"My hope is for continued improvement," said head coach Steve Moore, in his third year at the reigns. "My first two seasons now, we've had improvement each year over the previous season's win total, win percentage, and standing in the conference."

Moore highlights three big returners for the Swedes in their upcoming 2009 efforts. Look for these three student-athletes to bring experience and spark to the field.

Junior goalkeeper Sarah Garlock, Thornton, Colo., is one that Moore wishes to develop and bring some stability to the table. She, along with senior Kristin Palmer of Benbrook, Tex., has been named captains for the season. "Sarah had a very solid freshman campaign," he said, "but I don't think we saw much, if any, improvement in her play last year. Goalkeeper is a vital spot on the field, and for us to move forward we need improved play, of which consistency is a big part, out of Sarah in that position."

Sophomore midfielder Megan Xavier, Highlands Ranch, Colo., was named to the honorable mention All-Conference team in her first year at Bethany, starting every match. "Megan was one of our most dedicated and hard-working players during the off-season last spring," Moore said. "She's also our sole returning player in the midfield, so I'll be looking to her to help transition our new midfielder's into our system, while also improving her play from last year as well."

Sophomore forward Tara Rose, Platte City, Mo., is another key returner for the Swedes, who earned second team All-Conference honors after scoring 11 goals and tacking on three assists last season. "I had high expectations for Tara going into last year," said Moore, "and I wasn't disappointed. As with Megan, she's our sole forward coming back, so she'll be relied upon heavily. Last year, she had two other forwards that played with her that lightened the load, and this year it will largely be on her, so I hope she's up to the challenge."

While Bethany lost a good portion of their 2008 squad, Moore is excited about his new incoming recruits. Freshmen midfielders Amanda VanLoenen from Flower Mound, Tex. and Shannon Singleton from North Las Vegas, Nev. will help assist Xavier. "I want our center midfielders to be involved in every play when we have the ball, somewhat like a point guard in basketball," Moore said. "Both of these girls have been committed to coming here since last fall, and have been working very hard all this past year and this summer to try and ready themselves to come in and play right away. How well they transition to their roles for us likely will be a big determining factor as to how well we do."

Tiffany Siren, a midfielder from Kansas City, Mo., will also be a solid addition to the Bethany staff. She is a redshirt freshman after being sidelined by an injury the summer before the 2008 season. "Tiffany likely would have seen a lot of time last year," said Moore, "so it'll really help to have her back in action on the field this coming year."

Improving the defense will also be key in Bethany's success this year, decreasing opponents' goal scoring opportunities. In addition, Moore hopes the squad's ‘A-game' appears consistently.

"Another focus is making sure we bring our best when we show up for big games. We did well in big games during the early part of the season last year, but then later on during conference, we didn't show up against the top level teams. I'd also like to see an increased amount of ‘gel-ing' on and off the field by the players."

The Swedes kick off the season by traveling to the Greenville College Invitational Classic, taking on Principia College September 4 at 1 p.m. and Greenville College September 5 at 3 p.m. Though continuing to better the program is a prime focus, Moore also wants to keep the idea of striving for the ultimate prize.

"When I took over the program two and a half years ago, I knew that there was a lot of room for improvement," he said, "and I also knew that turning the team into a conference powerhouse or champion wasn't going to happen overnight. I would like to see us continue the improvement trend this year, and then I think it is a reasonable thing to hope for."