At a luncheon last year, the Gophers' soccer team met the women who had led the program during its heyday in the 1990s. The 10th anniversary celebration of the Gophers' greatest season ever -- 18 victories, a 9-0 record in the Big Ten and a 1997 conference title -- revived memories of the time when the team routinely finished with winning records and made the NCAA tournament.

Mikki Denney was among the women who laid the groundwork for that remarkable year. For the Gophers players she now coaches, the opportunity to talk to her former teammates and hear them reminisce about their days at the U helped crystallize the broader mission their coach had set out for them. Each had only four years to play for the Gophers, but Denney -- now Mikki Denney Wright -- challenged them to create something that would last far longer.

They are on their way with a 10-0 start heading into Friday's Big Ten opener.

Denney Wright's first recruits came to the U because they were intrigued by the idea of rebuilding a program, and the eight seniors have begun their final season with the best nonconference record in program history.

"I wanted to be part of a program on the rise," said senior midfielder Kelsey Hood, who was named the Big Ten's player of the week Monday for her performances in last weekend's victories over No. 21 Brown and Boston University. "All of us seniors have been waiting for this year our whole lives.

"It's extremely important to all of us to leave something here. We already have, in a way. Now with our confidence at an all-time high, we have a great chance to do really well in the conference, which would be an awesome way to go out."

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Mikki Denney Wright played for the Gophers from 1994-96, then returned to coach the Gophers in 2004 and inherited a team that had finished 6-23-1 in its three previous Big Ten seasons. This year's team has started the season 10-0.

Denney Wright lettered for the Gophers from 1994-96, during the seven-season tenure of coach Sue Montagne. The team never finished below .500 and made all five of its NCAA tournament appearances under Montagne's direction.

The program slumped when Montagne left after the 1999 season. Denney Wright returned to coach the Gophers in 2004 and inherited a team that had finished 6-23-1 in its three previous Big Ten seasons. But she also carried the memories of stars such as Jennifer McElmury and Jennifer Walek, Big Ten players of the year when the Gophers won their only two league titles in 1995 and 1997, and she believed the Gophers could rise again.

Denney Wright recruited players who craved a challenge and all the work that entails. Instead of pursuing highly ranked stars, she went after "hidden jewels" willing to put the program first.

"It wasn't hard to sell this program, because it's not hard to sell something you believe in," Denney Wright said. "When we recruited our current senior class, we told them they could be part of something special. They could turn a program around.

"Not all our kids are top-50 recruits, but they're incredible kids who fit our program. By focusing on getting the right kids, we've built a team with great character and great chemistry, and our talent level has progressed every year."

She did get the Gophers' first recruit ranked among the nation's top 100 when she signed Hood, who twice has made second team all-Big Ten. Most of Denney Wright's efforts are focused in Minnesota, home to 17 of the Gophers' 23 players this season.

Her hard-driving practices and emphasis on defense helped the Gophers cut their goals-against average from 2.38 in 2003 to 1.43 in her first season as coach. In 2005, her second season, the team finished 9-8-2 for its first winning record in six years.

This year's senior-laden roster has surrendered only two goals in its 10 games with a defense ranked among the nation's best. But the Big Ten is always deep, and heading into their opener at Michigan State, the Gophers are picked to finish sixth in the league.

"We'd like to keep the streak alive, but really, the Big Ten season is what counts," said senior midfielder Kaitlin Wagner. "Coach Mikki is always striving for more. So are we."

Coach Mikki also knows how it feels to win a title, something she wants to share with a new generation of Gophers players.

"Our mission coming in here was to turn the program around, and I feel a lot of pride in seeing how our senior class has grown every year," Denney Wright said. "It's like life. It takes a while to build something good."

Rachel Blount • rblount@startribune.com