KICKOFF CLASSIC TO USHER IN AREA SOCCER CAMPAIGN

Coming off the first girls' soccer seasons in the history of their respective schools, Monday the Lady Bulldog/Tiger Kickoff Classic will open the soccer seasons for three area teams at Shawnee Park.

Cape Girardeau Central will start its season on the No. 1 west end field against Marion, Ill., at 4 p.m. Notre Dame and Jackson will open up against each other at 4 p.m., on field No. 3.

Other teams in the four-day event are Poplar Bluff and Carbondale, Ill.

Central and Jackson appear ready to reload after completing solid initial seasons. Last year, the Lady Indians avenged three losses to Central during the regular season to finally knock off the Lady Tigers in the district semifinals.

The Lady Bulldogs, entering the 1997 season still looking for their first win in school history, return every starter from a winless -- but competitive -- team.

A preview of the local girls' soccer teams:

Cape Central

Coming off a 10-5 season last year, Central coach Tom Doyle is expecting improvement from his team.

"I'm looking forward to a better record than last year," Doyle said. "We'll have a very solid team. I know we'll be deeper than last season."

The Lady Tigers return eight of nine all-conference selections from last year and Doyle is expecting a few girls from a talented freshmen class to make an impact on the Central varsity.

"We have about three or four (freshmen) that will be about as good or better than the players we lost (to graduation)," said Doyle. "A couple of the girls (Katie Cozby and Lorie Bittle) play on club teams in St. Louis and one (Cozby) is even an Olympic development player."

Returning first-team all-conference players are seniors Nichole Thiele, Abby Harris and Sarah Gragg; junior Amy Harris; and sophomores Kim Aslinger and Erica McDonald.

Second-team returnees are seniors Christy Schimdtt and Laura Lueders and sophomore Melissa Altenthal. Anne Doner, Corie Nunnally and Sarah Bruening are returning honorable-mention selections.

In just the second season for soccer at Central, the Lady Tigers fielded 29 players this season.

Notre Dame

Lady Bulldogs' coach Jeff Worley has a typical good news/bad news situation.

The good news? Worley returns every starter from last year, including leading scorer -- and first-team all-conference selection -- Jennifer Glueck.

The bad news is Notre Dame went winless in its initial campaign last season, putting this year's squad in search of the school's first ever girls soccer victory.

Worley is confident the 1997 Lady Bulldogs will gain that elusive first win and is hopeful of a much more competitive season with 27 players on the roster.

"I look for us to be a little more competitive within the area and I'm certainly looking for us to get a few wins this year," Worley said. "On any given day we're very competitive with anybody. We're just lacking experience compared to other schools."

Although low on experience, the Lady Bulldogs do return some talent. Besides Glueck's team-leading eight goals, junior Jaymie Frank returns as the top playmaker (five assists) and defensive stopper. Frank earned second team all-conference honors along with returning classmate Beth Essner and sophomore Sara Westrich.

Sophomores Jessica Lawrence and goalie Shannel Bueltemann earned all-conference honorable mentions last year.

Freshmen Christine Kimball and Jill Edwards are expected to help on varsity right away and could push for starting spots, according to Worley.

Jackson

Lady Indians' coach Bonnie Knowlan lost a few key contributors from last season's 10-6 district finalist team, but is still upbeat entering this year.

"We lost seven seniors but I think we'll be okay," said Knowlan. "We have a real strong freshmen class coming in and we also have some talented sophomores."

Seniors Shannon Perry (all-district), Jackie Langford (second team), and Hallie Roseman (honorable mention) return to lead the Lady Indians into only their second season in school history.

Dana Eakins, a junior, returns as the only other all-district performer. Sophomores Jessica Shultz, Jennifer Brown and Jennifer Horst also saw plenty of action last season.

"This team has a real strong work ethic," Knowlan said of the 34 players out. "They work together as a team and have a great attitude. We'll be solid."