MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary University soccer team is awaiting the start of the 2018 season. After the team continued to show signs of improvement during 2017, the core group of players returning is excited for the future and determined to make this season successful.
The offseason began with the Blue Angels hiring John Baillie as the team's new head coach. The Knox alumnus also worked for his alma matter's athletic department in various coaching roles. Most notably, Coach Baillie worked as an assistant coach for the women's soccer program for four seasons.
Most recently, coach Baillie worked as the assistant and goalkeeper coach for the Madison East High School soccer program.
"I'm passionate about soccer, but I'm even more passionate about helping students grow and develop into confident, disciplined, successful adults in all aspects of their lives: as soccer players, students, and individuals," said the new Mount Mary Head Soccer Coach John Baillie in an interview with MtMaryAthletics.com.
This season, the Blue Angels will return a core group of players from 2017. Speedster and facilitator Karina Salgado (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) will be the lone senior on this year's roster. Salgado's consistency in the heart of the Blue Angel offense has led the senior to 14 career goals and 18 career assists.
Along with Salgado, Alexa Ahlgrim (Jr./Inverness, Ill.) will return to the pitch for the Blue Angels in 2018. Ahlgrim, along with Salgado, made the Association of Division III Independent second team in 2017. Ahlgrim scored a pair of goals and tallied two assists from the defensive side last season, and looks to continue that success for the upcoming campaign.
Between the posts, 2017 AD3I Goalkeeper of the Year Hannah Rose (Jr./Jeromesville, Ohio) returns for MMU. Rose earned the honor last year after collecting an association leading 127 saves and a .804 saving percentage. The stifling of the opponents' offenses all season long also earned Rose a spot on the AD3I First Team.
The Blue Angels will add seven more fresh faces to the roster this season to go along with the returners. After a quick preseason in the new system, MMU is ready to begin this year's campaign.
MMU has 16 games slated for 2018, nine of those contests on the road. The Blue Angels will start the season on a road trip to Minnesota where they will take on North Central University on Fri. Aug. 31 then travel to St. Bonifacius, Minn. to take on Crown College on Saturday.
The first home contest for the Blue Angels is scheduled for Fri. Sept. 7 at 3:00 pm. The Blue Angel Soccer Field opener will pit MMU against familiar foe Crown College. Live stats will be made available for all home games this season. Delayed broadcasts are also planned to hit the website following home contests.
A good stretch across the region, the Blue Angels will travel from Minnesota, to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to southern Illinois and multiple stops in between. The road-heavy schedule will luckily give the Blue Angels a four-game stretch of home games to close out the season. For the entire schedule click here.
Throughout the season, check back to mtmaryathletics.com for all the latest news, info and time updates for all events Blue Angel.
