ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Leah Stringer era of Griffon Soccer begins now, as Missouri Western's new interim leader kicks off her head coaching career in her home state.

Thursday, Aug. 25 pits the Griffons against the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International University (3-14-1 in 2021) at 8 p.m. in Laredo. After that, Missouri Western heads to San Antonio to take on St. Mary's (9-7-2) on Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup.

 Freshly-appointed Interim Head Coach Stringer isn't back in Texas for the scenery and certainly not the heat. She first got her start coaching collegiate soccer at Northeast  Texas Community College in 2016. Now, it's come full circle — leading a Division II program into a new territory after a coaching change midway through the summer. 

Despite being barely over a month into her new role after working as assistant coach since 2020, Stringer has her sights set on big success for this year's team.

"One of my main goals is to host a playoff game," Stringer said. "I'm not satisfied with just making the playoffs.

The Griffons finished 9-8-2 last year while going 6-5 in MIAA play. The season ended with a first-round playoff game at Central Oklahoma, the same opponent who beat the Griffons in the 2021 MIAA Spring Championship Game. Missouri closed the spring season ranked No. 23 in the nation with a record of 8-3-1.

Leading scorer Kaili Campbell returns as a junior this year for the Griffons. Campbell was able to score seven goals last season, highlighted by a hat trick in a 4-1 win against Rockhurst. She also found an impressive late game-winner vs/ Missouri Southern, scoring in the 99th minute.

Along with Campbell, the Griffons return second leading scorer Jaden Skinner. The 5-5 junior forward from Simi Valley, California, added five goals last season. Eszter Toth chipped in five goals as well but has since graduated.

Stringer doesn't plan on trying to fill Toff's role with just one player.

"We have three or four people that could be leading us in goals," Stringer said. "I don't think there's one person, which is great. I think our depth is going to be very important for us this year."

Last year's team was defined by counterattacks and transitions. This year's team will be focused on more traditional play.

"I think we will be able to play a little more soccer," Stringer said. "Not to say we haven't been playing soccer, but at the same time, I think we have some players that see the game and read it a little bit differently, so we don't have to depend on someone using their athleticism as much."

Stringer expects the Griffons to control games and that starts from the front.

"I want to press teams," Stringer said. "We brought in a total of 13 players this year, so our depth is going to help us."
.
One of those players is sophomore midfielder Elisabeth Pujado, a transfer from MIAA rival Missouri Southern. Pujado featured in 18 games for Missouri Southern, starting in seven of those. She found the back of the net once and added an assist as well.

Pujado attended Blue Valley West and O'Gorman in high school. She captained Blue Valley West to a third-straight state title and was on the All-Metro team at O'Gorman. The other players brought in are spread around the field, offering depth that will serve the Griffons well in this system focused on pressing and possession.

Four of these incoming players, including Pujado, are all transfers. This includes Paula Burillo-Blasco, a transfer from D1 Grambling State University. Burillo-Blasco played 12 games and found the net once for Grambling, adding three assists as well. The 5-4 midfielder from Zaragoza, Spain, fortifies an already talented midfield that looks primed to play exactly how Stringer wants.

The addition of Burillo-Blasco, alongside freshman Libby Skinner (England) and Luna Vincenzi (Switzerland) brings the total number of international players on the roster up to four. Stringer has continued to look abroad for players and has found gems from all around Europe.

The Griffons have three goalkeepers on the roster this year, and all three are expected to compete for the starting spot. Sophomore Sophie Wellinghoff returns for her second season and is joined by transfer Keeley Kroonenberg and freshman Nova Rothlisberger.

While Stringer was an assistant coach, her skillset included an emphasis with the goalies.

"To me, for keepers, it's who's the most consistent," Stringer said. "Once you find that one, you want to stick with them to build those relationships."

Stringer looks to continue the success of the program in recent years, with the program finding winning seasons in eight of the last nine years. Stringer will be the 5th head coach in the history of the program, which started in 2005. She is joined by second-year graduate assistant Liam Nevin.

The Griffons will play seven non-conference games before kicking off MIAA play on Sunday, Sep. 19, at Missouri Southern.