The Viking women's soccer team opened its home season by hosting the Grand View Invitational over the weekend. The ladies took on two Chicagoland Conference opponents - St. Xavier on Friday and Robert Morris on Saturday.

GV fell to St. Xavier 2-0 on the opening night of the Invitational. The Vikings held the Cougars scoreless until the 38^th minute of the match when Nancy Schueth connected on a pass from Kally Steinhaus for SXU's first goal. Schueth added the second goal in the 63^rd minute unassisted. The Cougars were able to limit the Vikings' scoring opportunities to record the shutout. SXU held a 16-7 shot and 11-2 shots on goal advantage for the match.

Grand View was strong in the opening minutes of Saturday's game with Robert Morris. Sophomore forward Jordyn Thompson (Newton, Iowa) drilled one past the RMU goalie just six minutes into the match. Sophomore Joanna Fravel (Sioux City, Iowa) put the Vikings up 2-0 with a goal in the 37^th minute assisted by freshman Meghan McCoy (Des Moines, Iowa).

The 2010 Viking women's soccer team didn't waste time challenging itself and opened the season Saturday evening against Graceland University, the No. 7 team in the nation. The ladies played hard, but fell short in the 2-0 loss.

Both teams were scoreless midway through the first half until a Yellowjacket goal in the 32^nd minute. Graceland scored its final goal in the 62^nd minute.

Fans saw a lot of new faces in Saturday's match as twenty Vikings saw action on the field. Junior newcomer Lindsey Bardole (Round Rock, Texas) was aggressive in her debut taking five shots on goal. Sophomore Jordyn Thompson (Newton , Iowa) got a couple of good looks with two shots on goal.

Graceland took more overall shots that Grand View (19-10), but just edged the Vikings in shots on goal 9-8.

Liz Frank (Waterloo, Iowa) has committed to the Grand View women's soccer program announced by Head Coach Ventsi Stoimirov. Frank is an All-Conference and All-Metro forward from Waterloo West School.

"I am very pleased that Liz Frank has chosen Grand View as her new soccer home. Liz is a very smart and technically very savvy soccer player. She is capable of taking defenders 1 vs. 1, has the shot and the skill to score her own goals, but her true strength is her passing game. Liz has the game vision, the ability to put the right weight on the pass, and the selfless attitude to make her teammates look good. She shouldered the responsibility of the captain during her senior year of HS soccer. Her competitive attitude is giving her the drive and the energy to go after winning games even when her team is down and by doing so to set an example for her teammates," said Coach Stoimirov.

Megan Lewis (Des Moines, Iowa) has signed a letter of intent with the Viking women's soccer program announced by Head Coach Ventsi Stoimirov. Megan is an All-Conference defender from Roosevelt High School.

"Megan is one of those players that coaches just love having on the team. I often hear in the recruiting process players stating that they are always giving 110%. Although it sounds good, 110% is not possible, besides we all have our bad days so it is rare for a player to perform at 100% of their current potential at every practice and every game. Megan is one of those unique players. She is a very athletic, committed, disciplined and coachable soccer player. She is skilled and versatile and has played virtually every position depending on the coach's vision, the game plan, shutting down strengths or exploring weaknesses of the opposing team. Megan will be a great addition to our program and I expect her to continue to set an example for high performance in every practice and every game," said Coach Stoimirov.

Keri O'Tool (Des Moines, Iowa) has committed to the Grand View women's soccer program announced by Head Coach Ventsi Stoimirov. Keri is a four-time All-Conference and an Honorable Mention All-State defender from Hoover High School.

"Keri is gifted athlete and a defender with true potential to become a solid collegiate player. She has already achieved recognition for her ability at the high school level and has also been a leader and a captain for her team. She is fast and physical marking-back, but her recent role as sweeper for Hoover High School has given her the opportunity and the responsibility to take her game to another level. I am delighted that Keri has chosen Grand View and our women's soccer program and I am looking forward to develop her into an even better soccer player over the next four years," said Coach Stoimirov.