Butler Soccer set to open 2011 campaign with Butler Classic

The Grizzlies open their 2011 campaingn when they host the Butler Classic. The classic is a three team round robin tournament format. The Grizzlies will play host to Iowa Western on Friday, August 26 at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, August 27 Iowa Western will then take on Laramie County, out of Wyoming, at 2:00 p.m. The weekend will conclude on Sunday, August 28 when the Grizzlies then host Laramie County at 11:00 a.m. The Grizzlies come into the season with a pre-season ranking of #11 while both Iowa Western #3 and Laramie County #5 participated in the 2010 NJCAA National Tournament. All games for the Butler Classic will be played on the campus of Butler Community College.

2011 SEASON OUTLOOK

Butler Soccer has never experienced a losing season and looks to 2011 for another top-notch performance on all levels. After going 9-9-1 during the inaugural season of 2002, the Grizzlies have established a dominant 135-41-6 all time record including going 15-5-0 in last season. The 2010 season saw the team spend several weeks in the NSCAA Top 15 and finish with a final ranking of #11. 2011 will be no different as the Grizzlies start the season with a NSCAA preseason ranking of #11. The Grizzlies' will make a concentrated effort to recapture the KJCCC Championship as well as advance to the NJCAA National Tournament in 2011.

"To be the best, you must beat the best."

The road to success is never an easy one and the 2011 schedule proves to be filled with many difficult obstacles in the form of top level opponents. The Grizzlies' schedule will be littered with Top 20 programs from across the country, including three of the eight teams that played in the 2010 national tournament. The Grizzlies open the season with the Butler Classic which will bring two national tournament teams, Iowa Western and Laramie County (WY) to El Dorado. Over Labor Day weekend, the Grizzlies will travel to Dallas, TX to take on the 2009 NJCAA DIII National Champions, Richland College, and 2011 DI national runner-up Tyler JC. During the conference season, Butler will travel to #20 Hutchinson for a rematch of the 2010 Region VI Championship match. The Grizzlies will also host #14 Johnson County, a rematch of the Grizzlies thrilling 1-0 Region semi-final victory over the Cavaliers. The Team will also battle with top level conference talents Barton, Cloud, Cowley and Neosho County.

"We will continue to do what Butler Soccer has always done, succeed! We will compete for conference and regional championships while fighting for that coveted spot into the national tournament. We will also produce some of the finest student-athletes that will prosper in the class and community," declares Head Coach Adam Hunter. Butler soccer continues to lead the way in the KJCCC with 16 Academic All-Americans and 25 Academic All-Conference players.

The 2011 roster is highlighted by eight returning sophomores, including NJCAA All-Region VI players Perla Hernandez, Mandi Roan, Natausha Sanchez, Melanie Nuessen and KJCCC All-Conference defender Kelsey Garrison. Hernandez who scored the game winner in the 1-0 region semi-final vs Johnson County returns to the pitch after tallying a school record 29 assists to go along with her 6 goals in 2010. Defensive standout Mandi Roan will return as the Grizzlies' leading goal-scorer with 12 goals and 7 assists and Sanchez comes back this fall as Butler's most productive offensive player with 10 goals and 14 assists. In addition to the scoring power returning for the Grizzles, the team also welcomes back their entire back line (Roan, Garrison, Dusti Greenlee, and Abi Schnetzler) who will be anchored by goal keeper Mel Nuessen. Also returning to the roster is midfielder Kelsey Gresham.

Returning sophomores will be joined by 15 freshmen all competing for their spot in the starting 11. Stephanie Bonilla and Carla Daniels will be a step ahead of their classmates this fall, having joined the Grizzlies for the 2011 spring semester. Bonilla is a 2010 graduate of South Garland (TX) where she earned all-district honors and played in the national tournament as a FC Dallas club player. Daniels comes to Butler as the Grizzlies first national team player. Daniels played with the Jamaican National Team in the 2008 CONCACAF Under-17 Women's World Cup Qualifiers in Trinidad & Tobago where she saw the pitch in two of three matches. She came on as a sub in a loss to Mexico and then started the match in a 4:3 loss to eventual third place finishers Canada. Daniels is a former Los Perfectos club player and will train with the Jamaican U20's before returning to Butler in August. The Grizzlies have also added Irish National Team goalkeeper Aisling Dyer to the 2011 roster. Having represented her country at the U17, U19, and senior levels, she will compete for a starting role in the net. Making the trip from Ireland to join Dyer will be holding midfielder and Dundalk club teammate Aisling Kerr. The battle for time in the goal box will also include stand-out goalkeeper from the Wichita Storm, Kayla Weakly (Wichita, KS). The Grizzlies defense will be bolstered with the back line additions of: Casie Greenlee (Valley Center, KS), Siarra Quintana (Amarillo, TX) and local talent Merriah Endsley (Andover, KS). In the attack, the Grizzlies welcome: Mari Ruvalcaba (Garden City, KS), Abby Ponce (Oxnard, CA), Alyssa Miller (Thornton, CO), Kaila Sneath (Hutchinson, KS), Megan Snyder (Overland Park, KS), and JeeHye Yi (Amarillo, TX). Ruvalcaba was the leader of Garden City where she won four straight conference championships and took her team to two state final fours. Ponce becomes the third California player to join the Butler program and will do so after earning a trial with the Mexican National Team in Los Angeles, CA. Miller was the go-to offensive player at Horizon High School and will be looked upon to help replace some of the goals lost to the graduation of All-American Cindy Benitez. Sneath, the captain at Hutch High, will look to help lead the Butler midfield. Snyder, the starting center-midfielder for #1 SMNW, led her team to the state championship match as a senior. Yi comes to Butler from always strong Amarillo High and she will be looked upon to add her individual skill to what promises to be a potent offense. The final addition to the Grizzlies is hometown product Charity Hon. Hon led her team, Circle High, in scoring as a junior and senior and her athleticism will fit nicely into the Grizzly attack.

"Our 2011 roster will have many expectations to meet. We look forward to watching this team grow and excel together," explains Coach Hunter.