UP Sports Information 

Great Falls, Mont. - As Heather Blandford enters this season at the helm of the University of Providence Women's soccer team, she is looking forward to seeing what growth the team made from last fall. The Argos went 2-13 in a rough year for everyone in the program. Providence was outscored 28-7 and was outshot 219-70. But that could all change with another year of coming together.  

"We have a number of returners that we are expecting big things from this season. Their leadership and competitive nature will help push our team to improve daily. We are excited to see who steps up." That list includes all but one lady that found the back of the net last year. Danielle Chang returns after scoring two goals with two assists and played 713 minutes for the Argos. Also back is Megan Haugen who played in all 11 contested matches, starting 10. In addition to a solid core of returners, will be a group of freshmen looking to make an immediate impact, "We have a strong group of newcomers that are eager to prove themselves and help us to continue transforming this program. Any number of them could step up and make a big impact." 

The first match of the year takes place Saturday and with any team starting its season, Providence is more worried about itself and coming together in a match that matters. Blandford says, "These first few matches are an opportunity for us to learn to play as a team. We need to incorporate tactical and team concepts we have been working on in training. We are also looking to identify areas we are excelling and areas we want to continue to improve. Most of all we are looking to be that team that never gives up and never goes away." 

After playing against each other for the last two weeks, the Argos are ready for fresh faces and a different color uniform says Blandford, "The team is definitely excited to get started. They're a hardworking group that is focused on learning and improving every training session. As a coaching staff that is exactly the attitude and mentality we want to see right now." 

The Argos will open play Saturday at Argo field hosting Mount Royal University. The match starts at 10 AM and can be seen at www.upargos.com