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RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women's soccer team will kick off the 2013-14 athletics season on Friday when the Colonels travel to UNC Asheville to face the Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m.
EKU has defeated Asheville in each of the last two seasons. The Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the Big South this season by league head coaches.
The Colonels will play their home opener on Sunday versus Western Carolina. First touch at EKU Soccer Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The following is a preview of EKU's 2013 season:
The EKU women's soccer team reached new heights in 2012, posting the first winning record (10-7-3) in the eight-year history of the program, achieving program marks for wins (10), conference wins (6), goals (22), assists (18), points (62) and shots (253) and going undefeated at home for the first time ever (8-0-1). The Colonels also earned their fifth consecutive berth in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, the longest active postseason streak in the conference.
It was a historic season; however, it did not produce the ultimate goal of an OVC Championship. Enter Melissa Barnes. Barnes was hired as the program's second head coach on February 13 and is charged with leading EKU to that elusive conference title. Barnes, a native of Prospect, Ky., made trips to the NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington and Furman and she hopes to bring that winning touch to Richmond.
Aiding her in that pursuit is the talented and veteran roster she inherited. EKU will boast its largest senior class ever in 2013, and nearly all seven members of the class played key roles in the success of 2012. Leading that group of battle-tested upperclassmen are Nikki Donnelly and Lauren Fant, both of whom earned first team All-OVC honors last fall.
Donnelly was one of the most feared goal scorers in the league last season, burying a program-record seven goals and dishing out two assists while setting team records for single-season shots (62) and career goals (15) in the process. Fant, meanwhile, delivered another big season on the outside of the EKU defense, playing the fourth-most minutes on the team (1,692) while using speed and aggression to get forward and score three goals, two of which were game-winners. Junior Emily D'Italia is also back. D'Italia was named first team All-OVC in 2012 after establishing herself as the top center back in the league, playing all but two minutes on the year while helping the Colonel backline record five shutouts and stifle opponents to just 1.05 goals per game.
EKU has been picked to finish fourth out of 11 teams in the OVC; however, with a deep, talented and hungry roster and a head coach with a nose for winning championships, the Colonels could be a dangerous team and a tough out come postseason play in November.
"This is a very athletic team," Barnes said. "We're trying to mix in a little more soccer knowledge to help them use that athletic ability, but the tools are definitely there. If we learn to use those tools, we could be really dangerous.
The following is a position-by-position look at the 2013 Colonels.
Goalkeepers
From 2007-10, Stephanie Lynch was a rock for EKU in the net. After Lynch graduated, though, EKU has had to start a freshman goalkeeper each of the last two seasons. It appears that will change in 2013. Sophomores Erika Wolfer and Samm Melton are both back with a year of experience under their belts. Wolfer started 17 games last season and notched four shutouts, allowing just 1.17 goals per game. Melton started three games while Wolfer was injured and filled in admirably, allowing only two goals and recording a shutout versus Tennessee Tech.
Wolfer and Melton will be pushed by the arrival of Shawn Zellers, a rangy, athletic keeper out of Bethlehem High School in Bardstown.
Defenders
The EKU backline will have to deal with the graduation of Deja Tennon, a crafty, athletic outside defender who played in more games than any player in program history. However, the personnel that is returning should ease that loss considerably. Fant will be joined on the outside by junior Paige Larkin, another experienced, athletic defender who has started all 40 games in which she has played since arriving at EKU in 2011. Sophomores Katie Bright and Merrissa Vault and freshmen Sarah Franklin and Mackenzie Nichols will also compete for time on the outside.
D'Italia, who Barnes called "an anchor in the back," will start at one center back position. D'Italia provides a physical presence on the Colonel backline but also has a nice touch with the ball, as evidenced by her program-record four assists last season, all of which came off corner kicks. The other center back position could be filled by senior Katie Collar, who redshirted 2012 but who Barnes referred to as "experienced, technical and a leader." Freshman Mikayla Brillon, a California native, could also see time in the middle of the backline.
Midfielders
"Everyone has experience in the midfield – which is nice," Barnes said. "We can't really go wrong with any of them, it's just a matter of finding the right mix of players to put out there."
That mix will include four seniors – Tess Akgunduz, Janelle Coates, Brittany Nomady and Kristan Paynter – as well as junior Devon Saini, sophomores Mikala Ferguson and Taylor Perkins and freshman Randi Schweitzer. Nomady and Paynter both started 17 games last season and both were extremely active on the offensive end. Nomady, who is tied for second-all time in assists at EKU, finished second on the team with 35 shots, while Paynter scored the game-winning goal against conference foe Eastern Illinois. Ferguson really come on late in 2012, scoring a goal and notching three assists all against conference foes to earn OVC All-Freshman honors. Coates, Saini and Perkins, meanwhile, have scored eight career goals between the three of them, while Akgunduz is a shrewd passer who can link up the field.
"We hope to use our midfielders a little different this year," Barnes noted. "We want to possess more through them."
Forwards
As a group, Barnes referred to the members of this year's attack as "athletic, dynamic and pacy."
Donnelly leads that group. That native of Cincinnati should continue to be one of the top offensive players in the league as she looks to build on her seven-goal performance from last year. Her scoring prowess was particularly on display during a September game versus conference and in-state rival Morehead State, when she scored two goals in the final eight minutes of play to lead the Colonels to an improbable, come-from-behind 2-1 victory.
Joining Donnelly up front will be juniors Kaylynn Brown, Ashley Ryan and Whitney Wallace, sophomores Dani Cant and Amani Thomas and freshman Nichelle Ryan and Cassie Smith. Brown may be the wildcard of the group, as her 2012 season was cut short by a knee injury right before conference play began. Before the injury, though, Brown was emerging as a true offensive threat, scoring goals against Wright State and College of Charleston. Thomas notched two assists during her freshman campaign, one of which set up Donnelly's game-winning goal versus Morehead State, while Cant scored the game-winner versus Transylvania in 2012.
Barnes noted that Nomady might also see time up front.
