'Cats Begin 2014 Season This Weekend at Alumni Stadium

2014 Schedule
2014 Record Book (pdf)
Live Stats vs. Winthrop & No. 5 Virginia Tech
Live Video
Game Notes: #1 & 2 vs. Winthrop/No. 5 Va. Tech (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com

DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson women's soccer team begins a new season and a new era for the 2014 campaign, starting this weekend when the Wildcats play host to Winthrop and nationally-ranked Virginia Tech Friday night and Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

The Hokies come in ranked fifth in the nation in the preseason NSCAA/Continental Tire Division I women's soccer rankings after reaching the College Cup last year for the first time in school history and collecting a school-best 19 wins.

The Wildcats also start a new era as they move to the Atlantic 10 this season after a 20-year run in the Southern Conference.

The Matchup
Davidson opens the 2014 season with four straight home games, beginning this weekend with a 7:30 p.m. contest against state-border rival Winthrop Friday and then a 2 p.m. game vs. Virginia Tech Sunday. All women's soccer games are free admission.

The All-Time Series/Last Meetings
The Wildcats and Eagles have squared off five times, with the 'Cats holding a 3-1-1 all-time record since the first game in 2005. Last year saw the Eagles though earn their first win in the series at home, 2-1.

As far as the all-time series vs. Tech, Davidson holds a 4-3-1 record since the first meeting in 1993. The two schools last met in 2009 in Blacksburg, Va., with the Hokies earning a 3-2 decision.

The 2014 Season Preview
In anticipation of the 2014 season, below is a look at the season preview for the Wildcats this year ...

Davidson begins a new era entering the 2014 season. After a 20-year stay in the Southern Conference, the Wildcats move to the Atlantic 10 and they will do so with a roster full of experience in 16 returners, including five seniors who will look to help the program earn its second bid to the NCAA Tournament.

During their 20-year run in the SoCon, the 'Cats amassed a 116-58-30 record, won three regular season titles and took home the tournament title four times, including in 2009 when the program made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

They hope to carry that SoCon success into the A-10 this year with a roster that has a great balance of veterans and newcomers. With the group of five seniors returning from last year's squad that went 6-11-4 and 4-5-1 in league play, the 'Cats are looking to make a nice first impression in their inaugural season in the new league. They were picked to finish 12th in this year's A-10 coaches poll.

Head coach Greg Ashton enters his 11th season, having guided Davidson to 101 wins during his tenure. He ranks second all-time in program history in wins and has collected 172 career victories overall in 14 years.

"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 league title and reach the NCAA Tournament," said Ashton. "This year will be a fun transition as we are looking forward to facing new opponents and new challenges in our first year in the Atlantic 10." 

With the return of 16 letterwinners from last year's squad, eight of them starters, plus the addition of nine newcomers, the 'Cats have a solid foundation on which to build a strong 2014 campaign.  

"I think the talent and depth on our squad are good strengths for us, and we excited for our first year in the A-10," said Ashton.

Defense
Defensive quick hits...
•The 'Cats return three-fourths of their defense with senior starters Rachel Stelter, Zoe Hayes and goalkeeper Rachel Locke along with Dani Johnson leading the way.
•Stelter is working her back from a season-ending injury that forced her to miss all but three games a year ago. She has started all but one of her 43 career games played.
•Stelter has six assists for her career.
•Hayes did a solid job filling in for Stelter in her first year with the 'Cats after transferring from Central Florida. She had a goal and an assist.   
•The defense had a 1.49 goals against average. It shut out seven opponents, fifth-most in the SoCon.
•Also returning is junior Johnson, who was a key member on defense. The rising junior started all 21 games and played the most minutes on the team at 1,831.
•Johnson also proved to be a threat on offense, scoring four goals.
•Helping off the bench on defense will be Maddie Fisher. The junior has seen action in 38 games her first two seasons, starting seven of those games.
•A pair of freshmen, Rachael Western and Lauren Grace Himes could also have an impact on the defensive side.
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Goalkeeper quick hits...
 •Three-year starter Rachel Locke returns for her final season and leads the way between the pipes.
 •An All-SoCon Freshman performer in 2011, Locke has started 53 of her 56 career games, including starting all 20 of her games a year ago. She finished 5-11-4 between the pipes with career highs of 100 saves and six shutouts. She has a career record of 19-26-8.
 •Locke was fourth in the SoCon in shutouts and her 1,883.26 minutes were third-most in a Wildcat single season.
 •Freshman Becca Ravitz will backup Locke. She hails from Skillman, N.J., where she started 82 games and earned 35 shutouts in her four year career. The first-year keeper had a record of 65-11-6 in her prep career.

Offense: Midfielders & Forwards
Offensive quick hits...
•Davidson's offense scored 21 goals to go with 12 assists.
• The 'Cats fired off 235 shots (11.2 per game), good for seventh in the SoCon.
• The offense returns nearly 100 percent of its scoring, including its top-two scorers in Sarah Tuggle and Johnson.
•Tuggle had a breakout sophomore year, pacing the team with nine points (4 gls/1 asts) and picking up a pair of game-winners.
•Defender Johnson scored three of her goals on penalty kicks, going a perfect 3-for-3, while starting all 21 games.
•Ashley Fink and Stephanie Piperno followed with seven points each.
•Fink had a nice freshman debut, scoring three goals and assisting on another. She was named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team.
•In three years, Piperno has 12 goals and eight assists after getting a pair of scores and a team-best three assists a year ago. She has started 54 of her 58 games.
•Joining them up front are Becca Fisher and Kate Joss.
•Fisher, the 2011 SoCon Freshman of the Year, had two goals and two assists a year ago.
• She has tallied 10 goals and seven assists in three years, starting 54 of her 56 games.
•Like Fink, Joss had a nice debut, netting three goals as a freshman while playing all 21 games.
•Assisting Fisher in the middle is Jenni Isaac and Adelaide Cummings. Isaac had a goal and two assists, while starting 17 of her 21 games.
•Cummings saw action in 16 of Davidson's 21 games, earning her first collegiate start in a 2-1 home win vs. Western Carolina.

Newcomers
•Head coach Ashton brought in eight freshmen along with a transfer for the 2014 season.
•The freshmen hail from seven different states, including two of them from Florida.
•In addition to goalkeeper Ravitz, the group includes a pair of forwards, Katie Im and Kennedy Jones, three defenders, Lauren Grace Himes, Rachael Western and Garrett Barnes, and midfielder Erin Gross along with Charlotte Scott.
•The transfer is Vicky Bruce, who played for one of the best women's soccer programs in the nation in North Carolina. She helped the Tar Heels go 20-5 last year and reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Bruce registered two assists and played in 12 of UNC's 25 games.
 
The Schedule
A new era begins for the Davidson women's soccer team as they start their first season in the Atlantic-10 by playing eight teams as part of their 19-game overall schedule. Besides an eight-game A-10 schedule, Davidson will also play the likes of Virginia Tech, UAB, Army, Georgia State, William & Mary and North Florida among some of their non-conference opponents. In addition, on the schedule is local regional rival Winthrop and cross-county rival Charlotte.

For more details on the schedule, click here on Davidson Begins New Era, 2014 W. Soccer Schedule Released.

Coming Up
Davidson remains at home and will take on UAB and Army next weekend, Aug. 29-31.