2017 Season Starts Friday at Alumni Stadium for Davidson

Friday, August 18

Davidson, N.C.

7:30 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

Gardner-Webb

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

2017 Season Starts Friday at Alumni Stadium for Davidson

8/17/2017 10:25:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Gavin McFarlin - Associate SID

Live Stats- vs. Gardner-Webb and Wake Forest
Live Video- vs. Gardner-Webb and Wake Forest
Preseason Video- Coach Denton and senior Rachel Western
DavidsonPhotos.com

DAVIDSON, N.C. — The 2017 season starts this weekend at home for the Davidson women's soccer team as they open their campaign against Gardner-Webb and ACC-foe Wake Forest inside Alumni Stadium. The women's soccer team officially kicks off the 2017-18 athletic year for Davidson.

This marks the eighth straight year the Wildcats will open their season at home. It is also the seventh year in a row the 'Cats open with back-to-back home games in the first weekend of the season.

The All-Time Series/Last Meetings
This will be the seventh meeting against Gardner-Webb dating back to 1990, as Davidson has won all six of the previous meetings. Last year, the 'Cats took a 2-1 decision on the road behind goals from Lauren Grace Himes and Mia Hodges, with Sabine Chandler earning an assist on Hodges score.

The matchup with Wake Forest will be the 14th meeting between both schools, with the Demon Deacons owning a 12-1 lead in the series that dates back to 1994. Last year saw the 'Cats hang tough against the Demon Deacons before falling 1-0 on the road.

The 2017 Season Preview Quick Hits
In anticipation of the 2017 season, below are some quick hits for the Wildcats' upcoming season this year ...

The 2017 season has Davidson beginning its fourth year in the Atlantic 10 and the program's first under new head coach Adam Denton. This year's roster is full of experience with 23 returners who will look to help the program earn its second bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Davidson will look to improve on last season's 5-13-1 record, while it finished 1-8-1 in its third year in the new league.

Head coach Denton, who has been on the Wildcats' staff since the 2013 season and was promoted to associate head coach in the summer of 2016, became the program's fourth head coach since the inaugural season in 1989 in December of 2016.

"It is a privilege to work with Davidson student-athletes and with the strong foundation already in place, I am extremely excited to get started with the team as we build towards future success in the extremely competitive A-10 Conference."

With the return of so many letterwinners from last year's squad, including five of them starters, plus the addition of seven newcomers, the 'Cats have a solid foundation on which to build a strong 2017 campaign.

"I think the talent and depth on our squad are good strengths for us, and we are excited for the season to start and put all our hard work during the preseason into real game situations," said Denton.

Defense
Defensive quick hits...
Defensive quick hits...
•The 'Cats will return the majority of their defense, led by Lauren Grace Himes, Rachel Western and Megan Goodling.
•In goal, Kendall Thomas and Becca Ravitz return after playing in a combined 14 games last year.
•The defense overall had a 1.75 GAA, while shutting out four opponents.
•Himes and Western started 19 games each on the backline.
•Western has started 50 of her 56 career games entering her senior season.
•Himes, who played a team-best 1,435 minutes last season, enters her senior season having started 39 times in 52 games.
•As a sophomore last year, Goodling played in 15 games and started 14 of them, while playing 1,036 minutes, one of seven 'Cats to register over 1,000 minutes during the season.
•Himes scored her third and fourth career goals last year in wins against Gardner-Webb and Marist. She has nine career points entering this year.
•Junior Shannon Ballard along with sophomores Randi Geffrey and Alexis Pheng will also help fill in on the back line.
•Ballard played 18 games, starting five of those contests. Geffrey (14) and Pheng (17) combined to play 31 games.
•Pheng registered her first collegiate assist and point in a 6-0 win vs. Marist.

Goalkeeper quick hits...
•Ravitz led the way by playing in nine games and starting four of them. She finished with 27 saves, going 2-1 in goal.
•She had a career-high eight saves in a 4-3 win at home vs. ETSU, Sept. 1.
•The rising senior registered her first shutout of season last year in a 3-0 blanking of Wofford, Aug. 28
•Thomas played in five games and started four times. She picked up 14 saves.

Offense: Midfielders & Forwards
Offensive quick hits...
•Davidson's offense scored 17 goals to go with 11 assists for 45 points in 19 games.
• The 'Cats fired off 199 shots (10.5 per game).
• The offense returns six of its goal scorers, led by Seeley Yoo's team-high tying three.
•Yoo finished with a team-high seven points, adding an assist in 19 games with 10 starts.
•Davidson will need to replace the scoring of Maggie Boyd (3 goals) and Kate Joss (2), who graduated.
•Rising sophomores Michele Manceaux and Allison Gray return after each netting their first career goals a year ago.
•Fellow classmate Sabine Chandler tallied two assists, while Pheng and Geffrey scored a goal each.
•Last year's freshmen class scored five goals and assisted on another five.
•Eight games were decided by one goal last year, with the 'Cats winning three of the games.
•Midfielder Mia Hodges had a solid second season last year, with two goals for four points, while playing in 18 of Davidson's 19 games and earning 17 starts.
•Fellow classmate Perry Zollicoffer also returns after earning the team's MVP a year ago.
•She tallied a goal and assist, while starting all 19 games last year. In two years, Zollicoffer has started all 31 of her games.
•Senior Erin Gross, along with juniors Natalie Connell and Alexa Landsberger (18 games, four starts last year) return to help fill the middle of the field as well. Gross played in all 19 games and has started seven career times in 48 total games.
•Connell started 18 of her 19 games last year, while having started all but three games in 38 played for her career.
•Senior Katie Im picked up her first collegiate point last year with an assist in a 3-0 win vs. Wofford.

Newcomers...
•Head coach Denton brought in seven freshmen for the 2017 season.
•The freshmen hail from four different states, including two each from Georgia and New York.
•The group includes two defenders (Katherine Smith & Emma Alitz) and three midfielders (Sarah Harrington, Sydney Simmons & Gretchen Pearson). At forward is Carmen Wagner, while helping add depth at the goalkeeper position is Tamara Mrad, who hails from Dubai.

The Schedule...
Beginning the program's 29th season and their first under new head coach Adam Denton, the Davidson women's soccer team will host five non-conference opponents, including Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest, and have 10 home games in all as they enter their fourth year in the Atlantic 10.

The Wildcats will play a 19-game slate, with nine of those contests outside of the conference. As part of the Atlantic 10 schedule, coming to face the 'Cats at Alumni Stadium will be VCU, Saint Louis, Duquesne, George Mason and George Washington.

For more details on the full 2017 schedule, click here at Davidson W. Soccer Sets 2017 Schedule to read more about it.