Davidson College Athletics
East Carolina
Davidson Begins 25th Year of W. Soccer, Opens the Weekend at Home vs. ECU and Coastal Carolina
8/22/2013 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
2013 Schedule
2013 Digital Media Guide
Live Stats vs. East Carolina
Live Stats vs. Coastal Carolina
Live Video
Game Notes: #1 vs. ECU/CCU (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson women's soccer team begins the 2013 year by opening play at home against East Carolina and Coastal Carolina this Friday and Sunday, Aug. 23 & 25. The Wildcats open under the lights Friday night for a 7 p.m. contest and then close out the weekend with a 2 p.m. tilt Sunday.
It's a special season for the program as Davidson celebrates its 25th year after having become a varsity sport in 1989. The program will celebrate its anniversary throughout the season leading up to the weekend of Oct. 18-20 when it will honor past and present teams and players.
The 'Cats will be looking to continue their winning ways. They have tallied six winning seasons in the last nine years, hitting the 10-win mark in the six of the seasons, including twice going for a school-record tying 14 wins in 2005 and 2007.
In anticipation of the 2013 season, below is a look at the season preview for the Wildcats this year ...
Davidson enters the 2013 season looking to make it a special year as its the 25th anniversary of the program and the final season the 'Cats will compete in the Southern Conference. With a roster full of experience in 14 upperclassmen, they will look to lead the Wildcats. Of those 14, half are seniors hoping to end their careers on a high note and guide Davidson back to the top of the Southern Conference and earn the program's second bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats' roster has a great balance of veterans. With the group of seven seniors returning from last year's squad that went 7-10-3 and 5-5-1 in league play, the 'Cats are expected to stay in the upper half of the SoCon. They were picked to finish fourth in this year's SoCon coaches poll.
Head coach Greg Ashton enters his 10th season needing just five more wins to reach 100 for his career at Davidson as he sports a 95-69-21 record. His 95 wins are second-most in program history.
"I'm always excited for a new year and the opportunity to continue to accomplish what we set out every season to do, which is win a Southern Conference Title and reach the NCAA Tournament."
With the return of 21 letterwinners from last year's squad, 10 of them starters, plus the addition of five newcomers, the 'Cats have a solid foundation on which to build a strong 2013 campaign. Davidson will be seeking to capture its fifth SoCon Tournament Title, and first since 2009, after finishing 5-5-1 in league play. It was the seventh time in the last eight seasons with at least a .500 or better record in league play.
"I think the talent and depth on our squad are good strengths for us, and I look for this team to be in the hunt for a conference title," said Ashton.
Defense
Defensive quick hits...
•The 'Cats have to replace two long time starters in Louise Timboe and Julie Calhoun, who was named to the All-SoCon Second Team last year. Timboe started 81 of her 82 games during her career.
•Returning are starters senior Meg Sanborn, and juniors Rachel Stelter and goalkeeper Rachel Locke.
•Sanborn has been a staple on the backline, starting 53 games in three years.
•Stelter picked up two assists last year, giving her six for her career. She has started 39 of her first 40 career games.
•The defense held the opposition to 25 goals in 20 games, good for a 1.20 goals against average. It shut out six opponents, fifth-most in the SoCon.
•Also returning is sophomore Dani Johnson. As a first-year defender last year, Johnson started 12 of the Wildcats' 20 games.
•She tallied her first career collegiate goal in a 3-0 home win vs. Chattanooga.
•Senior Lindsay Blum (54 career games played), sophomore Maddie Fisher (18 games played last year) and Annie Cleaver (five games) will add depth to the backline.
•Transfer Zoe Hayes from Central Florida will also see action on defense.
Goalkeeper quick hits...
•All three keepers from last year return, led by Locke with senior Renae Cairns and Lauren Skorb adding to the competition.
•An All-SoCon Freshman performer in 2011, Locke started 19 games a year ago. She finished 6-9-3 between the pipes with 73 saves and five shutouts. She has a career mark of 14-15-4.
•Locke was fifth in the conference in shutouts and ninth in goals against average at 1.36.
•Senior Carins played in four games, with her third career start coming vs. Tennessee Tech. She played all 90 minutes in earning her first collegiate shutout with a 2-0 win.
•Skorb, a four-year letterwinner at Centennial in Alpharetta, Ga. during her prep career, did not see any action as a freshman.
Offense: Midfielders & Forwards
Offensive quick hits...
•Davidson's offense scored 22 goals to go with 12 assists.
• The 'Cats fired off 254 shots (12.70 per game), good for sixth in the league.
• The offense returns 16 of its 22 goals, including its top-two scorers in Julia Singley and Stephanie Piperno.
•Singley had a solid second year, pacing the team with 11 points (4 gls/3 asts).
• She was named SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week, Oct. 10, after registering a career-best six points (2 gls/2 asts) in a come-from-behind win vs. Coll. of Charleston.
•Piperno was second with 10 points on four goals and two assists. She paced the team with 55 shots (sixth-most in SoCon)
•In two years, Piperno has 10 goals and five assists. She has started 36 of her 38 games.
•Joining them up front are Kelsey Krueger, Becca Fisher and Sarah Tuggle (20 games played a year ago).
•Krueger put a pair of goals in the back of the net, while playing in 16 games last year.
•Fisher, the 2011 SoCon Freshman of the Year, had a goal and an assist a year ago.
• She has tallied eight goals and five assists in her first two years, starting 33 of her 35 games.
•Seniors Tori Krause and Lauren Swany will guide the offense from the middle.
•Swany started 18 of the 'Cats' 20 games, while Krause had a career-best two goals a year ago.
•Sophomore midfielder Natalie Spach had a strong first season, scoring a goal in starting eight of her 11 games.
•Fellow classmate Jenni Isaac will also help in the middle as well as up front. The sophomore started nine of her 18 games a year ago.
Newcomers
•Head coach Ashton brought in four freshmen for the 2013 season.
•Two are local products from Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Country Day, while the other two newcomers hail from Kentucky and Maryland.
•The group includes three forwards in Ashley Finke, Kate Joss and Maggie Boyd, while Adelaide Cummings is a midfielder.
The Schedule
A trip to the state of Florida for just the second time in program history as well as hosting five Southern Conference opponents in their final season in the SoCon, highlight the 2013 schedule.
Davidson will play a 10-game non-conference schedule, with the biggest trip to Fort Myers, Fla., to play in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. The last time the 'Cats visited Florida was in 1995 when they played Central Florida (W, 6-3 OT) and Stetson (W, 4-0). In addition, Davidson closes out its last year in the SoCon before moving to the Atlantic-10 in 2014 with a 10-game slate.
For more details on the schedule, click here on the link: 2013 W. Soccer Schedule.
