By Pete Conrad for the JournalNews

ROSS — The Ross girls soccer team is loaded with talent and experience this season, and it’s a good thing because the program recently moved from Division II to Division I, a move that will place the Rams in some big-time company when tournament time rolls around.

“Right now we’re doing alright, holding our own,” said Ross head coach Fred Hibbs, whose team opened with a 2-1 victory over Amelia on Monday. “(Moving to Division I) is a step ahead and we’re going to have to be prepared for that.

“We’re very strong and we should be very successful,” Hibbs added. “We’ll be a surprise team in the Division I bracket.”

Ross would have been no surprise this year as a contender in the world of Division II, where the Rams made it to the district championship game in 2004 before falling to Wyoming 2-1. Ross lost only two starters from that team, and some of this year’s Rams are starting their fourth varsity season together.

“This team has been building for a long time,” Hibbs said.

The Ross roster boasts four players who earned all-Fort Ancient Valley Conference last season, and that doesn’t even include senior midfielder Jaimie Roberts, who was named FAVC Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2003, but who was injured for much of last season. In her career, Roberts has amassed 20 goals and 20 assists.

“She’s back with the best attitude in the world,” Hibbs said of Roberts. “She’s playing really well right now.”

Ross also has a pair of returning all-FAVC first-team performers in junior defender Ashley Broermann and junior forward Danielle Hogue.

Broermann, who can play several positions, including stopper and sweeper, “is a role player and she gives you her heart,” Hibbs said.

Hogue is a big-time scorer who has 31 career goals and 16 assists to her credit.

Two returning all-FAVC second-team players are senior midfielder Abbey Slaughter, who has 12 goals and 15 assists in her career, and junior center-midfielder Jen Elam, who has totaled eight goals and 12 assists.

Two more key players for Ross are senior midfielder Lauren Vangen, a fourth-year starter, and senior sweeper Juliana Gross, “who has stepped up and become a leader,” according to Hibbs.

“I have a lot of experience, and it has a big impact,” the Ross coach said. “There is a lot of leadership here and this team has a lot of good chemistry and a lot of talent.”

One thing the Rams don’t have is an experienced goalkeeper. Julian Brown starter against Amelia, but her family is moving out of the area. That means back-up goalie Traci Frommer, a senior, is now the starting goalie.

Another possibility is Jenny Young, a talented junior who plays stopper right now but who could conceivably try her hand at goalie.

Yet another talented junior is Tiffany Glore, but it’s unlikely she will be used at the net. Her p osition is forward, and she scored both goals in the opener against Amelia.

“She’s on fire,” Hibbs said of Glore. “She’s having a super year.”

The Rams also have some young players who could be a factor.

Juniors Jenn Bacon, a right back, and Sarah Kuykendall, a junior midfielder, are up from the junior varsity team. Sophomore midfielder Kelli Dierdorf will split time as a midfielder and defender, and sophomore Lisa Reed could also see some varsity action. Two freshman who will try to make an impact are left-midfielder Sam Knutson and left back Courtney Henry.

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