As is always the case in college sports, the strength of a team will come from the players returning from the previous season. They’re the older, more experienced players, they’re already familiar with the coaching staff and the general tactics the team uses, and last but certainly not least, they are going to have a physical edge over the younger players, both because of access to better training and the aforementioned age difference.
Marquette women’s soccer won a share of the Big East regular season title in 2016, and if they’re going to do that again in 2017, the heavy lifting is going to have to be done by the veterans on Markus Roeders’ roster.