RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women's soccer team will kick off the 2012-13 athletics season on Friday when the Colonels host UNC Asheville at 5:00 p.m. at EKU Soccer Field.

EKU defeated Asheville, 4-0, in Asheville last year. The Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the Big South this season by league head coaches.

The Colonels continue their opening weekend by hosting Robert Morris on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. It will be the first-ever matchup between EKU and RMU on the soccer field.

The following is a preview of the Colonels' 2012 season:

The EKU women’s soccer team has finished as the Ohio Valley Conference regular season runner-up twice in the last four years and is one of only three teams to finish in the top-six in the OVC regular season standings each of the last four years. The Colonels have firmly established themselves as one of the top programs in the conference, and now, it seems, there is only one goal left to achieve: an OVC title.

“Our senior and junior classes are looking to carve a different path this year than they have in previous years,” head coach Lindsay Basalyga said. “They’ve been to conference tournaments, which have become the standard; but I truly feel like, this year, they’re looking to step out of their comfort zones and achieve success on a different level.”

The Colonels will have to achieve that goal of “carving their own path” with a proverbial bull’s-eye on their backs. In 2011, EKU was picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the preseason OVC poll, but shocked the prognosticators by winning seven of its last 10 games to earn a No. 2 seed and a spot in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament. There will be no sneaking up on anyone in 2012, though. The Colonels have been picked to finish fourth of out of 11 teams this season (Belmont is now a full-fledged member of the OVC), their highest preseason ranking since 2008.

EKU, however, boasts the experience to match that lofty ranking. In fact, for the first time in several years, EKU can be considered a veteran team entering the 2012 season. The Colonels are led by three seniors and eight juniors, almost all of whom have played key roles in the past. Leading that group of talented, battle-tested upperclassmen are senior Deja Tennon and junior Lauren Fant, second team All-OVC performers in 2011. Tennon, Fant and sophomore Paige Larkin, a 2011 OVC All-Freshman selection, were leaders of a formidable EKU backline last fall that did not allow multiple goals in any of the Colonels’ final 12 regular season games, and all three will be expected to anchor another strong Colonel defensive unit this fall. EKU’s most prolific offensive player, junior Nikki Donnelly, is also an upperclassman. Donnelly was injured during the early part of last season, but came on strong down the stretch and, this year, will look to regain the form and firepower that made her one of the most feared scorers in the league as a freshman in 2010.

The talent and experience are in place at EKU this season. Now, it is just a matter of making it all come together.

“Personnel-wise, we have a lot of experienced players who can play a lot of different roles,” Basalyga said. “We are now just trying to figure out what type of formations best suit this team and highlight our individual players’ strengths. I also feel like we have a lot of leadership on this team, both on the field and off the field, and we will be looking for that to continue throughout the entire season.”

Adding to that experience is a capable group of nine newcomers who will instantly upgrade the team in at least one department: athleticism.

“We added a lot of athleticism in our freshman class, and the returners put in a lot of work in the weight room with strength coach #Kenny O’Mary#,” Basalyga said. “The level of play athletically has certainly risen at practice, and I think our freshmen are really complementing our returners.”

The following is a position-by-position look at the 2012 Colonels:

Goalkeepers

If there is one position lacking in experience, it is goalkeeper. EKU will start a freshman keeper for the second straight year. If the past is any indication of the future, however, that might not be a problem. Last year’s rookie keeper, Annie Wickett, made 83 saves and recorded three shutouts, earning second team All-OVC honors. Moreover, EKU has a history of developing strong goalkeepers, as Wickett, Christina Graul (2005) and Stephanie Lynch (2008-09) have all earned all-conference recognition in the last seven years.

Samm Melton and Erika Wolfer are the two newcomers battling over the opportunity to become the next decorated EKU keeper. Melton, a tall, rangy keeper, is from Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Mo., while Wolfer, who Basalyga noted was a good shot stopper and good at coming off her line, is from Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati.

“Both Samm and Erika bring different abilities to the position,” Basalyga said. “Even though they’re freshmen, they’re going to have to show confidence and leadership from the start. Whoever shows the most consistency in keeping the ball out of the back of the net is going to win the starting job. It’s that simple.”

Defenders

EKU has long been known for its strong backlines, and this year should be no different. The Colonels return a swath of talented defenders, especially on the outside, where all-OVC returners Fant and Larkin will roam this fall.

“Lauren and Paige’s athleticism and speed and their ability to get forward helps create dangerous scoring opportunities for us in the attacking third of the field,” Basalyga said.

Sophomore Ashley Ryan, who scored two goals as a midfielder last season, and freshman Merrissa Vault, a speedy, athletic player out of Boca Raton Community High School in Boca Raton, Fla., could also see time on the outside this season.

Sophomore #Emily D’Italia# will likely reprise her role at one of the center back positions this fall. D’Italia transferred to EKU from Robert Morris and started 16 games for the Colonels last season, providing a solid and physical presence in the back. The lone question mark on defense is the remaining center back position. Who will replace Stephanie Murray, a mainstay on the Colonel backline the last four years? Basalyga said that spot could go to either senior Hayley Wright, a hard-nosed veteran who has started 27 games in her Colonel career, or freshman Taylor Perkins, a newcomer out of Elizabethtown High School in Elizabethtown, Ky. who, according to Basalyga, “has good pace and good size, and is also good on distribution.”

Midfielders

Tennon played in the attack as a freshman, moved to the backline as a sophomore and junior and will now, possibly, round out her career by playing in the midfield as a senior. Basalyga said that the coaching staff has dabbled with the speedy Tennon in the middle of the field this preseason, noting that “her ability to link up the defense with the attack could definitely be dangerous in the midfield.”

Joining Tennon in the midfield will be a trio of skilled veterans, juniors Tess Akgunduz, Brittany Nomady and Kristan Paynter. Akgunduz saw action in all 20 of the Colonels’ games last season and Basalyga said that “she has good vision and strikes a great long ball.” Nomady, who already ranks third all-time in assists at EKU, scored the game-winner against Austin Peay last year and Basalyga called her “a nifty, creative center midfielder who has great vision on and off the ball.” Paynter started 17 games last fall and scored her first career game-winner against UNC Asheville. Basalyga noted that Paynter “has a great work ethic defensively and does a great job of playing to her strengths.”

A pair of freshmen, Katie Bright and Mikala Ferguson, could also compete for playing in the middle. Bright, out of Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, S.C., “has good size and is good in the air” and could sit back as a defensive-type midfielder, while Ferguson, Basalyga said, is “a savvy player that does a great job of linking up the defenders and the forwards.”

Forwards 

Donnelly enters the season just four goals shy of breaking the all-time EKU goals record, and she will lead the EKU attack from her outside forward position. Joining her on the outside will be sophomore Kaylynn Brown, who led the team with 18 shots on goal last season, and a pair of freshmen, Dani Cant, out of St. Francis High School in Calgary, Alberta, and Amani Thomas, out of Pickerington High School in Pickerington, Ontario. Basalyga said that Cant and Thomas are “good players on the ball who possess a lot of speed, which will hopefully make us more of an attacking threat this fall.”

Sophomore Devon Saini, EKU’s top goal scorer from a season ago, will start at the high forward position. Saini paced the Colonels with four goals last fall, including two game-winners, and will look build on those torrid numbers this season. She will be joined at the high forward position by senior Katie Collar and junior Janelle Coates, both of whom Basalyga noted were “good with their backs to pressure.”

A wildcard on the front line could be sophomore Whitney Wallace, who only saw action in three games last season but who Basalyga called “by far the most improved player on the team.” Wallace is an extremely versatile player who can play anywhere on the field, “but I think her home will be somewhere on the frontline this season,” Basalyga noted.

Junior Courtney Klaas and freshman Mallory Dunn would also compete for time at the forward position, but both are redshirting this season.