By STEPHEN GLOVER

For the Call

When glancing at the roster of the girls’ soccer team at Oakville Senior High, one thing is apparent: The Tigers return 12 players with a good amount of experience.

Oakville notched a record of 16-7-3 in 2004, which in-cluded a Suburban South Conference championship and a district championship. Oakville’s season ended in the state sectional with a 3-0 loss to eventual state champion In-carnate Word Academy.

During the past three weeks of preseason play, Tiger head coach Dave Robben has seen good team chemistry, a sign Oakville may pick up where it left off.

“We’ve come together really well in the three weeks we’ve been practicing,” he told the Call. “I think we’re going to be pretty solid in terms of experience in the backfield.”

Solid is one of many words to describe the Tiger defense, which features seniors Lauren Dieckmann, Sara Cook and Heather Siegmund.

Siegmund led the trio in goals scored last season with two goals and two assists.

“Heather’s a role player for us last year,” Robben said. “She’s one of those players that can play all of the defensive positions in our system.”

Cook registered one assist last season for Oakville and his having a strong preseason.

“Sarah’s a very strong and tenacious defender,” Robben said. “She’s been looking pretty good here in the preseason.”

Dieckmann may not tally the offensive totals of her teammates, but she’s established herself as solid marker-tracker for the Tigers, Robben said

“She’s a veteran and one of those players that was selected as a captain for her play on the field,” he said. “Lauren’s a good marking-tracking back that’s always moving.”

The Tigers’ fourth returning senior this season is forward Jenna Milward, who last year recorded one assist and one goal, which was a game winner.

“Jenna’s a really quick player,” Robben said. “She also has good breakaway speed.”

Oakville junior Lisa Kraus returns for the 2005 campaign as one of the Tigers’ top scoring threats after notching six goals and five assists last season.

“Lisa’s a smart player and is one of those players that has a good sense as to where to be,” Robben said. “She’s always in the right place at the right time.”

Junior Meghan Reel has moved into a starting job at midfield after seeing time as one of the team’s role players last season. Reel posted two goals and two assists last season.

“Last year we used Meghan as a role player and this year she’s settled into one of the outside midfielder positions,” Robben said.

Junior Lindsey Goodin is another Tiger scoring threat. She scored four goals with two assists last season, and three of her four goals were game winners.

“Lindsey is also a midfielder that plays on the flank,” Robben said. “She’s a strong and steady player.”

Junior Hillary Scott joins the Tigers this season after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the team’s tryouts in 2004.

“Hillary’s a very versatile defender that can go in and give us quality time in the backfield,” Robben said. “She’s essentially a marking back and does a good job at that.”

The Tigers have another solid scoring threat in sophomore midfielder and forward Megan Flecke, who led the team in points with six goals and seven assists.

“Megan’s a strong player that goes to the goal really well,” Robben said. “She’s a versatile player that can go up top.”

Sophomore Emma Kriegel is another midfielder that can pose as a scoring threat for Oakville after notching four goals and three assists last season. Kriegel was a third-team all-metro selection in 2004.

“Emma’s perhaps the most experienced player on the team,” Robben explained. “She’s a real fun player to watch and is one who can really read the game well.”

The Tigers travel to Cor Jesu for a season opener against the Angels at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 30.