NC GIRLS SOCCER HEADLINES

WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNC Wilmington freshman midfielder Erin Pardini has been named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Women’ Soccer Rookie-of-the-Week.

“Erin has already made a great impact with our team,” UNCW head coach Paul Cairney said. “She works extremely hard and has been asked to play in a few different positions so far this season. But, any time an individual receives recognition it is a reflection of our team as a whole. Therefore, the entire team shares in this award.” more

Panthers Top Upstate 1-0 in Women's Soccer

High Point freshman Laura Shupe connected on her first career collegiate goal early in the second half of play to lead High Point University to a 1-0 victory over USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon at Vert Track & Soccer Stadium.

Shupe drilled a shot from just outside the 18-yard box into the upper left corner of the net at the 58:53 mark following a well-played drop pass from junior Laura Eldridge. The game-winning score gave HPU their first win of the season as the Panthers improved to 1-1-2 on the year. With the loss, Upstate slipped to 1-2-0.

The Panthers dominated the play holding a 27-4 advantage in shot attempts, including a 13-to-1 barrage in the first half. High Point forced Spartan goalkeeper Brittany Daughtry to tally 13 saves in the game. HPU also held a 6-0 lead in corner kick attempts. more

Bye-Nagel Tallies 1st SoCon Player of Week Honor in W. Soccer

DAVIDSON, N.C. — After leading the Davidson women's soccer team to an unbeaten record in first two weeks of the season, junior forward Kyri Bye-Nagel (Hanau, Germany) was honored with the Southern Conference's first women's soccer Player of the Week award as voted on by the league's sports information directors today.

It's Bye-Nagel's third career player of the week honor after she garnered the award twice last season on her way to being named to the All-SoCon first-team. more

Charlotte Easily Defeats Tennessee Tech 8-0

Charlotte, N.C. - With help from a Whitney Weinraub hat trick, the Charlotte 49ers made it two in a row with a convincing 8-0 victory over the visiting Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Transamerica Field.

After battling each other even for the first 19 minutes of the game, at the 19:02 mark of the first half, Nikki Labuda Czaplicki capitalized off a well placed corner kick by Sam Huecker and a pass from the head of Danielle Mayeaux to break the deadlock and make the score 1-0 as Czaplicki registered her first score of the season.

Exactly eight minutes later, Weinraub placed her first goal of the day top shelf in the right hand corner of the net off some fancy footwork to beat the defender to make the tally 2-0. more

Blue Devils Improve To 3-0 As Alukonis Posts Game-Winner In 76th Minute

DURHAM, N.C. – After scoring 13 goals in the first two contests, the 10th-ranked Duke women’s soccer team found themselves in a defensive battle on Sunday evening at Koskinen Stadium against UNC Greensboro.  The Blue Devils registered a goal in the 76th minute to collect a 1-0 victory over the Spartans.

With the victory, Duke improved to 3-0, while UNC Greensboro fell to 2-2.  The Blue Devils will next travel down the road to play in the Nike Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sept. 5 versus Kentucky and Sept. 7 versus Notre Dame.  The Kentucky contest will kick off at 5:00 p.m., while the match against the Irish will start at 1:00 p.m. more

Vera Nets Three In 5-1 Rout of Elon

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State All-ACC forward Lindsay Vera struck for three goals Friday night in a 5-1 victory over Elon in women’s soccer action at NC State Soccer Stadium.

Held relatively quit over the first two matches of the season, Vera wasted no time in finding the back of the net in the 10th minute. The Houston, Texas, native corralled a pass at mid field, took two dribbles to get up to full speed, weaved through the Elon defense and blasted a shot from 19 yards out.

Just over three minutes later Vera lofted a deft shot into the upper left-corner from 15 yards and just like that, Elon (0-1) was behind 2-0 12:39 into its 2008 campaign. more

UNCA Falls to Clemson, 8-0

CLEMSON, S.C. – The UNC Asheville women's soccer team lost to Clemson by the score of 8-0 on Sunday afternoon at Riggs Field. 

The Bulldogs fell 0-2 on the season, while the Tigers improved to 3-0.

Clemson senior Julie Bolt scored four goals in the win, moving into a tie for first place with three other Tigers for most goals scored in a single game.

Bolt got the Tigers on the board less than five minutes into the game with a 14-yarder into the right side of the net by way of a long pass from senior defender Molly Johnson.

Junior midfielder Lindsey Jackson netted her second goal of the season at the 10:17 mark, with sophomore Abby Lambert tallying the assist on the play. more

Winslow Nets Hat Trick, No. 15 Deacons Shutout UNCW 5-0   WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Sarah Winslow scored three goals to lead the No. 15 Wake Forest women's soccer team to a 5-0 victory over UNC-Wilmington on a hot Sunday afternoon at Spry Stadium. The Deacons improve to 3-0 on the season, while UNC-Wilmington drops to 1-2-1. "We didn't have a great start today," head coach Tony da Luz said. "In the first 10 minutes, we could have easily been down 2-0. We came back and scored some very good goals. I'm happy with how we played overall." Outside of the first 10 minutes of the game, Wake Forest controlled much of the action. The Deacons out-shot UNC-Wilmington 21-15, and had an 11-7 advantage in shots on goal. more

Spartans drop 1-0 decision at Duke

Durham, NC --  Katelynn Donovan led all Spartans with three shots, but UNCG was unable to find the back of the net, dropping a 1-0 decision at No. 16 Duke on Sunday night.

The loss to Duke (3-0-0) marks the second straight time that the Spartans (2-2-0) have dropped a 1-0 decision to the Blue Devils in Durham.  The teams battled into overtime in 2005 before Duke was able to come out on top.

Donovan’s three shots were a season high for the senior, while six other Spartans registered one shot apiece.  Duke totaled 15 shots, forcing Spartan goalie Barrie Vogel to make four saves over the 90 minutes of play. more

No. 15 Wake Forest Shuts Out Francis Marion 3-0

FLORENCE, S.C. - The No. 15 Wake Forest women's soccer team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 3-0 road victory over Francis Marion on Friday afternoon at FMU Soccer Field in Florence.

Wake Forest controlled the game from start to finish. The Deacons out-shot Francis Marion 20-4, including a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal. Wake Forest had five corner kicks compared to one for the Pioneers.

The Deacons jumped out on top early, scoring in the 13th minute. Sarah Winslow sent a pass to Jill Hutchinson, who turned and fired a shot from 11 yards out to beat the Francis Marion keeper. The goal was Hutchinson's second of the season. more

Midfield Combo Lead Seahawks Past Gardner-Webb, 2-0

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. –  Senior Kelly Renkin and freshman Erin Pardini each had a goal and an assist to lead UNC Wilmington past Gardner-Webb, 2-0, in collegiate women’s soccer action Friday evening at Greene-Harbinson Field.

The Seahawks evened their season mark a 1-1-1 while the Bulldogs fell to 1-2-0 on the young season.

“It was great to score early,” UNCW head coach Paul Cairney said. “Gardner-Webb responded well to that goal and brought the game to us. We were fortunate to get the second goal of the game at a critical juncture and provide ourselves some breathing room in the second half.”  more

Redmond Scores Two As Blue Devils Down Campbell, 4-0

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke junior Elisabeth Redmond collected two goals as the 10th-ranked Blue Devil women’s soccer team registered a 4-0 victory over Campbell on Friday evening at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.  The Blue Devils improved to 2-0-0, while the Camels fell to 0-1-1.

Duke came out on the attack early as Redmond found herself in a one-v-one position with Campbell goalkeeper Boomie Luck.  A product of Morristown, N.J., Redmond made a move to her left to go around the goalkeeper, but Luck was able to get a hand up when Redmond shot and batted the ball away.  more

Blue Devils Open Season With 9-0 Rout Of Coastal Carolina On Sunday

DURHAM, N.C.— Coming off an elite eight visit in the 2007 NCAA College Cup, the 10th-ranked Duke women’s soccer team (1-0) has high expectations in 2008 and the Blue Devils set the tone in the season opener on Sunday with a 9-0 rout of Coastal Carolina (0-2) at Koskinen Stadium.

“We didn’t have a great game last Saturday [at UNC Wilmington],” said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church.  “So I think the girls were very, very anxious to get out and kind of play better and take it to a different level than we did last Saturday.  We did that, but it comes down to finishing.  We did a great job of finishing.”

The Blue Devils scored five goals in the first 29 minutes of the match and held a 6-0 advantage at the end of the first half.  The contest was a day of firsts as four Blue Devils collected their first career goals -- freshman Ashley Rape (2), freshman Cody Newman, sophomore Marybeth Kreger and sophomore Lynnea Pappas.  more

East Carolina Shuts Out Francis Marion

FLORENCE, S.C. - A pair of second half tallies by two freshmen lifted the East Carolina soccer team over Francis Marion, 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at the FMU Soccer Field. The Pirates are now 2-0-0 on the year while the Patriots fall to 0-2-0.

With the shutout, senior Amber Campbell set a new ECU career mark as she now is in possession of 23 clean sheets. The old standard was 22.5 by Amy Horton. Additionally, Campbell was not forced to make a save in the contest as the Pirates snapped Francis Marion's 14-game home winning streak, which dated back to Oct. 18, 2005. more

Player's Goal Not Enough as Spartans Fall in Double Overtime

The UNC Greensboro women’s soccer team out-shot Utah 15-13 on the afternoon but it wasn’t enough as Utah was able to find the back of the net in the second overtime to hand the Spartans a 2-1 loss, Sunday afternoon at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.

The loss drops the Spartans to 1-1-0 on the young season while Utah improves to 1-1-0 after losing to Wake Forest in over time on Friday evening by a 2-1 score.  Mary Kate Towne (Royal Palm Beach, FL) led all players with six shots, including three on goal while Katy Reineke took five attempts on net with just one coming on goal.  The Spartans also held the advantage on corner kicks with six to just four for Utah. more

UNCA Soccer Edged by ETSU, 1-0

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Jordan Monty scored eight minutes into the match and that goal would be the difference as East Tennessee State edged UNC Asheville, 1-0 in collegiate women’s soccer action at Greenwood Field Sunday afternoon.

The win by the Lady Bucs (1-0-0) was their first ever over the Bulldogs at Greenwood Field in five tries.

The Bulldogs (0-1-0) rebounded from the early goal and had chances to tie but could not put the ball past freshman goalkeeper Megan Masch. She made five saves in the match.

“We played better as the match went on but had chances to score and didn’t do it,” commented UNC Asheville coach Michele Cornish. “Our freshmen did a nice job for the most part. We’ll get better as the season goes on.” more

Freshmen Duo Leads Gardner-Webb Past The Citadel In Battle Of The Bulldogs

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Rookie Paige Reagan put Gardner-Webb on the scoreboard in the 28th minute of action as the Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season, coming at the expense of The Citadel at Washington Light Infantry Field Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs improve to 1-1 on the year while The Citadel falls to 0-1 on the young season.

In similar fashion to GWU’s season-opening contest, head coach Kevin Mounce’s team gained possession from the outset and blasted a shot just 35 seconds into the match off the foot of Dawn Rollyson. However, Whitney Nave corralled the attempt. more

Second Straight Shutout Leads Pack over Western

RALEIGH, N.C. – Paige Dugal and Nadia Aboulhosn scored second half goals to give NC State a 2-0 victory over Western Carolina Sunday afternoon at NC State Soccer Stadium

Freshman Kim Kern turned in her second straight clean sheet with four saves to move NC State to 2-0 on the season, while Western falls to 0-2 without scoring a goal this weekend after falling 1-0 to East Carolina on Friday.

The Pack wasted no time in the second half to take the lead by scoring just 32 seconds into action. Aboulhson started the play from the middle of the field passing it to Friday night’s hero Kara Baldy, who made a great touch through the center of the field releasing Dugal towards net. more

MacDonald, Pratt Anchor Defense In Season Debut

WILMINGTON, N.C. –Senior keeper Emily Pratt made a career-high 11 saves as UNC Wilmington and South Carolina played to a 0-0 draw in collegiate women’s soccer action Saturday at the UNCW Soccer Stadium. It was the season opener for both sides.

Pratt’s 11 saves helped UNCW overcome a 17-4 advantage in shots for the Gamecocks, who also posted a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. USC sophomore keeper Mollie Patton was credited with four stops in her collegiate debut.   

Sophomore Nicole Panek had a chance to put UNCW on the board in the 37th minute, collecting a loose ball inside the box before firing a close-range shot that Patton was able to catch. more

Gardner-Webb Drops Season Opener To Georgia Southern

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb women’s soccer team dropped the season opener against Georgia Southern Friday evening by a 2-0 score in front of 438 fans at Greene-Harbison Stadium.

The Bulldogs fall to 0-1 on the year while the Eagles improve to 1-0.

Head coach Kevin Mounce’s team out-dueled GSU in virtually every statistical category except on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs had the possession in their attacking half of the field for the majority of the contest and had some tremendous looks on frame, but were unable to get anything past the more

RALEIGH, N.C. – Kara Baldy made the first game at the NC State Soccer Stadium a successful one for the Wolfpack with an overtime goal in the 97th minute to upend Wofford, 1-0, Friday night.

After 90 minutes of play that was dominated throughout by NC State (1-0), all it took was for senior Lindsay Vera to shake a defender and find Baldy on the left side and she did the rest of the work. Tami Krzeszewski also picked up an assist on the game’s deciding play.

Baldy collected the through ball, turned and fired a shot past the outstretched arm of the Terrier keeper from 15-yards out into the far upper-right corner. I guess its only fitting that a Raleigh native scores the first goal at the Pack’s new on campus home for soccer more

Attayek's OT Goal Gives Spartans First Win of 2008 Season

GREENSBORO, NC -- Junior forward Kelly Attayek (Raleigh, NC) netted the game winner in the 102^nd minute of play to lead the UNC Greensboro women’s soccer team to a 3-2 victory over Coastal Carolina at the UNCG Soccer Stadium, Friday evening.  The win gives the Spartans an early 1-0-0 record while the Chanticleers fall to 0-1-0 after the first match of the year for both teams.

After giving up an early goal on a misplay from the back line, UNCG rebounded to net the equalizer in the 14^th minute of the game.  Jamie Corti (Apex, NC) rose above the mass in the box to get her head on a Kristin Player (Placentia, CA) corner kick to give the Spartans their first goal of the season.  For Corti, it was just the second goal of her career.  Player added her seventh career assist to help pull UNCG even. more

Wake wins season opener in first overtime

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Allie Sadow scored in the eighth minute of the first overtime to lift the 21st-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Utah in the season opener for both teams.

"I thought we dictated the play from the beginning to the end," head coach Tony da Luz said. "We got caught ball watching on the goal that they scored. We had a great response after that goal and we had most of the game under control."

Much of the contest was spent on the Wake Forest end of the field. The Deacons out-shot Utah 21-6, although both teams only managed two shots on goal. Wake Forest had eight corner kicks compared to just one for the Utes. more

Catamounts Drop Season Opener To ECU 1-0

Greenville, NC- Western Carolina women's soccer fought hard by fell in the end to open up the 2008 season against the ECU Pirates 1-0 on Friday evening at Bunting Field. The Catamounts fall to 0-1-0 to open the year while the Pirates are 1-0 in the non-conference match-up.

Sophomore Caitlin Williams started in goal for the Catamounts and was tested early in the game when three minutes in ECU Senior Blair Heffner scored for her first goal of the season assisted by Freshmen Leah Bagonis. After a back-and-forth first half of play the Catamounts were out shot 5-2 but only trailed 1-0. more

 

Beam Scores As 49ers Fall On The Road At #2 North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC - Junior Hailey Beam scored the Charlotte 49ers women's soccer team's first goal of the season but it was not enough as the 49ers dropped a hard fought 5-1 decision at #2 North Carolina.

For the third straight year, Beam scored a goal in the 49ers first game of the season.

"We had moments in tonight's game that we played better than we have ever had during my time at Charlotte," Charlotte coach Jon Lipsitz said. "We had moments of brilliance. We defended well and counter attacked well. However, we gave up three set piece goals which is something that we never do at Charlotte. North Carolina is a fantastic team. Our team battled and we had our moments in the game."  more

 

Catamounts Open Season With Two Straight On The Road

Picked 6th in Preseason SoCon Polls

Aug. 22, 2008

Cullowhee, NC- Western Carolina women's soccer, who was recently picked sixth in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, will open the 2008 campaign with a pair of road matches to kick-off the season. The Catamounts travel to East Carolina Friday for a 5 p.m. contest and then to North Carolina State Sunday for a 1 p.m. match with the Wolfpack.

The Catamounts are led by fourth year Head Coach Tammy DeCesare who owns a 37-22-6 (16-11-5 SoCon) career record at WCU. After a hard fought loss in their opening exhibition match 1-0 against Cincinnati, DeCesare admitted she was pleased to see the performance of her freshman players during the exhibition match. more

Women's Soccer Ranked In Two More Preseason Listings

DURHAM, N.C.— Two more preseason women’s soccer national rankings have been released with the Blue Devils listed 14th in the Soccer America and 21st in the SoccerTimes.com polls. 

So far in the two other national rankings that have been posted in the preseason, Duke has been tabbed 10th in the TopDrawerSoccer.com and 16th in the NSCAA/adidas listings.

In the Soccer America poll, Southern California is No. 1 followed by North Carolina, UCLA, Notre Dame, Florida State, Stanford, Virginia, Portland, Penn State and West Virginia in the top 10.  Texas, Santa Clara, Tennessee, Duke, Connecticut, Boston College, Illinois, Wake Forest, California, Texas A&M, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Florida, San Diego, William & Mary and Missouri rounded out the top 26.  more

New Season, New Field, New Drive

NC State officially opens its gates this weekend for the first two matches at the new on-campus NC State Soccer Stadium. The women’s soccer team will host Wofford on Friday night at 7 pm and will be right back in action Sunday against Western Carolina at 1 pm.

Parking is available beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the parking deck next to Reynolds Coliseum, which is across Cates Avenue from the soccer field.

In conjunction with the two matches, head coach Laura Kerrigan and NC State are welcoming back its alumni to take part in this exciting new chapter of Wolfpack soccer. more
 

UNCG Selected as 2008 SoCon Preseason Favorite

The UNC Greensboro women’s soccer team has been selected as the favorite to claim the 2008 Southern Conference title as announced by the conference office yesterday.  The Spartans were selected as the favorite for 2008 by the league’s coaches, who also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team.

The Spartans totaled 118 points to go along with 10 first place votes en route to their selection.  UNCG, who has claimed three of the last four regular season titles, including 2006 and 2007, return 17 players from last season’s championship team, four of which were selected to the pre-season team.  Kristin Player, Kelly Attakek, Katelynn Donovan and Jamie Corti were each selected to represent the Spartans on the pre-season team. more

Aug. 21, 2008

Charlotte, NC - The two-time defending Atlantic 10 Champion Charlotte 49ers women's soccer team, who were picked to win their third straight A-10 title in the preseason A-10 coaches poll, travels to #2 North Carolina for their season-opener, Friday, August 22 at 7 pm. The 49ers enter the game with an 8-4-2 all-time record in season openers including posting victories in their last two season openers.

The 49ers, who tied a school-record with 16 wins in 2007, return eight starters and nineteen letterwinners of a 2007 team which tied the school-record with 16 wins en route to the A-10 regular season and tournament titles as well as a bid to the NCAA Tournament. more

FitzGerald Provides Insight From Women's Soccer Preseason Trip

DURHAM, N.C.-- As I sit here watching yet another episode of Grey’s Anatomy with some of my sophomore soccer cronies, I am reminded of the millions of episodes we just recently watched while in Wrightsville Beach, N.C.  That’s right, I said the beach. 

Aren’t we supposed to be in preseason, you ask?  Well believe it or not, there are fields down in that neck of the woods.  Every year during preseason, Duke women’s soccer takes a five-day trip to either the mountains or the beach in order to escape the monotony of practice on 751.  Having been thrown into the high altitude of the Appalachian Mountains last year, this year called for a trip closer to sea level – literally. more

Every week throughout the women's soccer season, the Gardner-Webb sports information office will produce game notes featuring the upcoming contests and reviewing the previous week's action. Click on the pdf to view this week's notes.

Week 01 Notes_Georgia Southern_The Citadel

Renkin named to the Colonial Athletic Association’s preseason team

WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNC Wilmington senior midfielder Kelly Renkin was named to the Colonial Athletic Association’s preseason women’s soccer team, league officials announced Tuesday.

““When any individual receives recognition, it is ultimately a reflection on the team as a whole,” 13-year head coach Paul Cairney said. “Kelly is once again deserving of this recognition and should be honored to be recognized by the other coaches in our league. But, our whole team shares in this recognition.”

A native of Midlothian, Va., Renkin returns for her final season after pacing the Seahawks attack with 24 points (10 g, 4 a) in 2007. She was tied for fourth in the league in goals and third in game-winning goals (5). more

Three Tar Heels Named To MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List

Aug. 19, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Returning finalist Lauren Cheney of UCLA and 2006 recipient Kerri Hanks of Notre Dame along with a trio of North Carolina Tar Heels highlight 47 of the best women's Division I intercollegiate soccer players that comprise the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List for 2008. UNC's representatives on the list include senior midfielder Yael Averbuch of Upper Montclair, N.J., who finished third in the 2006 voting, junior midfielder Tobin Heath of Basking Ridge, N.J., a member of the 2008 United States Olympic Team, and junior forward Casey Nogueira of Raleigh, N.C.

Cheney was one of three finalists for the award in 2007 after leading UCLA to an outstanding season. A member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, she is joined on the list by North Carolina's Tobin Heath, a teammate in Beijing. more

Quinn Selected To Hermann Trophy Watch List

DURHAM, N.C.— Duke University senior Lorraine Quinn has been named one of the top 47 women’s Division I intercollegiate soccer players that comprise the 2008 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy Watch List.

“We are excited to have Lorraine named to the Herman Trophy list,” said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church.  “It is a well-deserved honor for her as she has worked extremely hard at her game and has improved every single year she has been at Duke.  We think she is a very viable candidate.” more

Bulldogs' Season Outlook

Change. The definition of change is to make different. The 2008 Gardner-Webb women’s soccer team could embody that action. The Bulldogs are changing conferences as they will enter their first season in the Big South Conference. The squad will look to change its record from the 2007 season when it had a losing mark and missed the conference tournament. The team has to deal with a lot of change as it graduated an abundance of student-athletes from last year’s team.

However, change can be good. With a solid core back from the 2007 squad and the multitude of incoming talent, head coach Kevin Mounce’s team will look to win the Big South Conference. more

Chalupny & O'Reilly Power U.S. Into Gold Medal Match

North Carolina alumnae Lori Chalpuny and Heather O'Reilly scored the tying goal and the game-winning goal, respectively, and Angles Hucles scored two goals as the U.S. advanced to the gold medal match with a 4-2 victory against Japan at Beijing's Workers' Stadium on Monday.

Since women's soccer was added to the Olympic program in 1996, the U.S. is the only team that has advanced to all four Olympic Finals, and for the second consecutive time will play Brazil with the gold medal on the line. The U.S. defeated Brazil 2-1 in Athens to win their second gold medal. more

Pirates Dominate Campbell In Exhibition

Aug. 17, 2008

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - The East Carolina soccer team produced a solid result in its only exhibition contest of 2008, routing Campbell, 5-nil, at the Eakes Athletic Complex in Buies Creek, N.C.

Displaying their team depth, 22 of 27 Pirates experienced playing time as three of the scores came from the feet of underclassmen. Additionally, three freshmen, Rachel Fuller, Jessica Woodward and Amanda Malkiewicz, earned starts in the midfield and forward positions.  more

Wolf Pack Readies for Upcoming Year

RALEIGH, N.C. -- With a tremendous mix of talented returnees and a highly touted freshmen class, the expectations for the Wolfpack women’s soccer program this season are high. NC State head coach Laura Kerrigan welcomes back 16 letterwinners and nine starters from 2007. Additionally, 12 newcomers have been brought in, 11 freshmen and one transfer.

The coaching staff is looking forward to the challenge of blending a squad of seasoned veterans with a core of young, talented, soccer players. more

Spartan All Access tentative slate in place for the fall season

Blue Devils Top Seahawks In Preseason Exhibition, 1-0

Busha leads Bulldogs past Mars Hill, 3-1

MARS HILL, N.C. – Senior forward Robyn Busha scored twice and added an assist as UNC Asheville defeated the Mars Hill Lions 3-1 in an exhibition game on Saturday afternoon at Meares Stadium.

Mars Hill nearly got on the board in the second minute, but junior goalkeeper Veronica Lazar made a sprawling save.

In the 19^th minute, Busha put the Bulldogs up 1-0 with a powerful strike from just inside the penalty area.

The Lions equalized the score in the 60^th minute when freshman midfielder Misha Price sneaked the ball past a diving Lazar. more

20 for USL W-League Combine unveiled

Combine to profile 128 talented players in September

 

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced Friday that 128 players have been provisionally chosen to participate in the upcoming inaugural USL W-League Combine that will give the players an opportunity to showcase their abilities for Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) and other coaches and scouts. The event will take place at the Ed Radice Sports Complex in Tampa, FL September 4-7.

“The level of play in the W-League is among the best in the world and we are thrilled that the interest in the combine among our players and beyond met and actually exceeded our expectations for the event,” said W-League Director of Operations Melanie Fitzgerald. “The interest in the event has been global among players and coaches, including Football Association of Ireland national team coach Noel King, who will be in attendance along with the representatives from WPS.” more

 

No. 21 Deacons Open Exhibition Schedule Against Appalachian State

Aug. 15, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The 21st-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team opens up the exhibition portion of its schedule on Sunday afternoon as it hosts Appalachian State at 1 p.m.

"We're anxious to play against another team," head coach Tony da Luz said. "We've been working on a lot of very specific, position-oriented exercises. It'll be good to gauge our progress against another opponent."  more

 

 

Tar Heels Start Season No. 3 In NSCAA Poll

Aug. 12, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Coach Anson Dorrance's women's soccer team, looking for its 20th national championship in history, begins the 2008 season No. 3 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas National Rankings. The Division I pre-season poll was released by the NSCAA August 12. Defending NCAA champion USC, which last year defeated Florida State 2-0 in the NCAA championship game, enters the season ranked No. 1 while UCLA is No. 2. A year ago, the Bruins were tripped up by the Women of Troy 2-1 in the NCAA semifinals. more

 

 

 

UNC Asheville  to Play at Mars Hill on Saturday

 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville women’s soccer team will play an exhibition match Saturday afternoon at Mars Hill College starting at 3 p.m.

 

Bulldog coach Michele Cornish is looking forward to the exhibition match. UNC Asheville has been practicing for close to a week.

 

“It will be nice to play a game after working hard for the past week,” stated Cornish. “We’ve had some little injuries here and there but I’m really pleased with the work rate of our team in the first week. Mars Hill will be a good test for us to see how we’re doing.” more

 

Blue Devils Set For Scrimmage At UNC Wilmington

DURHAM, N.C.— Just eight days after starting practice on Aug. 8, the preseason 16th-ranked Duke women’s soccer team will play an exhibition contest on Saturday, Aug. 16 at UNC Wilmington.  The match will kick off at 7:00 p.m., and will be played at the UNCW Soccer Stadium in Wilmington, N.C.

The Blue Devils arrived in Wilmington on Tuesday and have been training along with bonding as a team for the past four days. 

UNC Wilmington returns 19 letterwinners and eight starters from last season’s squad that finished with a 9-8-2 overall mark and a 5-5-1 ledger in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)  play. The Seahawks have been picked fifth in the preseason CAA poll. more

 

UNCW Picked Fifth In CAA Poll

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The UNCW women’s soccer team has been picked to finish fifth in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association race, according to the annual pre-season coaches poll released Monday.

The Seahawks return 19 letterwinners and eight starters from last season’s squad that finished with a 9-8-2 overall mark and a 5-5-1 ledger in CAA play. UNCW finished the 2007 season in fifth place and advanced to the CAA Tournament for the second straight season, where they fell to eventual finalist Virginia Commonwealth in the first round, 3-1. more

 

 

Fountain Completes Tour of England with US U-20 National Team WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest junior Kaley Fountain recently completed a three-game tour of England with the United States U-20 Women's Soccer National Team. The Austin, Texas, native will be a member of the United States team that competes in the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to be held in Chile in December. "It was a great experience to be able to play over there and then bring that experience back over here," Fountain said. "I think our team (Wake Forest) plays just as fast and just as good as the U-20. I'm really excited to compete in the World Cup in December." more

 

 

 

UNCA Picked Eighth in Big South Preseason Poll

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Coastal Carolina University’s women’s soccer team has been chosen first in the Big South Conferences annual preseason poll, as voted by the Leagues Head Women’s Soccer Coaches.  UNC Asheville was picked to finish in eighth place in the poll.

 

Coastal Carolina, which captured the 2007 regular-season title, received three first-place votes and 90 points out of a possible 100 to win the Conferences women’s soccer championship in 2008.  The Lady Chanticleers have finished first or second in the regular-season standings in head coach Rohan Naraine’s two years at the helm.  Coastal Carolina finished ahead of 2007 Tournament champion High Point, which collected three first-place votes and 83 points. more

 

Bulldogs Selected Seventh In Preseason Poll

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb women’s soccer team was selected seventh in the Big South Conference preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s coaches.

The Big South coaches voted Coastal Carolina as the preseason favorite. Coastal Carolina tallied 90 overall points, 30 of which came with first-place votes. High Point (83 points), Liberty (75 points) and Charleston Southern (73 points) each netted at least one first-place vote en route to the squads’ second, third and fourth-place finishes in the preseason poll. more

 

Catamount Soccer Drops Preseason Scrimmage to Cincinnati, 1-0, Monday Afternoon

Cullowhee, N.C. - Just six training sessions into the preseason, Western Carolina hosted Big East foe, Cincinnati, on Monday afternoon at the Catamount Athletic Complex, falling 1-0 in the scrimmage after surrendering a first half marker.

"I expected a little better play defensively today," said fourth-year head coach Tammy DeCesare following her squad's first action of the year. "The way we played the last 20 minutes of the match is what I expected from the start. It is good that it showed up, but it just showed up 65 minutes too late."

"Overall, though, I'm proud of the team in that we hung with a Big East opponent and had a chance to tie it late. Our goalkeepers really did a nice job keeping us in the match early," DeCesare added. more

Duke Tabbed 16th In Preseason NSCAA/adidas National Rankings

DURHAM, N.C.— The preseason NSCAA/adidas national rankings have been released with the Duke women’s soccer team tabbed 16th as the Blue Devils are set to enter Head Coach Robbie Church’s eighth year.

Earning the No. 1 slot is the reigning NCAA Champion Southern California with UCLA, North Carolina, Florida State, Notre Dame, Portland, Virginia, Texas, Penn State and Stanford rounding out the top 10.  Connecticut, West Virginia, Tennessee, Boston College, Texas A&M, Duke, California, Georgia, Illinois and Florida were listed 10-20, while Wake Forest, Santa Clara, Oklahoma State, Purdue and San Diego closed out the top 25. more

Bulldogs Open Fall Practice Friday Morning

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb women’s soccer team opened practice at 8 a.m., Friday morning in preparation for its first year in the Big South Conference.

“We started out on a pretty positive note,” head coach Kevin Mounce said. “We have a ways to go, but we are very excited about the talent we have on this team. The entire squad has a good attitude.

“For the first time, everyone finished their fitness test and that’s a sep in the right direction. This year, we have a lot more people on the team and having a lot of numbers helps with depth.” more

Blue Devils Open  Practice On Friday Morning

DURHAM, N.C.— The Blue Devil women’s soccer team opened practice on Friday morning on the campus of Duke University.  The morning session consisted of fitness testing and drills.

The Blue Devils will feature one more practice session on Friday evening followed by two practices on Saturday, one on Sunday and two on Monday.  On Tuesday, the squad will practice in the morning and then head to Wilmington, N.C. for training and team bonding. more

Norway Scores Twice Early, U.S. Women Lose in 2008 Olympic Opener 

QINHUANGDAO, China (Aug. 6, 2008) – The U.S. Women’s National Team fell to Norway, 2-0, in the first match for both teams at the 2008 Olympics as the Europeans stunned the U.S. with two goals in the first five minutes. The Americans pushed to pull a goal back in the second half, but an organized Norwegian side held on for the victory on a hot and steamy night at the Qinhuangdao Sports Center Stadium.

The loss was just the second-ever for the U.S. women in the Olympics, with the only other loss also coming to Norway in the 2000 Olympic Final in Sydney, Australia. more

Seven NCAA Tournament Teams Await Seahawks In 2008

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Contests against seven NCAA Tournament teams and eight matches at the UNCW Soccer Stadium highlight the 2008 UNCW women’ soccer schedule, 13th-year head coach Paul Cairney announced.  

“Our 2008 schedule is by far the toughest we have had in our history,” Cairney said. “Seven of our opponents qualified for the NCAA tourney in 2007. In addition, all seven teams had an RPI in the top 50 (out of 310 Div I teams). MORE

U.S.'s Olympic Adventure Commences Wednesday
 
Four Tar Heels on roster as Americans face Norway two days before Opening Ceremonies.

QINHUANGDAO, CHINA-After 13 days in China, the U.S. Women's National Team will get its 2008 Olympics underway with a crucial Group G opener against Norway on Wed., Aug. 6 at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:45 p.m. local time / 7:45 a.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on MSNBC and Universal HD. The game can also been seen on the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel. All 12 teams in the three groups will be in action on Aug. 6, which also includes several other great matches, including Brazil vs. Germany in Group F and China vs. Sweden in Group E. The U.S. and Norway are certainly familiar with each other having met 43 times over the years and twice already this year. Four current and former Tar Heel players will be in action on Wednesday - defender Lori Chalupny, '06, midfielders Heather O'Reilly, '07, Lindsay Tarpley, '06, and current Tar Heel junior Tobin Heath. MORE

Wake Forest Picked Fifth in ACC Preseason Poll

Deacs return eight starters from last year's squad

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's soccer team was picked to finish fifth in the 2008 ACC women's soccer preseason poll, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. North Carolina was picked to win the league, receiving seven first place votes and 117 points overall.

The Demon Deacons received one first place vote and 76 points overall. The Deacs return eight starters and 17 letterwinners from a squad that finished with a 13-7-3 overall record. Last year, Wake was picked to finish sixth in the league and finished the season in a tie for second with a 6-2-2 record. MORE