The Saginaw Valley State University women’s soccer program placed third in the poll as they totaled 47 points. They sit behind Northern Michigan with 62 (6) and Grand Valley State with 58 (3). The Cardinals are two points ahead of Ferris State for fourth with Parkside and Michigan Tech having 32 and 31 points respectively. Davenport takes seventh with 26 while Purdue Northwest has 13 and the GLIAC newcomer, Roosevelt, places ninth with 10 points.
The Cardinals are coming off a 9-5-5 season with a 6-3-5 conference record in 2023. They fell to Ferris State in the GLIAC Quarterfinal but also posted an astounding six-game shutout streak. It took nearly a month for a team to score a goal against SVSU as Grand Valley scored on September 17 and then Purdue Northwest ended the streak on October 15.
The team returns some major pieces with five seniors and nine juniors. There are also six sophomores and a redshirt-freshman returning to make up the 21 returning players for the Cardinals. Nine incoming freshmen along with a sophomore and graduate transfer round out the 11 new faces for the 32-player roster.
Madi Bajis returns after tying the team lead in goals with six and points with 15 in 2023. Stephanie Strong enters her senior year after tying Bajis with 15 points and led the team with five assists, 65 shots, and 37 on goal. Goalkeepers Lainey Garbarz and Kennedi Pugh both return after splitting time last season. Garbarz had six shutouts and shared one with Gabby Green during the six-game scoreless stretch against the Cardinal defense.
Head coach Tyler Channell enters his third year behind the helm and brings with him assistant coaches Bridget Symborski, Ashley Myall, and recent SVSU women’s soccer alumna, Larissa Barnett. Channell holds a 20-11-8 overall record with a 14-7-7 GLIAC record as a head coach. He is 1-2 in the GLIAC tournament making it to the semifinals in 2022 and the quarterfinals in 2023.
