GAME INFORMATION
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Twitter: @CofCWSOC
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston Women's Soccer will kick-off the regular season as it hosts the Charleston Under Armour Invitational on Friday, Aug. 23 through Sunday, Aug. 25 at Patriots Point Athletic Complex in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

CofC will face off against Stephen F. Austin on Friday at 7 p.m. and Furman on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. UNCW rounds out the field of teams participating.
 
The College graduated nine seniors last season including 2018 CAA Player of the Year, 2018 All-CAA First Team, 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region First Team and 2019 Preseason CAA Player of the Year Laura Ortega.
 
Two All-CAA honorees return from last season including senior Rachel Kim, who earned CAA All-Second Team honors, and sophomore Hannah Farmer, who earned CAA All-Rookie Team honors. Kim logged one goal, while Farmer recorded one goal and dished out one assist last season.
 
CofC return 22 letterwinners including six seniors, while adding eight newcomers to the roster.

The Opponents

Stephen F. Austin – SFA is set to begin its seventh season under head coach Wally Crittenden, who has led the 'Jacks to a 73-36-10 (.665) overall mark and a 49-12-6 (.776) record in league play. The Ladyjacks qualified for their 15^thstraight Southland Conference Tournament and advanced to the championship game for the third season in a row. The Ladyjacks return 15 players with starting experience from a year ago, along with 84 percent (46/55) of total points from last season. Four players were selected to the Southland Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team including senior Carli Arthurs and junior Sophia Fondren on the First Team, while senior Katie Jennings and junior Katelyn Termini both earned Second Team honors.
 
Furman – The Paladins return 10 starters from a 2018 squad that posted a 12-7-0 record and advanced to the finals of the Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship. Furman, picked to finish third in the SoCon, will rely on seniors Caitlyn Reilly and Kellsey Weaver. Sophomores Isabella Gutierrez and Erin Houlihan, who each tallied six goals apiece last season, also return to strengthen the attack.
 
UNCW – UNCW are coming off a season in which they recorded an overall record of 9-6-1 and a 3-5-1 record in conference play. The Seahawks are led by first year head coach Chris Neal, who spent five months as an assistant women's soccer coach at Arkansas before finishing a 10-year stint as head coach of CAA member Elon.
 
Quotable
"We've got a very strong opening weekend setup to kick-off the 2019 season with UNCW, SFA and Furman all heading our way. All three are very successful programs with a rich history, competing for conference championships and playing in the NCAA Tournament. I know my team is excited to start strong and we know we will be tested right out of the gates in our matches with SFA and Furman. We haven't tangled with SFA before, but they will push us to be at our best in order to compete with them Friday night. Furman is an old Southern Conference foe and I always love playing against the Paladins as they're very well coached and are typically the team to beat in the SoCon. I know it will be a great couple of games." – CofC Head Coach Christian Michner

Notables
• Senior Alyssa Beck logged four goals, five assists for a total of 13 points, coming in second behind Ortega last season in all three categories.
• Seven goal scorers return from last season including Beck, Farmer, Kim, Leah Deutsch, Kacey Smekrud and Talia Colchico.
• It will be the first meeting between CofC and SFA.
• The all-time series between the Cougars and the Paladins stands at 2-17-5 with the last meeting ending in a 2-1 loss for The College.
• Head Coach Christian Michner needs 12 wins (75) to tie former Head Coach Kevin Dempsey's record for the most wins in program history (87).
 
Clear Bag Policy
In order to expedite entry and provide a safe and secure environment for our student-athletes, staff, fans, guests and visitors, College of Charleston Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all of its ticketed athletics events (men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and men's and women's soccer) effective Nov. 1, 2018. Click here for more information.