ANDERSON, S.C - After returning to the South Atlantic Conference semifinals for the second year in a row, the Anderson University women's soccer team looks to set their expectations one step further and compete for the championship in 2017.
"Obviously the challenge is to make sure we get back there again and give ourselves the opportunity to compete for the title," said head coach Julie Carlson. "We are setting our goals realistically to be going back to the SAC Tournament because we all believe the talent level is there. Anything less than that would be a disappointment."
The Trojans closed the season with a 9-6-2 record and a 6-4-1 mark in SAC play. Anderson defeated Tusculum in the quarterfinal round of the SAC Tournament before elimination in the semifinal round by Carson-Newman. Many new faces will be on the pitch for coach Carlson, as she welcomes 11 newcomers in her second season at the helm of the Black and Gold.
"This year we will have more to work with within our roster than we did last year, noted Carlson. "Being deeper changes a lot of how we manage the program day in and day out in regards to how we train and prepare the team."
After graduating key players, Tina Shakes and Alaina Gay, Carlson will have the task of trying to fill voids left by the duo which combined for 15 of the 26 goals scored last season. The second-year coach also looks for more offense in 2017, as last season's team ranked sixth in the conference in total goals scored.
Anderson will be evaluating several returners from the spring in the forward position. Seniors Lyssa Engle, Rachael Whaling and Khalila Hargrave will each have an opportunity to use their experience to compete for a spot.
Newcomers Lauren Allan, Gabbie Fleming, Lexi Williams, Bethany Morgan and Madison Cutts will also look to make an impact and become a scoring threat for the Trojans.
"So far we have seen much promise in our attacking system throughout the preseason," said Carlson. "Their work ethic has been very pleasing to see as well as their commitment to each other. They have made decisions for the staff difficult with the level of competition that we have in training, but it has raised the quality of our training environment which in turn has raised the quality of our players."
In the midfield, Anderson returns starting juniors Megan Foster and Lexxi Longmore and sophomore Melanie Maddox. Maddox, an All-SAC Tournament player, will be expected to control the midfield tempo with Foster set to be an attacking threat out of the middle. Longmore will have the task of keeping the midfield organized.
Freshman Fanny Karlsson, a native of Sweden, has good soccer instincts and continues to adjust to the speed of play.
Abby Johnson, Kaelin Cote and Havon Ashy will be called upon to provide depth to the midfield and are expected to play right away.
The Trojan defense will be anchored by seniors Kristin Herbert and Tera Dolan, juniors Sophie Riggs and Alexis Hartert and sophomore Emilie Toftbjerg. Riggs was named All-SAC Honorable mention while Toftbjerg earned Team MVP and All-SAC Tournament player while starting all of AU's 17 contests last season. Together they solidified a backline that helped produce nine shutouts last season.
Carlson added Annie Kate Hodge, Kirsten Armetta, Anna Kwiatkowski and Cassidy Wheaton to the roster that will help strengthen the Black and Gold even more defensively. The four standouts bring good technical capabilities, strong competitive mentality and excellent speed to the team.
In goal, the Trojans return Abby Helm who started 14 of 17 matches in goal missing three matches due to illness. The All-SAC Honorable Mention selection recorded 67 saves while posting an 8-4-2 record. The Black and Gold also return junior Bianca Porras and sophomore Meredith Guio while welcoming freshman Meredith Paige.
Anderson begins its 2017 slate with a road trip to Wilson, N.C. for a tournament hosted by Barton College (Lacing Up 4 Pediatric Cancer). The Trojans will be "laced up" to open the season against Barton on Friday, Sept. 1 and then matchup with Missouri-St.Louis on Sunday Sept. 3rd.
Each participating school will be Lacing Up 4 Pediatric Cancer to help support the Go4theGoal Foundation. Go4theGoal works to improve the lives of children battling cancer by providing financial assistance, granting special wishes, developing unique hospital programs, and funding innovative research.
Anderson will return home to open up its 2017 home schedule against Lynn University on Thursday, Sept. 7th. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
