New Talent Brings New Possibilities To Blue Knights Soccer

With 44 student athletes on the roster and two new coaches on staff, the doors of opportunity are wide open for the 2007 Blue Knights soccer season.

After training hard during August, both the men’s and women’s soccer teams kicked off their season August 25 at home. The men’s soccer team has gotten off to a 3-1-0 start overall and are 2-1 in conference play, and the Blue Knight women are hungry for their first win at 0-2 overall and in the conference.

Both teams have welcomed fresh talent, with the women’s 15-member squad adding nine new members and and 22 of 29 men’s team players playing as DCTC Blue Knights for the first time.

“We have some strong, seasoned veterans on both teams that are going to be able to help guide our new players, and our new players are going to bring some outstanding talent to the field that will give us some great opportunities this season,” said Cam Stolz, DCTC head soccer coach and director of student life and athletics.

Also new to the team this year are two assistant coaches, Nicole Meulemans and Dan Houck.

Meulemans, who also serves as assistant athletic director at DCTC, joins the staff after four years of volunteering for the womens soccer program. She has extensive experience playing competitive soccer, and continues to play on both co-ed and women’s leagues.

Houck comes on board the DCTC coaching staff as a first-time college coach after having served as a high school soccer coach and a full-time career as director of coaching and player development for the 33-member Burnsville Fire youth club soccer team. Houck also has extensive playing experience, earning All-American status twice while at Bethany Lutheran College and playing professionally in France and Germany after playing with the Minnesota Thunder for six years.

With plenty of fresh talent on the field and at the sidelines, things are looking good for the DCTC Blue Knights. The Iowa Community College Conference coach’s poll picks the young DCTC team to finish fourth in both the NJCAA Division I men’s and women’s leagues. There are eight teams that compete in the ICCAC.