<p>A culture change continues at Manchester University this fall.</p> <p>Coach Andy Stout and his staff began the path towards it prior to 2011. Those differences included the line-up and different combinations within it.</p> <p>Early returns were good with the Spartans posting a winning record in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2011. However, according to the fifth-year skipper, everyone is hoping to see more.</p> <p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;d been too much of a sense of entitlement at times in my first three years here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now, we&rsquo;re focused on hard work.</p> <p>&ldquo;I like the make-up of our team this fall,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of excitement as we look ahead. That being said, a lot depends on how healthy we can stay.&rdquo;</p> <p>MU has reason to be optimistic about continuing to advance the culture change. The Black and Gold look to make a move up the conference ranks due to several starters back on both ends of the field including sophomore forward <strong>Breanna McLane (Westerville, Ohio)</strong> and sophomore goalkeeper <strong>Emily Willmann (Montpelier, Ind.)</strong>.</p> <p>&ldquo;We need to get our offense started with strong defensive play in back and have that go vice-versa,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Both sides should work to help each other the entire 90 minutes.&rdquo;</p> <p>McLane tops the forward group as the top returning scorer from last fall where she finished with three goals, four assists and 10 points. Stout also pointed to sophomore <strong>Katelyn Barta (Griffith, Ind.)</strong>, who appeared in three matches during an injury-riddled 2011, and junior <strong>Laura Jenkins (Sellersburg, Ind.)</strong>, who returns to the program after not playing last fall. Jenkins produced strong numbers as a freshman in 2010 with four goals.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;We took a hit (at the forward slot) due to graduation and some players opting not to return,&rdquo; Stout said. &ldquo;This is one of the question mark areas going into preseason camp. I think we have new faces that will be able to contribute, but time will tell.&rdquo;</p> <p>Moving up field, the midfielder position has a strong nucleus available. Sophomore <strong>Sofia Tzortzinis (Ann Arbor, Mich.)</strong> started in 17 of 18 matches last year with one goal and an assist to her name, while sophomore <strong>Diane McAfee (Fort Wayne, Ind.)</strong> played in 16 games with four starts and was a big reason why the Spartans surrendered only 25 goals over the course of the season. The sophomore class also contributes <strong>Amber Oster (Waterloo, Ind.)</strong> and <strong>Amber Kent (Fountaintown, Ind.)</strong> to the mix, as the each scored a goal and dished out an assist during large playing time opportunities as freshmen.</p> <p>&ldquo;Those players will play a key role to our offense getting more production,&rdquo; Stout said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to have four returners who saw so much playing time as freshmen. They each know what to do.&rdquo;</p> <p>Sophomore <strong>Adrien Brudvig (Chesterfield, Mich.)</strong> and senior <strong>Sara Barker (Goshen, Ind.)</strong> also saw considerable playing time on the back line. The duo, plus other candidates, works in front of Willmann who finished 2011 with five shutouts and a 1.07 goals-against average in 16 appearances.</p> <p>&ldquo;Emily will be among the leaders on defense,&rdquo; Stout said. &ldquo;She was one of the top keepers in the league as a freshman, earning second team all-conference honors. I need to credit (assistant coach Brian Knudsen) BT for the amazing improvement she showed from the first to last match. I expect her to continue that improvement.</p> <p>&ldquo;Overall, the sophomore class will play a key role in how our season goes,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;They all have experience and will help guide eight freshmen. Among those newcomers are <strong>Allison and Bridgette Rowe (La Quinta, Calif.)</strong> Bridgette competed in track last spring and was the conference triple jump champion. They both bring good athleticism to the team.&rdquo;</p> <p>Stout and his staff feel Manchester University can play a role in the HCAC title landscape. A pre-conference slate that includes contests against Trine, Olivet College of Michigan, and Benedictine University of Illinois will prepare the Spartans for another tightly-contested league schedule.</p> <p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a situation where anyone can beat anyone else on a given day or night in the conference,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be tough in each match, as I feel one through six could be interchangeable.&rdquo;</p>