Thursday, August 24
Davidson, NC
4 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
vs
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UNC Asheville
Wildcats Set for Home Opener Versus UNC Asheville
8/23/2023 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
DAVIDSON - After starting the season with a pair of road matches, the Davidson College women's soccer team is ready for its first contest at Alumni Stadium — the Wildcats will host UNC Asheville at 4 p.m. Thursday.
The Wildcats are 1-1 to begin the 2023 campaign after defeating Gardner-Webb 2-0 to start regular-season competition and falling 2-0 to East Tennessee State in their most recent match.
Davidson welcomes a lot of new faces to this year's squad as three new coaches are at the helm in head coach Riley Piechnick, assistant coach Sophie McKnight and goalkeepers coach John Morgan.
Additionally, the 'Cats welcome a 10-player freshman class that has already seen seven of its members receive playing time over the first two matches. More specifically, Olivia Bestic and Brooke Roumy are two of just four total players who have played every minute of a possible 180 in their debut seasons.
Coach Piechnick was asked about her thoughts leading into the home opener which she responded:
"Our last match at ETSU was a good test for us where we learned a lot and worked through adjustments we will need to make moving forward," she said. "It's still early in the season, so there has been a strong emphasis on raising the bar a little higher each practice and game, which I'm looking forward to seeing translate to the game tomorrow. We are also very excited to play on our home field again and in front of a great crowd!"
Early leaders for Davidson include Aleia Gisolfi-McCready with two points on one goal in addition to having landed all three of her shots this season on goal so far. Joining her is Riley Patton, who scored the first goal of the year on a game-winner against Gardner-Webb.
Brooke Ditcham and Lilly Lovell have also tallied points this year with each dishing out an assist apiece.
Phoebe Fowler and Emily Smith accompany freshmen Bestic and Roumy as the other two players to have played all 180 minutes so far this season.
Smith, Davidson's trusted goalkeeper, enters the week with a .818 saves percentage and having made nine saves and allowed two goals.
SCOUTING UNC ASHEVILLE
The Bulldogs enter Thursday's match with an identical 1-1 record that includes a loss to Western Carolina and a victory over VMI.
Karlee Benz currently leads UNC Asheville's offensive attack, having scored the team's lone goal of the season on an assist from Ava Bjorkman-Tracy.
As a team, the Bulldogs average 10.5 shots per game while landing 42.9 percent of their attempts on goal.
Davidson is 4-0 against UNC Asheville dating back to the 2011 season. Over those four contests, the 'Cats have only surrendered one goal to the Bulldogs while netting 13 of their own.
The two teams' most recent contest ended in a 1-0 Wildcats victory Sept. 8, 2022 at Alumni Stadium.
The Wildcats are 1-1 to begin the 2023 campaign after defeating Gardner-Webb 2-0 to start regular-season competition and falling 2-0 to East Tennessee State in their most recent match.
Davidson welcomes a lot of new faces to this year's squad as three new coaches are at the helm in head coach Riley Piechnick, assistant coach Sophie McKnight and goalkeepers coach John Morgan.
Additionally, the 'Cats welcome a 10-player freshman class that has already seen seven of its members receive playing time over the first two matches. More specifically, Olivia Bestic and Brooke Roumy are two of just four total players who have played every minute of a possible 180 in their debut seasons.
Coach Piechnick was asked about her thoughts leading into the home opener which she responded:
"Our last match at ETSU was a good test for us where we learned a lot and worked through adjustments we will need to make moving forward," she said. "It's still early in the season, so there has been a strong emphasis on raising the bar a little higher each practice and game, which I'm looking forward to seeing translate to the game tomorrow. We are also very excited to play on our home field again and in front of a great crowd!"
Early leaders for Davidson include Aleia Gisolfi-McCready with two points on one goal in addition to having landed all three of her shots this season on goal so far. Joining her is Riley Patton, who scored the first goal of the year on a game-winner against Gardner-Webb.
Brooke Ditcham and Lilly Lovell have also tallied points this year with each dishing out an assist apiece.
Phoebe Fowler and Emily Smith accompany freshmen Bestic and Roumy as the other two players to have played all 180 minutes so far this season.
Smith, Davidson's trusted goalkeeper, enters the week with a .818 saves percentage and having made nine saves and allowed two goals.
SCOUTING UNC ASHEVILLE
The Bulldogs enter Thursday's match with an identical 1-1 record that includes a loss to Western Carolina and a victory over VMI.
Karlee Benz currently leads UNC Asheville's offensive attack, having scored the team's lone goal of the season on an assist from Ava Bjorkman-Tracy.
As a team, the Bulldogs average 10.5 shots per game while landing 42.9 percent of their attempts on goal.
Davidson is 4-0 against UNC Asheville dating back to the 2011 season. Over those four contests, the 'Cats have only surrendered one goal to the Bulldogs while netting 13 of their own.
The two teams' most recent contest ended in a 1-0 Wildcats victory Sept. 8, 2022 at Alumni Stadium.
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Players Mentioned
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