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DETROIT -- After two exhibition matches and daily practices since the beginning of August, the Titan women's soccer team is ready to kick off the 2011 season and will head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to face Central Michigan Friday evening at 4:00 p.m. Live stats will also be available to follow online.

The Titans return 14 letterwinners in 2011 to head coach Mike Lupenec's squad that finished 2010 with an 8-7-5 overall record, including a 3-3-2 conference mark, finishing as the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League as we take a closer look at this year's squad.

Senior defender Alexandra Suschak (Broadview Heights, OH /Brecksville Broadview Heights) will look to lead the backfield after being named to the Horizon League's first team a year ago. Fellow Horizon League honoree Kaitlyn Quarrell (Thunder Bay, ON/St. Ignatius), who was named to the All-League second team and the All-Newcomer team, also returns to help push the Titans to a Horizon League Championship. Both were also named to the Horizon League's All-Tournament team. Quarrell, Abby McCollum (La Salle, MI/Monroe), and goalkeeper Nora Abolins (Demorestville, ON/Centennial) were all named to the All-Newcomer team.

“I think our practices have gone very well. A lot of our girls that returned came in fit so that means they are very serious as to where we want to take this program this year and I think with the freshmen who are coming on board it's going to make us a better team than we were last year,” stated Lupenec.

There are eight newcomers to this year's team including seven freshmen. Miranda Dufresne (Cambridge, ON/St. Benedicts), Victoria Sollestre (West Bloomfield, MI/Marian), Alyssa Riley (Whitby, ON/Father Leo J. Austin), Alyssa Lotito (Macomb, MI/Eisenhower), Abbey Troy (Lake Orion, MI/Our Lady of the Lakes), Sam Pierce (Casco, MI/Cardinal Mooney), and Nicole Borek (Lansing, MI/Holt) make up the cast of freshmen newcomers. Sophomore Laura Lecce (Tecumseh, ON/St. Anne's) also joins Detroit after transferring from the University of Windsor.

Forwards

The Titans made the conference tournament in 2010 for the 17th time in 18 years under Lupenec. Detroit downed No. 3 seed Cleveland State in the first round on the strength of two goals from Quarrell. The freshman ended the year leading the team in both goals (6) and points (15) and returns up front with fellow sophomore McCollum and junior Nina Carter (Clinton Twp., MI/Chippewa Valley). Carter finished second on last year's team in scoring with five goals and 12 points while McCollum finished third on the team with four goals and 11 total points.

“Kaitlyn and Nina are back. They are both very athletic and always seem to get behind people. Then you have Abby who was on the All-Newcomer team who came in with a different attitude this year and knows what it's all about as a sophomore,” said Lupenec.

The speed of Quarrell and Carter mixed in with the size of McCollum and the addition of Riley who will also see time at the midfield position gives Lupenec flexibility in the team's offensive third of the field. One strength from last year's team was scoring flexibility. 13 different players scored at least one goal and 15 players registered at least one point in the team's 20 games. The Titans scored 31 goals (1.72 per game) in 18 regular season games in 2010. The mark placed Detroit in a tie with Milwaukee for the best mark in the Horizon League.

“I think offensively we're going to be able to cause some problems. The question that every team has is whether you can put your chances away. If we put them away, I think we can win many games this year and compete for a Horizon League Championship,” stated Lupenec.

Midfield

In the midfield, senior Lauren Roffey (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) and junior Sarah Dzuris (Rochester Hills, MI/Rochester) will anchor the two inside midfield positions. Dzuris finished with 11 points last year which placed her third on the team in that category while she also topped all Titans with five assists.

“We have Alyssa Riley who is an athletic player and a good passer who sees the game well along with Roffey and Dzuris, both of who are from last year's squad. We also have Alison Suschak basically rounding up our midfield,” added Lupenec.

Senior Alison Suschak (Broadview Heights, OH /Brecksville Broadview Heights), who will serve as one of the team's four co-captains in the upcoming season, will see time in the midfield, but along with Dufresne, Sollestre, and Borek can be moved around between the various field positions. Lupenec will try to mesh everyone together and find their best spot on the field this upcoming season.

Defense/Goalkeepers

In the backfield, an experienced line of Alexandra Suschak and senior Alyssa Korson (Suttons Bay, MI/Lake Leelanau St. Mary's) along with juniors Rebekah Dornbos (Midland, MI/Midland) and Mary Leone (St. Clair Shores, MI/Lakeview) will be looked upon to keep opposing teams off the scoreboard. Last year, the defense allowed just 21 goals ranking them third in the league behind Milwaukee (20) and Green Bay (15) including eight team shutouts. Lupenec will also look to junior Janae Paveglio (Flushing, MI/Flushing), senior Rebecca Pidgeon (Ann Arbor, MI/Huron), or one of the newcomers in Lecce, Borek, Sollestre, Lotito, or Troy to step in and fill any major voids.

In net, goalkeeper Abolins posted seven of those eight shutouts which fell two shy of a Titan record nine set in 2005 by Katie Fortenberry. Abolins and sophomore Emily Oberheim (Springfield, VA/Lee) will work together this year as Oberheim made four appearances in goal last season and also a fifth appearance in the field recording a goal against Marygrove.

“The goaltending position is basically Nora and Emily and I think they work well together. Emily had an injury coming in so she is just bouncing back now. Nora is very fit, very focused, and she is one of our captains this year. She does a great job with regards to supporting the other members of the team and guiding them in the right direction defensively,” commented Lupenec.

The Titans will play seven regular season contests at home with four of those against Horizon League opponents. Detroit will also host Eastern Michigan, Madonna, and Oakland. On the road the Titans will travel to Milwaukee, Youngstown State, Loyola, and Cleveland State and also play non-conference tilts at IUPUI, Bowling Green, Marygrove, Eastern Kentucky, the regular season opener at Central Michigan on Aug. 19, and a midseason contest in East Lansing against the Spartans of Michigan State.

“We'll find out real soon what people off the bench are going to help us but I'm excited with regards to how our team is going to compete this year. We have enough pieces offensively and defensively to be very competitive this year.”

Central Michigan will open its season Friday as well. The Chippewas have captured two-straight Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament crowns, and features nine returning starters and 15 letterwinners. After falling in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Chippewas will be ready to start off in the right direction. Central Michigan finished the 2010 campaign with the 12th best goals-against average in Division I, while posting the 17th best shutout percentage. In 2009, they led the nation with 19 shutouts while their .792 shutout percentage also led the country and was the fifth-best mark ever recorded by a Division I program.

Detroit will return home after Friday's game to host Eastern Michigan Tuesday in the 2011 Titan Field Opener. Tuesday's match is set for 4:00 p.m.