With the women’s soccer preseason camp underway and the season starting in just a few weeks, the team is looking forward to the upcoming season.
With the 2024 season, the Bulldogs went 8-7-4 (7-6-2 in GLIAC) on their way to a spot in the GLIAC tournament, where they lost in the quarterfinals to the Davenport Panthers 1-0. Ferris State went 3-5-3 at home and 5-2-1 when on the road.
The preseason fall camp is already underway, and head coach Greg Hensen talked a little about the team this season.
“We are excited for the upcoming season to officially get underway in the next few weeks as we prepare for our season opener on September 4th, followed by our home opener on Sunday, September 7th,” Hensen said. “We have a strong group of returners bolstered by a talented and large group of incoming players, including 11 freshmen and 3 transfers. The team is focused on getting better every day, and with the aim of being ready to play a very tough regional opponent in Cedarville University on the 4th.”
Last season, the Bulldogs were third in the conference with 28 goals, third in assists with 23, third in shots on goal with 130, second with a 1.47 goals per game average, and recorded 0.89 yellow cards per game and no red cards in the entire season, which was an eight-way tie in the conference.
In the 2024 campaign, junior forward Katherine Welch was the team’s points leader with 16 points. Welch also led the team in assists with six, tied with junior forward Haley Buckman, with five goals on the year, and led the team with 47 shots.
Welch is looking forward to the upcoming season, especially with the team’s current look, and believes they can grow from last season.
“I am extremely excited to begin this new season with such an amazing team,” Welch said. “We are in the process of learning to be a team that gives 100%, 100% of the time on and off the field. I believe with that mindset, our team will be able to do great things this year, and I can’t wait to continue to grow with everyone this season.”
Freshman Morgan Fillion led the goalies with 54 saves per game for a save percentage of .750, which was eighth in the GLIAC last season. Fillion ended the season with five shutouts, which was sixth in the conference.
Ferris State currently sits at fourth in the GLIAC Preseason coaches’ poll, behind the Northern Michigan Wildcats, the Grand Valley State Lakers, and the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals, with Northern Michigan winning the GLIAC last season.
Senior defender Bella Vallone is excited for the new girls to join the team and be a part of their special team culture.
“The season is approaching fast, and we’re in our preseason right now, which I believe is going very well,” Vallone said.“ We have 13 new players, 11 being freshmen and two being transfers, and the focus we have right now is getting them acclimated to our culture and teaching them how Ferris State women’s soccer plays. In my opinion, it’s been going great. They are picking up very fast and being absorbed quickly into how we do things. Team culture is huge for our team, so making the 13 new players feel welcomed and supported is our number one goal, especially when we have several incoming players who will have huge impacts this season.”
The Bulldog’s season opener is Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Cedarville University Yellowjackets. The home opener will be Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. vs. the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds.