WICHITA, Kan. — A disjointed final month of the 2015 season finished on a high note for the Newman women's soccer team, which won its final three games to carry some momentum into the offseason.

Now, some stability brought by first-year coach Aaron Avila has brought the right kind of chaos into the fold as the Jets ready to open the 2016 campaign, as increased depth has led to battles for starting roles and playing time. Avila hopes that kind of competitive spirit has the Jets ready to start the climb toward respect in the Heartland Conference.

"I think the girls can really see the amount of depth we have, and they like it," said Avila, who came to Wichita after leading the women's program at Barton County Community College for the past four years. "Last year they had a good team, but they could tell they were lacking depth in certain spots. This year they see the competition at every spot."

Last year's Jets finished 6-8-2 overall and 3-4-1 in the Heartland, but snapped a rough start to league play by capturing their final three games by a total of four goals, all coming on the road. A draw and two losses by single goals showed that they weren't very far away from the upper half of the conference and a bid to the postseason, and that's something Avila wants his team to remember.

"The main goal for me is to change the mentality of the whole team, and I think we're getting there," he said. "I want them to have to feel that they have to earn things, to have the confidence to go into conference play and say 'We're going to earn this respect.'"

Newman opens the 2016 season at home at Wilkins Field, hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Thursday before welcoming Missouri Southern Saturday afternoon at 1.

Season Breakdown (2015 Statistics in Parentheses)

Goalkeepers

Returners: Kelsi Langley, Sr. (14 GP/13 GS, 1099:46 min. in goal, 1.23 GAA, 79 saves, 2 shutouts); Ashley Sweetnam, So. (1 GP, 14:43 min. in goal, 0.00 GAA).

Newcomers: None.

Coach Speak: "Kelsi is a senior and has lots of experience, and both she and Ashley are good goalkeepers with different skill sets. If they both stay healthy, they should both see plenty of time this year, and if the worst happens and we have to rely on just one of them, we will definitely have a good goalkeeper that we can put out there."

Defenders

Returners: Kylie Logan, So. (7 GP, 30.1 min./gm); Briana Marin, So. (9 GP, 34.1 min./gm, 5 shots); Tara Minx, Sr. (14 GP/12 GS, 80.1 min./gm); Quincy Plank, So. (16 GP/16 GS, 87.4 min./gm, 1 G, 1 A, third-team all-Heartland at MF); Korrie Raney, Sr. (16 GP/16 GS, 86.9 min./gm, 1 G, 1 A, third-team all-Heartland); Dania Rodriguez, Sr. (16 GP/16 GS, 71.1 min./gm, 8 shots).

Newcomers: Maria Rodriguez, Jr. (at Barton County CC: 16 GP/16 GS, 2 G, 2 A); Rachel VanBuskirk, Jr. (at Dodge City CC: 17 GP/5 GS, 4 G, 4 A).

Coach Speak: "At outside back we have two seniors returning in Dania and Korrie, both really good players. We have two others that have been there in preseason too, Maria Rodriguez and Rachel VanBuskirk, so we have depth there. Center backs, I wouldn't call a weakness, but that's where a lot of our question marks come from. We have four players, all returners, that have got time there. Tara Minx is probably the most experienced, and three sophomores after that. If we stay healthy we should be fine."

Midfielders

Returners: Madison Decker, Sr. (16 GP/15 GS, 70.2 min./gm, 3 G, 1 A, third-team all-Heartland); Cydney Padilla, Sr. (5 GP, 28.2 min./gm); Emma Stewart, So. (16 GP/15 GS, 84.4 min./gm, 2 A); Paige Thompson, Sr. (16 GP/11 GS, 57.9 min./gm, 4 G, 1 A).

Newcomers: Caitlin Davis, Fr.; Natalie Espino, So. (at Barton County CC: 16 GP/16 GS, 2 G, 6 A); Sheree Molina, Jr. (at Butler County CC: 24 GP/24 GS, 3 G, 9 A); Vanessa Ortiz, Fr.

Coach Speak: "Emma got a lot of experience last year, and then there's the three seniors who return with her, all three different types of players. Maddie is just a hard worker. Paige is our big, strong, athletic midfielder, and she's learning to use that to her advantage. Cydney is probably the hardest working midfielder we have, and has been the most consistent throughout the preseason. Four new midfielders gives us lots of depth since we play four in the middle. We basically have eight midfielders that can all play and will give us plenty of good options out to put out there."

Forwards

Returners: Morgan Foster, Sr. (16 GP/16 GS, 91.2 min./gm, 8 G, 44 shots, 3 game winners, third-team all-Heartland); Erin Mink, So. (Redshirted).

Newcomers: Katie Crouse, Fr.; Rosa Urista-Chico, Jr. (at Butler County CC: 24 GP/22 GS, 18 G, 6 A).

Coach Speak: "Two sharp returners. Morgan has a very good soccer IQ, and she's had to change up the way she plays since an injury a few years ago. She gives us a calming presence up top and players play off of her really well. Erin is like Paige in the midfield, an athletic, fast, strong player, and we're working on having her use more than her straight-line speed. Rosa is kind of a combination of those two, athletic and technical, while Katie brings some more speed, and can use her small size to her advantage in tight spaces. We have four strikers that all have a different kind of set of skills, and we're excited about the ways that they can work together."