You could hear the excitement in head coach Tory Pomeroy’s voice when asked about the upcoming women’s soccer season.

“Last year set a benchmark for what this program has to offer,” said Pomeroy about the school’s first year fielding a women’s varsity team.

For a start-up program, a 5-7-2 overall record and a 4-5-1conference record was nothing to scoff at.

Pomeroy expects improvement to come from a growth in the team’s talent.

“Talent (this year) is an understatement,” she said. Talent that stems from team captains Jamie Hess and Melissa Stewart along with four other returning players, several transfer students, and new recruits.

According to Pomeroy nearly 50 percent of the 2015 team are players she sought out in the offseason and she continues to seek out new players.

Though a strong season, a new coach, and talent are major contributors to the future of the programs success, Pomeroy attributes their accomplishments with the academic strength of the team.

“Focusing on academics makes them stronger as athletes,” Pomeroy said. This season will rely on those same qualities as well as the leadership of transfer student Jamie Erickson, as well as new players Lindsey Kramer and Jessica Pachon.

With the regular season kicking off this week Pomeroy appears confident even with her novice players.

“All of our incoming freshman can score from center field,” said Pomeroy.

When asked about her biggest challengers this year, she had only one team in mind: Rock Valley. With a cumulative scoring total of 7-0 against the WolfPack last year, Rock Valley will surely be a test to see how newcomers and returning players work together on the field.

“They need to come together as a group who regard each other as a family and use talents and skills they already learned to improve and bring on new things,” Pomeroy said. “I want us to finish as strong as we did last year and I want see success academically and as a team.”

The regular season begins Aug. 26 with the WolfPack traveling to Elgin Community College in Elgin, Ill.

The team’s home opener is Sept. 2 against Triton College, which will help prepare them for their Sept. 4 away game against Rock Valley.