Michigan Tech soccer coach Melissa Kuhar addresses her team during a scrimmage against Lewis Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — When Melissa Kuhar was hired and then arrived on Michigan Tech’s campus last summer, she had about a month to meet the soccer team before beginning practices and then games. The Huskies started strong, winning three of their first four games, but then they won only three more games the rest of the season.

Injuries played a big part in the Huskies’ struggles as they finished the season 6-11-1 overall and 4-9-1 in GLIAC play, drawing their rivals from down the road, Northern Michigan, in their opening game of the conference tournament.

The Wildcats came away with a 5-0 win in that game, which was a far cry from the Huskies’ team that tied No. 19 Grand Valley State just three days earlier.

“I think, Year One, it showed me what I need to do as a head coach,” she said. “It showed me what a head coach needs to have, what support I need around me, and then just kind of what I’m trying to build this year. I keep calling it 2.0, Year One, 2.0, because that is, essentially, what it is.”

Reinforcements are already in place. She added assistant coach A.J. Ostrowski to the staff, along with a pair of graduate assistants in Carter Elmy and Raihou Wong. Kuhar is excited to get things going with a full staff.

“I have a full staff now,” she said. “I have 12 recruits. It’s a lot of new stuff, and I feel like I’ve actually been able to kind of prepare better, as well, to get into that. So, yeah, Year One 2.0 is what you’re going to see this upcoming year.”

With more eyes in practice and games, Kuhar is excited about how she will be able to work with the team, thanks to having more minds working together to lead the team.

“On top of A.J. being here, having our two new GAs as well, Raihou and Carter will come in, and it’s been, just having someone else in the office just to banter with, to bounce ideas off of, it has been a night and day difference.”

As for Ostrowski, the players who have already met him love him, according to Kuhar.

Looking back before looking forward

Despite the fact that the Huskies only won six games a year ago, Kuhar felt that the team actually accomplished quite a bit.

“We had moments of success,” she said. “We had moments. You’re taking on a Grand Valley team that makes the Elite Eight, and you tie them the last game of the season, when they were arguably playing some of their best soccer.

“Some of the results were skewed and don’t really tell the full story. In games that we maybe lost, 1-0, we actually dominated attacking-wise. We got shots on goal, and corners, and different things. So, I think (there’s) a lot to build on. I think this year is definitely a brand new year, and it’s kind of that everything swung into place. So, it’s going to be what, realistically, should be kind of that Year One.”

Getting offensive

The Huskies have been strong defensively and in the midfield the last two seasons. However, if there is a question surrounding the team, it is where will the offense come from. The Huskies graduated 14 of the 17 goals they scored a year ago, with returners Brooke Green, Rielly Lovercheck, and Ryley Winrich being the three who scored a goal last season.

That means there are spots open for players to step in and make an impact. Kuhar is hopeful that Green, now a junior, can regain her form from her freshman year, when she scored three goals, including a pair of game-winners.

“You have a player like a Brooke Green, that I challenged before she left for the summer,” Kuhar said. “(I) said, ‘Hey, Brooke, door’s wide open.’

“Brooke and I have had conversations. I think for her it was just staying true to who she was. I think she was trying so hard to be as good as she was her freshman year, to be something, maybe, instead of just naturally letting it happen. She’s trying sometimes too hard to make it happen. She could agree to that too.”

At this point, beyond Green, the Huskies attack is in need of players to step up and take on bigger responsibilities this season. Kuhar feels that she has players who can, but they have to want to do it.

“There’s a handful of girls on this team that have the ability to do it, that maybe, with a new staff, we can figure out, OK, maybe are they better as an attacker?” she said. “Are they better in this role, changing things up?

“That’s kind of the challenge for my staff and I to figure out. Where are those goals going to come from? Where can we create more chances for those goals to come? So, that’s kind of one of our top priorities right now is kind of that final third of the field and really figuring out who is going to be the person we need to score? Who is going to step into those roles? How are we going to get them the opportunities up there?”

Lovercheck and Winrich are both junior midfielders, which will help keep that third of the field in the Huskies’ control, but also help push the ball up the field quickly. Lovercheck has two career goals, with her one goal last season also being a game-winner. Winrich scored her first career goal last season after not getting playing time as a freshman.

Defensive stalwarts

Over the last two seasons, the Huskies gave up 19 and 25 goals, respectively. Remove that playoff game against Northern Michigan and the two seasons are almost identical. Despite losing Emilie Clayton, Molly Bolang, and Grace Hoeppner, Kuhar believes that the team’s back end is still strong.

Part of the reason for that confidence was the growth of now-sophomore Amelia Gregory, who was thrust into minutes as a freshman due to injuries.

“She embraced it fully and went with it,” said Kuhar. “Amelia could have been a consistent starter, but again, we had some of those upperclassmen back there where it was situational, and some of that. But, there was no game that was too big for her.”

There are veterans around Gregory. All-GLIAC honorable mention senior Olivia Gette is back for one more season, as is senior Clara Murchison, and junior Gabrielle Klein. Kuhar is also looking for more from fifth-year midfielder Anna Syracuse, who missed much of last season with injury.

Fresh faces

Kuhar and her staff have brought in 12 freshmen this season, including a new keeper in Paige Bilbey, who she expects to challenge seniors Bri Barrows and Ludesha Reynolds.

However, she is particularly excited about midfielders Braydin Noble, Sophie Rater, Lizzy Striebel and Kenzie Dollison, all of whom she feels could make an immediate impact.

Noble is the younger sister of twins Taylor and Jordan, who graduated in the spring.

“Braydin came to our ID camp, and she looks like she could be triplets with them,” Kuhar joked. “But, to be able to bring another Noble sister here is awesome, right? To keep that going and have four more years of Nobles, and with mom and dad coming, and I’m sure Jordan and Taylor are going to be here at games and stuff, it’s awesome. Braydin’s a quality player, so it will be exciting to see what she can bring, and if she can kind of hold true to that Noble legacy, and kind of bring some of that talent her sisters had.”

Rater, Kuhar feels, could be helpful in the Huskies’ attack, alongside forward Abbey Sayers.

“I think Sophie Rater could come in on the outside again, an attacking type player that can kind of come in and help,” said Kuhar. “(And) you have an Abbey Sayers that could come in and help in that attacking third.”

Home heavy schedule early

The Huskies open their season with eight games out of their first 10 games at home this season. They will face Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, Cedarville and Northwood in non-conference play before they hit the road to open the GLIAC schedule at Wisconsin-Parkside and Roosevelt. Then they return home to face Davenport and Grand Valley State as part of their second home stand.

“We’re home a lot this year, so, a lot of opportunity for people to come watch what we can do,” Kuhar said. “But, the first 10 games, we’re home eight of them. So, (we have) a solid non-conference schedule, still playing St. Cloud, Duluth, in that opening weekend, which will show us exactly how good we are, and what we need to work on. Then finishing that second weekend of non-conference with Cedarville and Northwood, that are very good teams, and in our region. So, right there with those four, it’s going to really show us what we need to be, and what level we need to get to if we’re not already there.

“Then opening conference with a tough Parkside squad that’s always challenging year after year, and then hitting Roosevelt on that trip, too. We come home, we open with Davenport and Grand Valley, that second weekend of conference, which, again, those teams are both teams that had very good success last year. Any team in our conference is tough.”

Home scrimmage

The Huskies open their season with a scrimmage against Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 4 p.m. at Kearly Stadium in Houghton.

Michigan Tech defender Anna Syracuse controls the ball during a scrimmage against Lewis Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)