University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Asheville Women's Soccer Kicks Off 2016 Campaign Friday Night
08.18.2016 | Women's Soccer
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Asheville (0-0, 0-0 BSC)
      Tennessee Tech (0-0, 0-0 OVC)
Location: Greenwood Field, Asheville, N.C.
Time: 7 p.m.
Asheville, N.C. - Seventh-year head coach Michelle Demko and the UNC Asheville women's soccer team will look to build upon back-to-back winning seasons as the Bulldogs officially kick off the 2016 campaign with a 7 p.m. home tilt against Tennessee Tech Friday evening.
NOTABLES
Tennessee Tech finished 8-8-4 overall last year, including a 6-3-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). That mark was good for a second place finish, which was their highest in 15 years. Led by third-year head coach Steve Springthorpe, the Golden Eagles dueled Chattanooga to a 1-1 tie on Aug. 12 in their lone exhibition match and were picked to finish third in the OVC this year.
Personnel-wise, TTU features the 2015 OVC Defensive Player of the Year in sophomore goalkeeper Kari Naerdemann, and senior Abi Gearing, who joined Naerdemann on the All-OVC First Team.
UNC Asheville, meanwhile, finished 11-9-0 last year. They are a combined 21-18-1 over the past two seasons as Demko has improved the program's win total in each of her first six seasons. The two season win total ranks as the fifth-most wins over a similar stretch in program history.
The Bulldogs return their top two goal scorers from last year in junior forward Caroline Houser and senior forward Paige Trent. Houser also led the team in assists with nine and produced a team-high 23 points. In addition to those two, the team also returns sophomore forward Justine James and junior midfielder Courtney Naber, who both tallied double digits in points last year.
In net, the Bulldogs return junior Keller Dixon and sophomore Madeline Getz. Those two combined to see action in eight matches, while making seven starts.
UNC Asheville leads the all-time series with Tennessee Tech 7-5. In the most recent meeting between the two teams in 2011, Tennessee Tech pulled out a 4-1 win.
This year's UNC Asheville squad has been selected to finish fifth in the Big South preseason coaches poll. The team returns 21 players and adds five newcomers.Â
QUOTABLES
"Our willingness to adapt as we encounter each challenge as a collective unit will be the reason why we have success over the season and continue to grow," Demko said. "Friday's test will be the first test of a 19-game season. Each game is an opportunity to get better and gain more confidence so that come late October, we put ourselves in a position to be playing our best soccer."
"Tennessee Tech will be well organized," Demko said. "They return everyone and add eight new players so in many ways we are similar with regard to roster personnel. They are a team that defends well and has good discipline keeping numbers behind the ball and immediate pressure on every turnover. We will need to focus for 90 minutes and put two halves of soccer together to give ourselves an opportunity to be successful."
UP NEXT
After Friday's season opener, UNC Asheville will hit the road for four matches until returning home on Sept. 4 against Kennesaw State. The first of those four matches will be this Sunday in Charleston, S.C. against The Citadel.
