First-year head coach Milla, Bethel women picked ninth in KCAC soccer poll
First-year head coach Milla, Bethel women picked ninth in KCAC soccer poll
Milla spoke at the conference’s virtual media day on Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, the KCAC held its annual virtual women’s soccer media day ahead of the upcoming season. They featured all 14 coaches and programs, allowing them to speak about their respective squads.
The KCAC commissioner, Dr. Scott Crawford, talked about his gratitude for building the KCAC into a more robust division. He praised the member institutions for stepping up to the challenge and making it a more competitive conference.
Bethel finished the 2022 season with a record of 7-9-2, 5-6-1 in the KCAC, which wasn’t enough to qualify for the postseason. They were chosen ninth in this year’s preseason coaches’ poll.
Ignacio Milla shared his expectations for the Thresher women, and although this will mark his first campaign in North Newton, Milla isn’t new to the KCAC. He was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma Wesleyan for two seasons.
“I was able to get a good grasp of the conference,” Milla said. He hopes that already having a feel for the KCAC will help him throughout his first season on the pitch. To assist, the program returns 14 players and welcomes 14 newcomers.
“We are returning three starters: Claire Hedlund, Sydney Brown, and Jazlyn Reese,” Milla said.
Hedlund was the team’s leading scorer last season, receiving a first-team all-conference selection. Brown and Reese were also given all-conference honorable mentions.
Milla also brought to attention that several new faces will be competing for minutes. “Just to highlight some new players, transfer Oliva Allen from Barton Community College, where she was the captain,” Milla said. Allen helped the Cougars reach their first national tournament appearance in program history.
“Briseis Gomez is another incoming player,” Milla said. “She is from El Paso. She came in for a couple of visits where she did very well, and we’re happy she is here.”
Bethel will open its non-conference slate at Westminster College on Aug. 21 in Fulton, Mo. It’ll open KCAC play on Sep. 16 at Oklahoma Wesleyan in Bartlesville, Okla.