<p align=justify>A new coach, a new home and a new approach paint an optimistic picture for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns as they sharpen their game for Friday's opener of the women's soccer season.
Coach Scot Wieland, who takes over for departed program founder Dave Poggi, pits his squad against Southern Mississippi on Friday in Hattiesburg and then christens the team's new field at Cajun Track with a 1 p.m. home opener against Tulsa next Sunday.
"The players have been amazingly positive from top to bottom," Wieland said. "They're enthusiastic, and you never know coming in if that will be the case. There has been absolutely no resentment."
Meredith Smith of Baytown, Texas, is one reason Wieland has been able to point the squad in a positive direction after last year's 7-10-2 finish.
"Meredith is our senior captain, and it's nice to come into a program and have someone like her," Wieland said. "She's a very good player, and she's the kind who can speak about something in any way and the girls will respect her.
"Most times she doesn't have to say anything."
The four-player senior class includes Smith, midfielder Ainsley Breaux of St. Thomas More, forward * Brown and midfielder Rachel Rozelle. They will help set the tone for a squad that has 20 freshmen and sophomores.
By this time next year, Wieland's style and methods will be well established. But 2005 is a year of transition.
"Seniors are important, but top to bottom the work rate and enthusiasm have been tremendous," Wieland said. "That's providing our motivation. I've pushed them hard, and they've responded 110 percent."
The new look includes a switch in style on the field.
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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com
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"We'll be a very possession-oriented team," Wieland said. "Very rarely will we just bang the ball. We'll be keeping it on the ground, switching at the point of attack. We're going to be very fit and we're going to work hard.
"It was difficult at first, but we've made great strides. The mentality here before was to bang the ball, but the players know now that they've got to get wide and support, instead of turning and running upfield.
"Obviously, that's something we had to establish the first day of preseason, because everything in practice revolves around that. They're excited because they've started to see the system work."
Standouts are certain to emerge during the season, but Wieland wants several players he can count on for big plays.
"We're going to have a lot of go-to players, even in our center midfield," he said. "Meredith, especially, has a lot of composure, and that will help. Our defenders will sometimes be involved in the offense. In fact, in our drills at the end of practice, every player on the team works on finishing."
Wieland enjoys the difference presented by coaching female athletes.
"The way you go about training them is different," Wieland said. "Guys think they know things already, moreso than women.
"Women really appreciate the little things you do for them. When you care about the program, it means a lot to these girls. They want to work hard to get better. They want to improve.
"Also, you won't see guys getting together for a pizza party, as our team did the other night. And, our freshmen brought little gift bags to the upperclassmen in the locker room. They were glad to get them. You won't find guys doing that sort of thing."
You won't find Wieland's players taking their academics lightly, either.
"We begin study hall next week," Wieland said. "There will be a sliding scale of how many hours you have to attend, according to your GPA. Freshmen will have mandatory 6 hours per week.
"They need to know right off the bat what is expected of them, and that if they only make 5 hours, they're not dressing for the next game. And if they need to work practice around classes or labs, we'll do that. Practice is not more important than classes."
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