The Scots return nearly everyone from last year’s team which finished fifth in the Midwest Conference for the second straight year. The league’s coaches saw no reason to rank the Scots any higher in the pre-season poll, something McNamara may use for motivation.

"I understand why we’re picked fifth," said McNamara. "If we just changed the outcome of one game each of the last two years, we wouldn’t have been on the outside looking in. The team has set the goal of getting into the conference tournament and I think that’s a very achievable goal."

Part of McNamara’s optimism is the experience his squad returns (10 starters) plus the addition of some capable players (eight IHSSCA-honored recruits) to bolster the lineup. The top two scorers from last season, lone senior Sarah Kisner (East Moline, Ill./United Township) and sophomore Megan Meeke (Elmhurst, Ill./York), will likely patrol the midfield. Meeke should be in a more comfortable role at midfield after necessity moved her to forward as a freshman. Kisner will add some muscle and could move into the top three goalscorers all-time at Monmouth. "Strong" sophomore Becca Baur (Jacksonville, Ill./Jacksonville) and "gifted" freshman Kelly Russell (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) will also be in the mix.

A deep and talented roster means the Scots will have some options at all positions. Junior Emily Caron (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) and freshmen Katie Fluegel (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah) and Danica Rogers (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle) expect to provide support. Injured junior Holly White (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) will contribute once she heals.

The Scots recruited heavily at the forward position and McNamara will have his pick of a sophomore and five freshmen. Returner Niki Sue Williams (Elmhurst, Ill./Immaculate Conception), who netted a hat trick vs. Ripon last fall, will join freshmen Amy Unzicker (Morton, Ill./Morton), Molly Ball (Charleston, Ill./Charleston), Erica Kurth (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle), Valerie Piekos (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) and Nicole Mazor (Crestwood, Ill./Shepard) as a talented and deep pool of forwards. Piekos and Mazor could also see action in the midfield.

Three of the newcomers enter college with excellent credentials, scoring a combined 95 goals as high school seniors. Unzicker, who will also play fall tennis, was a first team all-state performer. Ball, Mazor and Kurth each earned all-sectional honors their senior year, and Piekos did as a sophomore.

What had been an off-season concern has proved to be yet another bright spot for the Scots. Returning junior defenders Lauren Vana (Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South) and Whitney Ott (Moline, Ill./Alleman) and sophomores Hillary Broms (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) and Brittney Parker (Waukegan, Ill./Warren) provide a formidable back four.

"Each one of these players is pretty special," praised McNamara. "Vana is one of our toughest kids, Broms is one of the smartest defenders you’ll ever see, Ott is a tough competitor and Parker is a returning all-conference player."

If any of the defenders need a break, former starter Lindsay Johnson (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington), a junior, will be available. Johnson, tabbed as the team’s fastest player, is coming back from a minor injury in the pre-season. Freshmen Emily Shoemaker (Silvis, Ill./United Township) and Cristina Frigo (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) are also expected to find action on the field.

If opponents get past the Scots defensive wall, they’ll have to contend with sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Wintersteen (Bloomington, Ill./U-High). Wintersteen, who played the majority of the time in goal last season while setting a team record for minutes played, has again won the job over capable additions Katerina Meletis (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) and Molly McKeown (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest).

"We feel we’ll be starting 11 quality players," said McNamara. "After the starters, we have good depth with a lot of quality."

It may be easy to draw comparisons with the 2005 team that made the school’s first appearance in the league tournament, but McNamara is hedging on that comparison.

"The 2005 team had two first team all-conference players, one at sweeper and one at forward," reported McNamara. "If we have some outstanding scoring this year, I think we can do what we did in ’05."