Content with its under-the-radar status entering its first year in the Big East, the women's soccer team surprised the league with a third-place finish in 2005 and advanced to the final 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.,”With a great season comes great responsibility.

Content with its under-the-radar status entering its first year in the Big East, the women's soccer team surprised the league with a third-place finish in 2005 and advanced to the final 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

It was improbable, dramatic and unforgettable.

"People thought about (last season) every time we stepped on the field during practice," senior defender Michelle Pitzl said.

The dream season, though, is in the past. Raised expectations dominate the present. ?So how is the team dealing with said expectations?

"We have never, as coaches, been on referencing the past except to emphasize the traditional pride of the program. We've had a target on our backs in the past," head coach Markus Roeders said, referring to the team's years in Conference USA. "I think we're OK with that."

Senior Lauren Weber, who will be expected to lead an overhauled midfield, believes the team can overcome the increased pressure by simply blocking it out.

"I don't think we're focused on what people expect of us," Weber said. "We just need to work hard."

Junior goalkeeper Laura Boyer has another approach. "We look at (last season) as a stepping stone for this season," she said.

Indeed, there is plenty to suggest that 2006 will not be a step back from 2005. Marquette, ranked No. 25 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll, returns six starters and adds a potentially game-breaking forward in junior Allison Mallams. The William Jewell transfer joins a strike force that includes last year's leading scorers, junior Christy Zwolski and senior Meghan Connelly.

Moreover, last season's breakout defensive stars –Boyer and Pitzl — are back to anchor the rearguard. ?"We're not the new kid on the block, but we're more prepared because we know what we'll be facing day in day out," Roeders said.

But doubters linger. Marquette was picked by Big East coaches to finish third in Division A of the conference, behind Connecticut and West Virginia — both of whom beat the Golden Eagles last season but failed to advance as far as Marquette in the NCAA tournament.

"We still have a lot to prove," Boyer said. "We're not sure one season was enough to convince them that we're a good team."

The naysayers are concerned over the graduation of the backbone of the 2005 squad: midfielders Julie Thompson, Sarah Uyenishi and Lindsay Michuda and central defender Heather Goranson.

There is no quick-fix replacement for any of them, and the team might struggle early with a brand new midfield and a trial-and-error rotation of defenders to pair with Pitzl.

One thing that certainly was not lost with the seniors, though, is confidence.

"I believe we should win every game," said Boyer, a junior. "Whether it's a game in practice, rock-paper-scissors or the Big East Championship, everyone wants to win. These are the most competitive girls I've ever been around."

They will need to carry such an attitude into a non-conference schedule that includes road games against North Carolina and Duke. But they do not face Notre Dame, the Big East's most talented team, and play home games against the other two conference powers, Connecticut and West Virginia.

So expect Marquette to compete well in the Big East, earn an NCAA tournament berth and win over new fans along the way.

But enough about last season.

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