Along with the arrival of the new millennium, the woman’s soccer team has a new arrival of its own: Stephanie Gabbert steps in as the new head coach. Even though former head coach Cathy Klein has departed, the expectations are still the same. The Cyclones were 11-8-1, with a Big 12 Record of 4-6-0 where they placed seventh overall in ’99, and went 1-1 in the Big 12 Tournament. “It was great to win against [Texas] A&M,” said senior Krista Odenwald. “That just gets us one step closer to making it to the NCAA.” After losing four starters to graduation, the Cyclones look not only to the returners, but also to the newcomers for leadership. The Cyclones have nine returning starters along with 14 returning letterwinners. “We’ll carry ourselves through with the effort we put out,” said Odenwald. This year the team has been reduced to 19 players, giving the team frequent practice time. “We’ll have a change in tempo this season with only 19 players, but they’re strong, and I’m confident they can do it. We probably wouldn’t even use all 20 players if we had them,” said Coach Gabbert. “I’m very happy with the players; this is a very talented team. If we weren’t as talented and were unhealthy, then I would be worried about the low numbers.” ome of Gabbert’s top returners include Odenwald and sophomores Katie Antongiovanni and Angie Portincaso. This summer Antongiovanni, Portincaso and also sophomore Lindsey Less played at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. The trio won the national under-19 club title for the Colorado Rush on July 30 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Gabbert’s top newcomers include Elizabeth Chapman, from Brentwood, Tenn.; Hayley Francis, from Bakersfield, Calif.; Arlene Samuel, from Brampton, Ontario; and Nicole Wilcox, from Battle Ground, Wash. “Cathy [Klein] did a great job getting these players here; she built a real strong foundation for the program,” Gabbert said. “This team’s just ready to break out, but we just need to establish our identity first. We plan on working hard, being very active and attack from all angles of the field.” Iowa State was picked eighth in the 2000 Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Soccer Poll. Nebraska was ranked first followed by Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas and Baylor. “I’m excited for the Nebraska game,” Samuel said. “They’re No. 1, and it would be great to beat them.” The Huskers won the ’99 Big 12 title with a record of 10-0-0 and finished 22-1-2 overall – which is the third best winning record percentage in the country. The ISU women open their season Sunday, Aug. 27, against the University of Alabama Birmingham in the Cyclone Classic. For more information visit the Cyclone Women’s Soccer website.