In an eight-part series leading up to the 2010 Minnesota soccer season, Gophersports.com will profile each of the team's seven seniors along with the program's longtime student manager. This week, we profile senior midfielder Angie Olson…

Minnesota senior midfielder Angie Olson returns to the Gophers lineup in 2010 for her fourth year wearing the Maroon and Gold.

A standout from nearby Eagan High School, Olson earned numerous awards as one of the best high school soccer players in the nation as well as the state before arriving at Minnesota. Along with being named a 2006 NSCAA/Adidas High School All-American, the NSCAA High School Player of the Year in Minnesota and Minnesota’s Ms. Soccer in 2006, Olson has also earned the distinction of being just the second female athlete to have her number retired at Eagan High School (former Gophers women’s hockey player and Olympian Natalie Darwitz was the first).

“We like to call Angie Olson “a machine” because of her ability to run her opponents into the ground,” Denney Wright said. “Angie is the model of work ethic for Gopher Soccer. She is extremely fast and dynamic, and her player development over the past three years has been nothing short of remarkable.”

A contributor for Minnesota since arriving on campus as a freshman in 2007, Olson has appeared in 54 career games (22 starts), and compiled 12 total points (three goals, six assists). As a freshman and sophomore, Olson earned playing time as a reserve and developed under the guidance of head coach Mikki Denney Wright and the Gophers coaching staff. The patience and practice paid off last year, when Olson’s attacking skills exploded as a junior. The midfielder started in all 19 games she appeared in and subsequently doubled her career point totals.

Credited by her Minnesota teammates and coaches as a “machine” for her ability to wear down opponents on the field, Olson’s mobility and athleticism have made her a constant threat to opposing offenses, which the Gophers have outscored 110-49 over the last three years in part because of Olson’s work at both ends of the field. The midfielder tallied three goals (including her first career goal – a game-winner against South Dakota State on Aug. 21) and a pair of assists in her junior campaign before finishing the year ranked fourth on the team in both points and goals. In recognition of her development, Olson was honored by her teammates with the Gophers’ Most Improved Player Award.

“Angie has poured her heart and soul into our program and it is exciting to see her playing at such a high level. She is an outstanding example both on the off the field,” Denney Wright said. “It has been an honor to coach Angie Olson, and we are thrilled she is a part of the Minnesota Soccer Family.”