Balance and experience is a goal coaches often wish to have as a season unfolds. As he starts his 10th season as head women's soccer coach at Hamline, Ted Zingman thinks he may just have that elusive formula. "I'm excited to get going," Zingman said as the 2016 Pipers took to Paterson Field for the first time.

17 returnees will mix in with eight newcomers as HU looks to rebound from a 5-11-1 campaign in 2015. That mark snapped a string of four consecutive seasons where the Pipers had finished at .500 or over. If things go as planned, Zingman hopes to return to that level – and perhaps a loftier goal of making the postseason for the first time in school history.

"We're more well-rounded and a lot of deeper than we have been for a while," he said. "We have a good mix of seniors and underclassmen."

 Up front, Arendje Louter, who led the Pipers with six goals in her freshman season, returns. So does senior Alicia Williams, who nailed four in 2015. Malya Hirshkowitz, also a senior, is a consistent scoring threat who also controls the middle of the field.  Zingman is also looking for Jensen Sevening, a sophomore, to help out in this regard.  A return to good health by Anna Futterer (held down to just one game last year due to injury after scoring four times as a freshman) would be a welcome bonus.
Avoiding injuries such as the one that hobbled Futterer in 2015 would be helpful but, as Zingman noted, "You always have them."

There is a lot of experience back in the middle of the field and on the back wall.  In addition to Hirshkowitz and Sevening, Madison Putnam played 17 games last year and Teylen Sheesley saw action in 15 games.

The defense is even heavier with veterans. Seniors Mackenzie Zink and Grace Nichols and junior Mallory Wirth are stalwarts who have missed a total of six games between them in their career here.  Nichols is a converted who can slide up front if the situation warrants.
 Amy Ramras, a senior who is the school record holder for shutouts in a career, returns in goal. Tess Salen, a freshman, is the other netminder.

The Pipers have four games in 10 days to prep for MIAC play. The season opens against Wis-Superior on Thursday, September 1 at Paterson Field (3:00 p.m.). HU then travels to UM-Morris and Wis-Stout before returning to Paterson to face Wis-Rivef Falls on September 10. The MIAC opener is September 14 at Concordia. By then, Zingman, whose 69 coaching wins in nine seasons is more than all other HU women's soccer coaches combined, hopes to have the right combos in place to get off to a good start.

"We're adding a lot of talented players," he said. "We just need to find our on-field identity."