In his second year at the helm of the UA soccer team, head coach Dan Tobias turned a team that tied for last place in the Pacific 10 Conference in 2003 to the Pac-10 co-champions in 2004.
They broke or tied 31 records last season, both team and individual, and made their first trip to the postseason in the team's 10-year history.
Tobias, named the 2004 National Coach of the Year by Soccer America, sat down with the Arizona Daily Wildcat to talk about the state of his team going into the 2005 season, filling the holes left by arguably two of the best players to ever play for the Wildcats, and those pesky preseason polls.
Rankings
As for what other people think about Tobias team, only one coach in the Pac-10 thought the Wildcats would repeat as conference champions. They are slated to finish fourth, according to the Pac-10 coaches poll.
Tobias said he isn't too worried about the polls and that he talked about them with his team for all of two minutes in a recent practice.
He wanted to remind them that speculation is just speculation and that they shouldn't pay too much attention to it.
"They are fully entitled to their opinion. We might not agree with it, but we respect it," said Tobias about the polls, later adding, "They picked us to finish eighth last year."
In the national polls, the Wildcats start the preseason ranked No. 18 by the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America and No. 25 by Soccer Buzz magazine.
Offense
Two-time first-team All-Pac-10 forward Candice Wilks' Wildcat career is done, and as a result the Wildcats lose one of the top scorers in the team history.
Wilks' departure leaves a hole in the roster in terms of speed and skill, but Tobias said he's satisfied with his options in replacing her.
Whereas opposing defenses in the past focused almost entirely on Wilks, Tobias said he knows teams will not have the luxury of worrying about one player anymore when they take on the Wildcats.
"We have a lot more depth at that position (forward) and a lot more people that can score goals," he said.
One such player is Mallory Miller, spectacular to watch when she's playing forward, but also the team's most crafty playmaker when she's playing in the center-midfield position.
Also returning is Kamaya Damwijk, who as a senior walked on to the team and finished second in goals scored to Wilks with six last season.
Damwijk graduated with a communication degree in May, but decided to stay on and take graduate classes and use up her last year of eligibility.
Another player capable of filling the scoring hole left by Wilks is Kelly Nelson, who is finally healthy after two injury-plagued seasons in 2003 and 2004.
Both her ankles were culpable for her injury status for the last two years, but Tobias said she is not only healthy, but showed up to spring practices in great shape. As a redshirt freshman in 2002, Nelson scored a team-high 13 goals, an Arizona single-season record.
Defense
Losing Lindsey Peeples leaves a void on both ends of the field. She was the lone senior starting defender for the Wildcats last season and anchored the rest of the defense, made up of three freshmen. She was also arguably the team's most dangerous player in the air when they had corner or free kick opportunities.
Tobias has three sophomores who will take charge of the young but experienced backfield: Kaity Heath, Claire Bodiya and goalkeeper McCall Smith.
"Claire and McCall played every minute of every game last year, and that wasn't by chance," Tobias said. "They deserved it."
Also look for newcomer Brianna Caceres, who started Saturday's exhibition game against NAU, to make an impact.
The Canyon Country, Calif., native is new to the college game but not to playing at a high level. Her club team, So Cal United, won a national title in 2004.
Injuries
With the Wildcats opening their season Friday at home against Missouri, they will not be starting the season 100 percent injury-free:
While The Associated Press has picked the Arizona football team to finish eighth in the Pacific 10 Conference this season, the Wildcats can depend on looking like a whole new team on the field.
As head coach Mike Stoops continues to apply his brand to the program, the players will sport new uniforms designed - literally - to make opponents see red.
The team will have five color combinations to choose from, including a solid blue uniform and a choice of a red shirt over white pants, according to a news release on www.arizonaathletics.com. The uniforms debuted during the team's media day on Aug. 6, as senior safety Darrell Brooks and senior running back Mike Bell were among Wildcats who modeled for photographers, the release stated.
Here are the AP's picks for the Pac-10 Conference, with teams listed in order of predicted finish:
USC
Toughest replacements could be on the coaching staff where offensive coordinator Norm Chow, QB coach Carl Smith, OL coach Tim Davis and DL coach Ed Orgeron all left. ... Defensive line could be a question mark after losing Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson to the NFL. ... WR Whitney Lewis and Winston Justice return after sitting out last season.
CALIFORNIA
Cal opens with I-AA Sacramento State, followed by four teams who combined for 12 wins last season, making an easy transition for new QB - likely JC transfer Joseph Ayoob. ... Marshawn Lynch (628 yards rushing, 8.8 ypc as a freshman) takes Arrington's place. ... Offensive line is one of conference's best, led by C Marvin Philip and T Ryan O'Callaghan.
UCLA
Four of Bruins' six losses last season were by six or fewer points, including 29-24 to USC. ... QB job will probably either go to senior Drew Olson or BYU transfer Ben Olson - no relation. Whoever wins the job will rely heavily on TE Marcedes Lewis and RB Maurice Drew. ... Coach Karl Dorrell is 12-13 in two seasons but has played in two bowl games.
ASU
Pressure will be on QB Sam Keller to prove he can replace Walter, the conference's all-time leader in TD passes. Keller threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Purdue in the Sun Bowl. ... WR Derek Hagan had 83 catches for 1,248 yards last season. ... Play at LSU and host USC. ... Sun Devils had a trying offseason. RB Loren Wade was arrested on first-degree murder charges in the March shooting of former ASU player Brandon Falkner.
OREGON
Former BYU coach Gary Crowton was brought in as offensive coordinator to upgrade the passing game and help team recover from fall from No. 2 in the country in 2001 to 5-6 last season. ... There is talent at the skill positions with QB Kellen Clemens and RB Terrence Whitehead. But Oregon must rebuild offensive line that lost four starters. ... USC, Cal and Oregon State all visit Eugene.
WASHINGTON STATE
After three straight 10-win seasons, Cougars finished 5-6 last year and missed a bowl. ... LB Will Derting should be healthy and might be the conference's top defensive player. ... Josh Swogger and Alex Brink are battling for the starting QB job and the winner will throw often to WR Jason Hill, who had a school-record 12 TD catches last season.
OREGON STATE
UCLA transfer Matt Moore is the leading candidate to replace Anderson, the most prolific QB in school history. ... WR Mike Hass is back after catching 86 passes for 1,379 yards last season. ... Beavers won six of seven to end last season but play No. 18 Boise State and at No. 12 Louisville in September.
ARIZONA
Wildcats won two of final three games in Stoops' first season but still finished second-to-last in the nation in scoring. ... Team will sport new uniforms this season but question remains if it will be the same old Arizona on the field. Wildcats haven't had winning record since 1998. ... Back-to-back trips to Cal and USC provide a tough opening to the conference season.
STANFORD
Harris goes from coaching in a BCS game with Pittsburgh last season to rebuilding at Stanford. ... Cardinal should be undefeated entering October; then again, they only play Navy and UC Davis in the opening month. ... WR Evan Moore, who is 6-foot-7, gave up basketball last season when Harris was hired.
WASHINGTON
Tyrone Willingham will try to restore Huskies from the one-win team last year to the team that won at least a share of the conference title five times from 1990-2000. ... First job is picking a QB between speedy Isaiah Stanback, Oregon transfer Johnny DuRocher, Casey Paus and Carl Bonnell. ... Willingham's former team, Notre Dame, visits Seattle on Sept. 24.
Wildcat sports Editor Tom Knauer contributed to this report.