2011, What a Year!

Our 2011 journey was filled with many special memories.  It started in the off-season with our awesome seniors and their leadership.  This 2011 group headed into the off-season and one word comes to mind…opportunity.  After graduating seven very good core players in 2010, this 2011 group had to step up…and they did!  The group went undefeated in the spring beating Western Illinois, Truman, Maryville, and the Alumni…and tying Evansville.  Once August hit, this group kept building its momentum.   We started out going 7-0 and Nationally Ranked as high as 3^rd in the Country...a school record.  Two major keys to this year’s success were our team defending and having a variety of players step up at different times to score goals.  Total team effort.

Our defense only allowed 10 goals all season and recorded 14 shutouts, which both tied school records.  Some thrilling games were the WI-Parkside 2-1 home win, Drury 1-0 road overtime win from a Lauren Drewett bomb, Truman 3-0 home win, two Rockhurst home wins, and knocking off Northern Kentucky on their home turf in the GLVC Semifinals.  All of those were magical nights but that NKU night was something every one of our Lady Hawks will remember for the rest of our lives as we will never face the Norse again. 

This was a very strong year for the GLVC as five teams made the NCAA Tournament.  The opponents were as tough as our program has ever faced but as always, we focused on the next game/opponent.  In those tough games, two key sayings we used often were “find a way to win” and “Enjoy da Moment”.  Lead by our seniors, this team went 15-5-2, made a record sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and we were a PK shootout away from taking home the GLVC Championship. It was tough going into that shootout when our opponent was in the stands watching during our semifinal shootout.  Just ask the 2011 US Women’s National team.  Even though we fell a shootout short, every one of these ladies were Champions.  The experiences we had together will last a lifetime and the memories with this group are priceless. This group did all the little things right.

For the third year in a row, another class of seniors will get to graduate from Quincy University saying they made FOUR NCAA TOURNAMENTS.  Wow, that is special.  It has almost become expected and part of our Quincy Lady Hawk tradition.  What outsiders do not truly understand is that the real reason to the success we have does not get seen.  The true key to our success is our teams behind the scenes off-season work (goals and development), in-season training and preparation, and our team cohesiveness.  Our togetherness is the key to everything we do.

What a fun group lead by awesome seniors, what special memories that were earned through preparation and training, and what a year we will always remember.  I am thankful for the memories...let's do it again!  "The Lady Hawk Way!"

Dave Musso

Lady Hawk Walk with Emma and Lori!

Once a Lady Hawk ALWAYS a Lady Hawk

The journey for every senior was started freshman year excited about being able to play the sport they love for another four years. There were butterflies of it being our first preseason on a college level and the thought of how difficult it is going to be. For the six seniors this preseason was our last. With that is what motivated us to do our best and that carried all the way through this great season.

There are many different things that could be remembered from this year but to touch on some of them. With the beginning of the season and starting to play with new freshman we went 7-0! An amazing accomplishment. It was always great to hear “seniors have you ever been 7-0?” and being able to say “NO!” This was exciting for everyone on the team, birds were flying high. As the season went on one other favorite memory was the NKU game at NKU during the GLVC Tournament. In the four years that seniors have been here we have never beat NKU. We were told to forget the past, all the games in the past the only game we needed to focus on was the next game, and the next game was NKU. We wanted to make it to the conference championship and say that we beat NKU. We did it we beat NKU in PK’S! Most exciting moment is watching Emma Walker’s PK go in and knowing that we just beat NKU! #BIRDZFLYINHIGH This was a moment the seniors will never forget, having a giant dog pile knowing we were going to the conference championship. Although the conference championship did not go our way, we fought hard. The NCAA Tournament was next. Making this the 6th straight time this program has made the national tournament is a nod to the coach who has made it all possible. 6 is a serious number and we were ready to make our way to Allendale, Michigan. The place where the seniors post season began. Ready to go with our warm baseball coats, we were ready to face Parkside. A night game under lights in November is where every team wants to be. It was magical. The game was a great game; just it wasn’t in our cards to win that one. We all wanted it, all 25 of us wanted to win that game. Unfortunately this was our last game of the season. The moment when you have the mini meeting with coaches, and taking off our stuff for the last time is when you realize this is a special group of girls. This is a unique group with all of us being there for each other from the beginning to the end. After Jodi’s speech and the seniors’ last words we did our final cheer “Quincy Lady Hawks”.

The memories are the thing we have to remember this unbelievable season. The little things (the gnome), the competitions (Aimee, Drewett and also Teeny and Lori), and the tradition (on the bus) is what holds us all together. These are the moments we will never forget. This season was the best season a senior could have asked for, this group we had was such a special group and will never be forgotten. We have to remember we shed sweat, blood and tears for this team and we are proud to be a Lady Hawk. Good Luck to the Lady Hawks in the future years and make that SEVEN trips to the NCAA Tournament, for us alumni!

Bergie Bower
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

GLVC Tournament Update: Semifinal against Northern Kentucky University

2011 Post-Season

Well, the regular season has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It’s hard to believe we have played over two months of games. Like any other season, we have experienced some amazing highs and some not-so-fortunate lows. Soccer is one of the few sports where you can completely outplay a team and still come out on the losing end, which is the hardest loss to take. Being in post-season, that’s just not an option anymore. It wouldn’t be a typical Lady Hawk season without stopping to refocus on what our team is capable of and what it’ll take to get there. Saturday our focus was on getting past Rockhurst to the next weekend. Now it’s on getting past NKU to that championship game. I’m sure all the other seniors, like myself, are experiencing that strange feeling knowing we will never play on our own field again, but what a way to leave our home with a big post-season win to keep our season alive.

Megan Wingenbach
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

Weekend Update with Head Coach Dave Musso and Senior Aimee Ubriaco

Birdz Flyin High

We’re entering into one of the best months of the year, in my opinion. Next to February (my birthday month) and December (duh, Christmas), October is such a great month. There are beautiful colors all around. The weather is just perfect; just chilly enough for a jacket, but no need for pants. The most candy-intensive holiday ends it. And most of all, it is the very best time to play soccer.

We’re 10-1 (How flipping awesome!) entering the final month of regular season. Each game is getting more and more important to win. As a senior, I’m beginning to realize this could be the last time I will play some of these teams….ever. And as usual, there’s a pride factor; I can’t leave my last impression with a loss/tie. It’s gotta be a WIN! As a member of this incredible team, I’m focused on finding ways to win games. That’s what good teams do in October. They find ways to finish their schedule in a way that will put them in the best position. If we just keep playing well and finishing games on top, we’ll be in good position.

I get so excited seeing this team and its potential, and I have to calm myself down all the time to refocus and understand this season is a marathon. Each game is as equally important as the last and the next one. Plus, I swear half of my team doesn’t even understand how well we’re doing or what it means for us later. I think that helps us. We’re just a group of girls going out there to play some high quality soccer so we can be fed afterwards! But seriously….what’s for dinner later?

Aimee Ubriaco
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

Two Fun Lady Hawk Media Links



Click Here For A Cool KHQA Video



Click Here For DOB's Midweek Grades

Thank you to all the Quincy, IL Media. We appreciate all the coverage and support from everyone (Whig, WGEM, and KHQA).  This is a long season and it is very early.  Our focus is on today and getting better as a group so we can be there when November arrives.

Lady Hawk Update: Wisconsin Parkside

Week Three Update With Casey

What a weekend!! Every game we play in the GLVC is a battle! After putting UMSL away on Friday night we mentally prepared for the tough game against Maryville. When we found out earlier last week that we were ranked 13th in the nation we were beyond excited!! And after these last two games, being 4-0 really has motivated us and pumped us up for Friday's game against Wisconsin-Parkside. Our team has so much fun together on and off the field, our  chemistry is amazing. The fact that we have so many people who are able to step up and score really makes the game fun and gives us an advantage over opponents. Our solid defense gives our team the backbone and support to score and put teams away! Our games are so exciting to be a part of because we move the ball so well and we are confident that every game is OURS TO WIN! The team practices hard all week to prepare for Friday night games and the intensity during practice shows how much we want this to be our year! Our fans add to the intense atmosphere on Friday nights and they pump us up! The focus now is on WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE another very good team in the GLVC, it won't be an easy game but we are both mentally and physically ready for the challenge! This Friday, September 16 at 5pm we face the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers at our QU North Campus Field! We hope to get as much support as possible on our road to Victory!!

Brittany Casey
2011 Junior Lady Hawk

Lady Hawk Update: Southwest Baptist

Preseason = Complete!

Lauren Drewett

Let’s be real! Me and the other seniors on this team never thought that we would finally be able to say we NEVER have another pre-season. It feels great to know we never have to have those fitness tests again, but there are also some hard feelings, and deep down we all know we are going to miss that soreness in every part of our bodies after the 4th practice in 2 days. As of 8:44p.m. on Saturday night we were able to say pre-season had officially ended and regular season was starting. We came out flying in that last pre-season game, scoring goals, moving the ball around, and showing everyone that this is OUR year. We had a great group of fans come out to support us, and I am sure they could tell that this Lady Hawk’s team was ready to play. Everyone is a part of this team for one big reason, and that is to prove to everyone that we can be champions this year!

We have our first regular season game this Friday night and I know I cannot wait. It is going to be a great way to start the season and I know everyone is ready to play that game RIGHT NOW! Just by seeing the intensity and desire in everyone’s eye’s at practice and in games, I can tell we are ready! We have great leadership and a passion on this team that is just unreal. This senior season for me and the other four seniors is going to be one we never forget! We were told not take a single second for granted from previous upperclassmen, but I do know we are overly ready to begin this regular season. Bring on the season and bring on SEPTEMBER 2nd! Everything this preseason has been preparing us for Friday night, and WE are ready.

Lauren Drewett
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

Thomas' Exhibitions Update

Erin Thomas

Week 1 of preseason and 2-a-days are finally over and the team couldn't be more excited mainly because that means its game time! The team has been looking forward to our first preseason game of the year ever since the first practice. Well, we finally got to that game. We played in our first preseason exhibition last Monday against Culver Stockton on our own field, and it felt great. The team looks amazing! Everyone was so fit and ready to get the season started. We came out with a few first game nerves but once we got into the groove, we looked unstoppable. One major thing noticed in our game was the ability of our team to share the wealth when it came to goals. We had 6 different players score in our first game! This just shows how much talent and aggressiveness our team has as a whole and independently but those goals wouldn’t have been scored if it wasn't for our entire team working together to make the opportunities. We followed our win against Culver with an exhibition Tuesday night at Hannibal LaGrange College. After that first game, our team was ready for another one. We came out flying! We were stringing passes together like no one’s business. Our defense was solid and our offense was scoring goals just like the Culver game. We came out with another win over Hannibal.

It feels really good to come out and to play with such great attitudes about wanting to win and play together as a team. We look forward to a few more days of practice to get ourselves ready for a tough, last preseason scrimmage at Lindenwood University. We play Saturday night 7pm at Lindenwood for our last preseason game before our first actual season game and we are ready. All of these preseason practices and games are getting us pumped and ready for that first real challenge on September 2nd. We can’t wait to play that Southwest Baptist team, especially when we will be taking them on at home! So, come out and support your Lady Hawks on Sept. 2nd at home when we take on Southwest Baptist at 6pm as our home opener!

Erin Thomas
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

2011 Quincy Lady Hawk Soccer!

Click Picture to Enlarge

Headball Battle - Wings vs Wakes

Senior Captain Megan Wingenbach takes on Freshman Taylor Wakeland during Preseason Day 5.  Erin Conroy recording and play-by-play analysis from Aimee Ubriaco.

Basic 5v2s on Day 4, Practice 8

Thursday’s second training session. Here are clips of three different groups doing light 5v2 work. GO HAWKS!

Lydia’s Preseason Update – Day 3

Lydia Disseler

The first two days of our intense preseason are done and everyone is looking great. We can't all say our bodies feel great because of all the running and playing we’ve been doing twice a day to get our bodies and minds soccer fit. No one is giving up and everyone is playing hard which is making me feel great about this upcoming season. I see the potential of greatness and a team that can win a championship. To help us get to where we need to be, we run faster, play harder, and think a play ahead. We have had two fitness tests, which we all have dominated…and one more to go today!

In between our practices we eat lunch as a team at the QU cafeteria. After our second practice Monday we went to Gengenbacher's Shaved Ice Shack and then had a players meeting at the QU Fitness Center. Tuesday night, Bergie's dad barbequed for the whole team. It was so delicious, some of us where bending over, not because we were tired but because we ate too much! Was much needed after two hard days of practice. Our little get-togethers after a hard days work are nice because it helps our team bond and get to know each other better so that we have good chemistry on and off the field. Tonight's plan is to get together and go to Waffle Cone Wednesday at TCBY and have a Catch Phrase Tournament afterwards.

Lydia Disseler
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

Introducing: Taylor Wakeland

QU Preseason Schedule

8/14 – Lady Hawks Report to QU
8/15 – Training Begins!
8/22 – Exhibition Home vs Culver-Stockton – 7:00pm
8/23 – Exhibition Away vs Hannibal – 5:00pm
8/27 – Scrimmage Away vs Lindenwood – 7:00pm

GLVC Preseason Polls Released: QU is picked 3 out of 16
2011 GLVC Poll Link Click Here

I'm Back!

Molly Costello

A little over a year and 2 months after breaking my leg I can finally say my confidence is back! After the countless hours of therapy, working out with my dad, running as much as I can, and all the hours of juggling to keep my touch up has finally paid off! This 2011 season means the world to me, not only for our amazing seniors that we want to make their last season one to remember but as an athlete who experienced what it is like to have to sit out and watch for an entire year and now it is finally my time to actually be able to play and have an impact out on the field. Sitting out a year truly makes you realize just how much you love the game and there is nothing else you want more then to get back out on the field and win that big 50-50 ball, chase down that girl on a break away, win that head ball, and to just have fun playing the game with your best friends. Only 9 more days until we report back for preseason and I honestly have never been more excited for anything in my life!!

Molly Costello
2011 Sophomore Lady Hawk

Introducing: Liz O'Connor and Taylor Darnell

Bring On August!

Megan Wingenbach

We are quickly reaching the end of July, and the thought of August brings one word to the minds of all Lady Hawk soccer players. That-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named, the word we all dread… (preseason). Today as I was struggling to recover after a long run in 100 degree heat, I started rethinking what actually is our biggest hurdle to get through in preparing for the season. Yeah, our two-a-days are beyond rough; they cause you to groan every time you get out of bed and hurt in places you didn’t think you were even using. But I think what we put ourselves through even before that point is overlooked.

For three months we are entirely on our own. It is up to us to come back to school in the best shape we can possibly be, and that is a hard task to accomplish without having someone there pushing you. A lot of the girls, like myself, work full time and the last thing you want to do after a long day at work is go out in the heat and run. It’s easy to think it is just a little too hot for a workout today and skip it, or tell yourself you’re tired and can’t keep going when no one is watching. It takes something inside to constantly fight for all those weeks to get better and come back as physically ready as you can.

Mastroianni and Wings
Center Midfielders

There is one huge highlight of returning to school, and that is our team. When it comes to our preseason at Quincy, let’s be honest, there is no easing into it. From day one we hit the ground running, or sprinting I should say. Being that this is my fourth time around, you would think things get easier after each year. They don’t. However, I have never been on a more supportive team before, and we get through every challenge and every minute of those days together. You can hear the encouragement on the field from all aspects, whether it’s fighting through a fitness test or someone’s shot to the upper 90. We push each other far beyond our limits, and that’s what gets us to that next level. I think we're all ready to get out there and see what we can make of 2011.

Megan Wingenbach
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

Meet 2011 Freshmen: Kayla Nurnberger

Preseason According to Aimee

Aimee Ubriaco

I could talk about how excited we are for this season or how hard everyone is working this summer to become bigger, faster, and stronger. But I won’t. Those are all givens. August is approaching fast, and right now I’m not going to focus on those looming fitness tests or those exhausting two-a-days. Because this girl is more excited to get back and hang with my teammates all day, every day playing soccer.

I’m already thinking about who my first squirt-in-the-face victim is at the first water break.

I’m preparing for the first backside I snipe with a soccer ball. (Watch out Drewett).

I’m pumped for the very first joke about Teeny…and it doesn’t even have to be me to make it.

I’m waiting to see how many ice bags Jaclyn can strap to her body after practice while then chasing down her ride because it took her 20 minutes to load up that cargo!

I wait anxiously for that moment you have to tell your locker neighbor that a fresh pair of socks is a must.

My mouth waters thinking about the delicious hot dogs and hamburgers Grill-Master Dave will make us the night after the first practices.

I can’t wait to laugh while Sam Martinez wrings out her shirt after 10 minutes into the first day.

I’m anticipating the workers at the first meal at the café to be quite annoyed with us for moving the tables together. What can we say; we’re just a close team.

I’m already planning out my first few locker room pranks. They’re innocent enough; just keep an eye on your shoes…both of them!

And most importantly, I’m waiting for that very first bomb of a shot in a small-sided game that gets us all fired up. Or a quick series of passes in a possession game that really get us flowing. Because let’s be real, we’re all ready for that first whistle against Southwest Baptist, and we’ll be ready to play!

In all seriousness, the practices are tough and exhausting and I love that, but it’s not like we don’t have our share of fun during preseason! We’re the Quincy Lady Hawks! So let’s clue these newcomers in on how we plan to win soccer games because I’m STOKED!

Aimee Ubriaco
2011 Senior Lady Hawk

2011 Freshmen: Natalie Kuhlenberg and Brittney Kuster

For the next couple weeks, before the 2011 preseason camp begins, Lady Hawk Productions is going to be introducing the newest members of our team! 

Enjoy and GO HAWKS!

Summer is here!

Bergie Bower

Summer is finally here!! Summer is a time for everyone to get a break from school, hang out with family and friends, get a summer job and continue to work towards getting better every day for soccer. I am going to be a senior now and this is the last summer that I have before my competitive career is over. Although I am heartbroken at the fact that this is my last one, it pushes me to do even more than all the years previous to make this preseason and season the best yet. Playing once a week helps with confidence and getting touches on the ball. But especially for me running is on the top of my list of things to get better at. So throughout the summer I will be logging miles, cross fits, sprints and stairs. On top of doing all this during the summer, my bestie Lauren Drewett and I are doing the Insanity 60 day challenge. If you have never heard of it, look it up and it is not funny business. Being day 5, I can honestly say it’s HARD! In that workout there’s jumping, squatting, and strengthening the arms, which will all help with jumping so we can win those head balls against the taller teams like NKU, Parkside, and Grand Valley. However we are looking at the first game right now and we don’t worry about the teams we play later in the season. Right now we are focused on the winning the next game.

I am very excited about the fall! In the spring season we played well together and now this summer everyone is working on themselves so when we do come together in August we are going to just sew the seams and everything will fall into place. The last three years for my senior class and especially me have been seasons to remember. I hope to continue that and make this season a memorable one with hard work, laughs, tears (let’s hope not) and winning. Becoming a close team off the field is what makes success on the field. So just like the past, freshman will get their nicknames, we will learn their unique quality about them, and they will learn that this group of girls is a funny group… especially Aimee Ubriaco who can make you laugh regardless of the situation. And you can always count on me to make it a little awkward by placing “that’s what she said” in the right moment.

Summer is the time for each person to pick out their weakness, work on them, and make them into strengths. That way, when it comes time for us to start preseason and get pumped for the first game against Southwest Baptist, we are ready as individuals but more importanly as a team.

Alicia “Bergie” Bower

2011 Senior Back

Sam and Sam Show: Part III

Sam and Sam Show: Part III is here! Lady Hawk Productions had a trivia challenge for the duo...take a look!

The Next Chapter - Erin Conroy

These past four years have come and gone faster than I can say “Lady Hawks”. On May 22, 2011, six of us graduated and began new chapters of our lives. Sadly enough we all seem to be heading in different directions; whether it is continuing our education in Graduate School, beginning a career in nursing or accounting, or heading out to a fashion forward place of California, we all have our roads paved out in front of us. For me, my path does not stray too far from where I already am. Beginning next week I start my classes for my Master’s degree in Education Leadership from yet again, Quincy University. While taking these classes, I will be the new graduate assistant for the Quincy University Athletic Department in which I will be able to learn the “behind the scenes” events and doings of what makes a success athletic department and program. However, I am not through with our soccer program yet. I plan to also assist Dave and Katie and try to help the Lady Hawks along their road to a GLVC Championship and a National Championship.

Now being a college graduate I have set new goals for my life and want to accomplish many things, but I will never forget the times that I have spent with my former teammates, roommates, and best friends.

Erin Conroy
2011 QU Lady Hawk Graduate

Catching Up With Alumni - Rachel Poepsel Grohmann

Hometown: Wentzville, MO

High School: St. Dominic

Position: Midfielder and Forward

Graduation Year: 2007

Major: Marketing

Awards: First Team All-GLVC

What was your favorite game at QU and why?
There are so many memorable games but my favorite was against Northern Kentucky my senior year. It was a Friday night under the lights and tied 0-0 until late in the second half. In less than 1 minute we scored 3 times and ended up winning 3-0. Everyone was so excited after each goal and the momentum was awesome!

What was your favorite memory as a QU Lady Hawk?
My favorite memory as a QU Lady Hawk was finding out we were going to the NCAA tournament my senior year. The whole team worked so hard all year so it was really rewarding to have the opportunity and extend our season even longer.

Being an attacker, what was your most memorable goal at QU?
My most memorable goal was against Rockhurst my senior year. It was the first round of the GLVC conference tournament and we were losing 1-0 with less than 2 minutes in the game. I scored off a pass from Becky Fleming to tie the game 1-1. We ended up winning in OT which advanced us in the tournament. It was so exciting!

What is special about being a QU Lady Hawk?
I loved being a QU Lady Hawk! I liked how all of the teams supported each other. Since QU is a small school you get to know the athletes on the other teams. We would go to a lot of basketball, baseball, volleyball, and football games and they would come to our soccer games. Most Division II teams don’t have the same support.

What was your favorite pregame activity?
The music and dancing in our locker room before home games!

Who was your Hawk-Mate…any thoughts?
Jenna Boyko (a.k.a. Deer) was an awesome Hawk-Mate! We went to high school together so it was really neat to play with her again! DOMINATORS!!!

What are you doing now four years after QU?
I can’t believe it has been four years since graduation! I graduated with a Marketing degree and I currently work in the Finance department at The Boeing Company in St. Louis. A business degree from QU helped open the door for me at Boeing. I graduated with my M.B.A. from Missouri Baptist in 2009.

QU Women's Soccer Alumni Game Video (Click The Picture To Watch)

http://www.twitvid.com/QAQXU

Summer Days Ahead

As we enter finals week, our Lady Hawks are focusing on finishing the Spring Semester on a positive note by achieving good grades. Our women’s soccer program was very fortunate to win the Team Academic Achievement Award at the Mart Heinen Awards Banquet for the third straight year. This award is given to the women’s program at QU with the best Team GPA. We had an outstanding 3.56 Team GPA. Congrats to our players for managing their time, working hard, and producing in the classroom just as they do on the field.

Our players are heading home next week with their summer workout programs. Our players are doing various activities such as playing club soccer, WPSL, involved in personal workout programs, and also following our H.A.W.K. Summer Program. This is a 12 week program divided into 4 phases set up to prepare our ladies for the fall. It involves cardio, strength, ball work, agility, speed work, playing, etc. Training and preparation is now up to the players by attacking each day with the “Fit For Life” attitude. Every year I’ve been at QU our players have always reported to preseason super fit, focused, and hungry for success. It’s key for our players to report fit so we can use that limited time to shape our team quicker focusing more on team tactics.

We will have more blog updates soon so please keep checking. We are in the process of posting our Alumni Game Day Video (which is awesome!!!), but we are having difficulties with this blogspot site. We will post videos, interviews of our newcomers, and other updates from players throughout the summer. Thank you for following and supporting our Quincy Lady Hawk Program.

- Dave Musso

2011 Alumni Game Photo

Click the Picture to Enlarge

The Quincy University Lady Hawk Alumni Game Saturday April 30 was a huge success. A big thank you to the 25 Alumni Hawks that came back to enjoy the event. We are currently putting together a very neat alumni game video which will be coming soon. Please check back later.

Lady Hawks Springin to Next Fall!

Lydia Disseler

Spring season has been a great success! Everyone is working hard in practice and staying positive which is what has been leading to our success in our games. Our team chemistry is great on and off the field, which also contributes to our success. Every time I go to practice I can count on a good laugh, but staying focused when needed. We have been attacking practice like it will be our last and receiving maximum benefit in each practice to make us better players. The last game we played, on April 16th, was against Western Illinois at their place. It was very cold and windy but that did not stop us from scoring on them within the first twenty minutes! We played well together and had each other’s backs. We played our game passing to each other’s feet and kept our cool when the Western players tried knocking us off the ball. The referee gave out seven yellow cards! Brittany Casey scored the first goal in the first half and Lori Mannion with the game winner with less than ten minutes to go resulting in a 2-1 win! We showed the classiness of the Lady Hawks with a strong win while showing respect to our opponent.

The next game to come is the Alumni game on Saturday April 30th at 4 pm. I am very excited to see the players that have graduated and get more touches on the ball. I am also very excited to see how well this 2011 group will do in the fall. We did great last year, but there is always room for improvement in everything you do. We are a team that has good potential to achieve a winning and successful season through great enthusiasm and determination. In order to prepare myself for this battle, I will continue to lift twice a week to stay strong so I do not get pushed off the ball. Each day I will think to myself, “what can I do today to make me a better and stronger player?” I will do an extra 5% everyday to get my body at top performance level. I plan on running at least three miles daily, various types of sprinting, lifting, ball touches, and cross fits weekly to keep my touch and stamina at a high level. In order for me to accomplish this, I have to eat well and drink a lot of water to stay energized and hydrated. I have confidence that our whole team will keep up their hard work and determination in the summer, and push themselves so we may all unite in preseason and benefit from each other’s efforts. The word for the upcoming fall season: ANTICIPATION!

IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A LADY HAWK!!!!!

Lydia Disseler
Junior Back

Spring Update: Catching Up with Head Coach Dave Musso

Drewett's Spring Update!

Spring season has been amazing so far! It feels great to get back outside on our AMAZING practice field. Last weekend we played Truman State in our first spring season game. The outcome was a 0-0 tie; however I feel that our team played very well for the first game of the season. Practices this week have also been really good, consisting of possession, and small field games. The drive and passion in the team this spring has been amazing! Everyone comes to each practice ready to play and compete. Everything this week has been in preparation for our games against Evansville and Maryville this weekend. I know everyone is super pumped to be able to play in St. Louis in front of many of our family and friends. Time for us to shine this weekend and score some GOALLSSSSS. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Lauren Drewett
Junior Back

Spring Update!

Lady Hawk Soccer got the chance to catch up with Sophomore Tori Champagne, Freshmen Maddie Torretta and Jaclyn Mastroianni on how the winter off-season went and what they are looking forward to this spring. Check it out! 

GO HAWKS!

Spring Time – “Let ‘Em Play!”

Hello again for another off-season update. We are off to a great start for this 2011 year. The winter conditioning phase is complete and it's time to begin our spring season training. January and February were full of off-season activities such as Cross-Fit, various conditioning activities, lifting, technical ball skills work with small groups, agility, plyos, Pilates, etc. We are focusing on getting stronger and building individual confidence. The off-season is for player development and we are seeing a lot of players step up their level. It’s fun to see how hard this group works together.

We also had our 2010 Team Awards Banquet in February. Here are the team award winners voted by the players…

Most Improved – Sr. Annie Sokolich
Best Defender – Sr. Meghan Roberts
Best Midfielder – Jr. Megan Wingenbach
Best Attacker – Jr. Aimee Ubriaco
Best Newcomer – Fr. Jodi Chapie
Most Valuable Player – Sr. Becky Fleming
Best Student-Athlete – Fleming, Ubriaco, Wingenbach

Injury Update: Our team is pretty healthy coming off 2010. The two main injuries are sophomore defender Sam Andert and freshman defender/midfielder Molly Costello. Sam tore her ACL mid season against Bellarmine. She is doing outstanding with her rehab and has recently been doing cardio fitness, strength, agility, and ball skills. She was cleared last week to play so a big congratulations to her. Obviously we are going to ease her back slow but she is really coming back strong. Sam is an impact player and will be key to our backfield in fall 2011. Molly Coz broke her leg last spring during her Incarnate Word high school season. Coz is coming along well too and doing all the conditioning and ball skills sessions. This type of injury usually takes a full year to be back 100% so we are being careful with her recovery and return too. It’ll be a big bonus getting Coz back next fall for our back line and midfield. During these spring games we will be limited with our subs but the bonus of that is everyone will play a lot and get quality game time experience.

Spring Games and Training: We have some awesome games this spring as we play Truman, Evansville, Maryville, Western Illinois, Hannibal and our Alumni. Hopefully this spring weather will be cooperative and let us play a lot. Click the picture to enlarge the spring dates and times.

Spring training will be very valuable for player development. Again our focus is on individual development and there are a lot of open spots to be filled in 2011. This is a hungry group which creates a spirited atmosphere. Who wants it? The competitiveness helps push each other which will eventually raise the entire level of our team and program. 2011 spring training is here…Here We Go!

- Dave Musso

Lady Hawk Dodge-ball Tournament!

The Lady Hawks have been working really hard this off-season and we decided to let loose and have a little fun! A little over a week ago we had a dodge-ball tournament and the girls (including the 2010 seniors) were divided up into teams and were told to come up with a team name and outfits. Each team was voted by random QU Athletic Staff and well....here is the outcome! The girls had a blast, check it out!

GO HAWKS!

Catching Up With Alumni - Laura Gentry



2006 All-American Defender and
GLVC Defender of the Year

Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.

High School: Notre Dame St. Louis

Club Team: J.B. Marine

Position: Centerback

Graduation Year: 2007

Major:  Elementary Education

What was your favorite game at QU and why?
Ahh, so many to think of!! It is really hard to think of just one favorite game, but I would have to say the game against Rockhurst when we won 2-1 in OT. I remember it was a Friday night game and one of our last games of the season. We really needed the win in order to help us get to the NCAA Tourney. It was such an awesome feeling when we scored. I just remember everyone was so excited and we really came together as a team that night to put every effort into winning that game.

What was your favorite memory as a QU Lady Hawk?
My favorite memory as a QU Lady Hawk was waiting to hear if we were going to the NCAA Tournament my senior year! The anticipation and excitement going through our heads was endless. It was such a great feeling when we found out we were heading to the tournament. What a great way to end my QU soccer career!

What's special about being a Lady Hawk?
The team chemistry was a special thing to be a part of as a QU Lady Hawk. We were all so close, whether you were a freshman or a senior, we all got along so well. Every girl felt welcomed and excited to be a QU Lady Hawk. Whether on the field or off the field, we were all there for each other and were proud to say we were part of the QU community and the QU Lady Hawk soccer team.

What was your favorite pregame activity?
I loved home games and being in the locker room before the game. Every girl would have their own pregame ritual, but the best part was the music and the dancing! We all know, I wasn't part of the dance parties as I have no sense of rhythm, but everyone was hilarious and it was a great way to get pumped for the game.

Who was your Hawk-Mate…any thoughts?
Becky Fleming was my Hawk-Mate!!!!!!! Becky and I were able to form a special bond which carried over into post-college years. I believe she still refers to me as Papa Bear, haha! Becky and I still keep in touch and I really enjoyed watching her play after I graduated. It was also really neat to see her win so many awards throughout her soccer career at Quincy.

Did you have any “Team Song” that still reminds you of QU?
Definitely! "It's a Beautiful Day" still sticks in my head and reminds me of Quincy Soccer. I remember after every game we would gather in a circle and that song would be playing. I love hearing that song to this day because it reminds me of Quincy.

What was your favorite “bring it in” cheer at the end of practice?
Nuts and Bolts!!!! (Shout out to Laurie and Shannon!!!)

What are you up to now with post-QU career?

I am currently teaching kindergarten at St. Gabriel the Archangel School in South St. Louis. This is my 3rd year teaching at St. Gabe's and I enjoy every minute of it. I am also about to graduate with my Masters in Education from Lindenwood. I am finishing up my last two classes and will be finished in May of this year! I owe QU's education department for allowing me to get such a great education. I truly believe I enjoy and succeed at my job because of the quality of education I received at Quincy University.

2011 Dodgeball Tourney Group Picture

2011 Winter Conditioning Pictures

During this Off-Season Winter Phase our Lady Hawks do a lot of conditioning.  Today was an example of some of the many activities we do as a team to help with speed, strength, endurance, etc. 

7:55am Group Doin Work! - Click Picture to Enlarge

9am Group Attackin it! - Click Picture to Enlarge

Kickin It With Erin Thomas!

Off season training is going great!! The team is coming together and supporting one another more than ever in these off season training practices. Every girl has a hawk partner where they get together two times out of the week and lift to help improve their overall strength on top of meeting 4 times a week as a group to get some good, hard conditioning in together. We are doing activities such as running timed miles, cones, cross-fit (which everyone loves haha), and multiple different forms of sprinting as a type of conditioning. Being a senior this year, and probably speaking for my other classmates as well, this past season flew so quick that we barely had time to enjoy it. It is crazy how this is going to be our last off season practices of our career but it is also exciting knowing that we won’t have to do it next winter ha. This being our last winter conditioning, it makes us realize that we have nothing to lose.

I am super excited to see what our senior year has to bring me and the rest of the team and to see how far and how well us seniors can lead our team into the next season. Every single one of us is stepping up this off season to show our underclassmen that they can believe and trust in us to help lead them in the right direction. I'm super excited to play our spring season games because they will help not only me but our entire team see where we stand with other super talented teams. I think that these spring games will help to bring our team even closer, not only just playing better together but also our team chemistry. Overall, I am super excited to finally be a senior and am super ready for our season to begin. If you can, come out and support our team at these spring season games because we also look for you fans to help us bring home a win!!

Thanks and let's go Hawks!!!!!!!

Erin Thomas

Junior Mid/Forward

Sam and Sam Show – MJ The Experience!

The Sam and Sam Show continues as "Dirty Martini" (Sophomores #14 Sam Andert and #2 Sam Martinez) take their soccer skills and apply them to Michael Jackson The Experience on Wii.

2011 Wall Ball Tournament!

LHP caught up with Freshmen Jaclyn Mastroianni and

 Jodi "Jodaich" Chapie in the first round of the 1st Annual 2011 Lady Hawk Wall Ball Tournament. 

"How does it feel to lose to a goalkeeper?"

Getting to Know Wings!

Megan Wingenbach

Hometown:  St. Louis, Mo.

High School:  Oakville HS

Position:  Center Mid

Year:  Junior

Major:  Elementary Education

 

Club: Lou Fusz

 

Being named one of our three new captains, what excites you about 2011 and your senior year?

It is a cool thing to be voted a captain, but just being a senior or upperclassmen in general puts a lot of weight on your shoulders. You are kind of expected to set the bar for the team in and out of season. We're also a big part of keeping up the morale and chemistry among everybody. There are going to be a lot of new opportunities going into the new season and I'm excited to see where it takes our team. We have a really successful program and I hope we can live up to all the expectations we've set for ourselves.

What was your favorite game so far as a Lady Hawk?
I don't know if it's possible to have an ultimate favorite game, but one of my favorites is playing Southern Indiana in the GLVC tournament last year. We scored with 10 minutes left in regulation. J.B. kicked the corner, it got flicked on when Brittany went up against the goalie, and I headed it in. It was a total team goal and an important playoff game. Of course everybody loves the games when they score big goals.

What is your favorite sports team and athlete?
I'm a big Cardinals fan. Since Ludwick is no longer a redbird I don't know if he can hold the top spot anymore. I think Skip Schumaker may have taken over the position.

What’s your favorite song on your IPod?
Before games it's "9MM" by David Banner. I listen to that before all of our away games. All other times it's anything by Jack Johnson, "Flake" is definitely one of my favorites.

Explain what “Bash Brother” means?
Erin Conroy and I are Bash Brothers. It comes from the movie D2: The Mighty Ducks. I'm not sure I even remember how it started. I know it involved brainstorming ideas for Hawk Wild, and when Mighty Ducks was thrown out, it just kind of stuck. We used to always run together during warm ups and outside of practice to catch up on things and have ever since. Now we live together and have Bash Brother time 24/7.

What is your favorite food?
Pretty much any kind of Chinese. I could eat General TSO's chicken, broccoli, friend rice, and crab rangoon every night of the week.

What is your least favorite team fitness activity?
CONES! I hate the cones with a passion! For those who don't know, you start at one end and sprint back and forth to all of the cones which increase by 5 yards. You also have to make it back in a certain amount of time. In preseason we do 8 of them. These are by far my least favorite, but one good point is we always knock them out first before any other fitness.

What is your favorite pregame activity?
I have two favorites. Before home games, my roommates (Conroy, Aimee, Bergie and Tori) and I have pretty intense dance sessions in our kitchen. We dance around like hooligans to get pumped up for the game. Our favorite to dance to is a "Listen to Your Heart" remix. My other favorite is on the drive to the field. We blast Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" karaoke style with all the windows down.

A New Year Note, From Dave

As we enter 2011 the QU Lady Hawks have high expectations as usual. Our goals are extremely high as our focus this off-season is to attack every single day while developing our weaknesses and making our strengths a dangerous asset to our personal game. The chemistry of this group is already growing as we nominated three new outstanding captains… junior forward Aimee Ubriaco, junior center mid Megan Wingenbach, and sophomore center back Sam Andert. The cohesiveness of this program is a definite strength. The competitiveness and motivation each player has is contagious and will push each other to reach higher levels.

We return a talented core group and we will sign another talented class in February to help reload what we graduate in May. Every class in our program is strong and that provides a positive balance for the next four years. We will also see the return of sophomore defender Sam Andert and freshman defender Molly Costello who have been out with injuries. We are excited for this 2011 year and I am thrilled to get back to team activities this January. The three phases until August are the winter conditioning phase, spring season, and the summer H.A.W.K. Program on their own. Each off-season phase is set up to help every player grow individually and then it will all come together through time so our team will be locked and loaded come August.

It seems far away, but time for greatness is limited as the difference between good and great is inches…not feet. We will attack each day by carrying that “Fit For Life” attitude which will generate another successful Lady Hawk year.

FIVE PERCENT!

Dave Musso