to go forward without missing a beat," said McNamara.

"Lindsay was our starting sweeper for about 15 minutes last year until she got hurt," said McNamara. "If she stays healthy, I expect her to play a big role for us, and she has really looked good so far in practice. Many of the other players are versatile, and if they don’t win a spot in the back four, they’ll be able to help us in the midfield or on offense."

The team’s final line of defense also features an interesting battle, with last year’s spot starter, Kayla Trammell, being challenged by freshmen Sarah Wintersteen (Normal University) and Kim Howard (Immaculate Conception).

"They all bring different strengths to the table, and I imagine they’ll all see plenty of action through the first few games of the season," said McNamara.

The final position with primarily defensive responsibilities is one of the team’s two central midfielders, and McNamara is happy to welcome back sophomore Lauren Vana at that spot.

"Vana was such a big addition for us last year," he said. "She comes from a great high school program, and she is one of our most physical players, in addition to having one of the stronger legs on the team."

The attacking center mid figures to be junior Sarah Kisner, who also started all of the team’s 16 games last fall. At the halfway point in her career, she has 13 goals and six assists.

"Sarah has a rocket shot and can also score with her head," said McNamara. "Although she can handle herself well in the back half of the field, we’re going to push her forward as much as we can to get her involved in the offense."

Two players who could flank Vana and Kisner are outside midfielders Lauren "Lolo" Lafond and Holly White. Lafond, a senior who will co-captain the team with Kisner, has seven goals and four assists in her college career, while White is a strong player with outstanding ball skills who was slowed by injury last season. Other midfield candidates are sophomores Sally Hayes, Tina Rohrbach, Claudia Gomez and twins Jessie and Lisa Fetherling, who transferred from Illinois State.

"Lolo really made a big jump for us as a sophomore in the midfield, and we’re hoping that at least one of those five sophomores will make similar strides this fall," said McNamara, who noted that Rohrbach and Hayes are both ahead of their fitness pace from a year ago.

Up front, Monmouth will need to replace a pair of double-digit goalscorers, but McNamara hopes the combination of freshmen Niki Sue Williams (Immaculate Conception) and Megan Meeke (York) will be able to find the back of the net with regularity. Williams is coming off a 32-goal season in high school, and she and Meeke are former club soccer teammates.

"They are both great athletes who play with a lot of energy, and we’re going to have them on the field together as much as we can," said McNamara.

Parker is also a possibility to see extensive action on offense. Senior Jenny Tunberg, junior Kari Sippel and sophomore transfer Ashley Swenson are also in the mix up top.

"We open with six non-conference games, so we should have a pretty good idea of our team strengths by the time we play our first league game (Sept. 19 at Illinois College)," said McNamara, whose team was picked by league coaches to repeat its fifth-place finish from a year ago. "Right now, I’d guess that we are going to be above-average defensively. If we can find players to finish our offensive chances, we could put together a very special season."

Veteran assistant coach Dick Johnston is again helping out with the team, as is volunteer coach Jaime Godina.