NKU: Live Stats I Live Video

Chattanooga: Live Stats I Live Video

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team kicks off the 2017-18 athletics season on Friday night at Northern Kentucky. First touch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
NKU (13-7-1, 6-2-1 in 2016) is the defending Horizon League champion, and the Norse are favorites to win the league again this year. EKU beat Northern, 2-0, last August in Richmond.
 
Following Friday night's showdown, the Colonels will travel south to play Chattanooga on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
 
EKU also clipped UTC (6-11-2, 4-4-1 in 2016) by a score of 1-0 last September in Richmond.
 
--
 
EKU is coming off the most successful season in program history, and one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent NCAA history. Under first-year head coach Nick Flohre, the Colonels improved from 4-14-0 in 2015 to 13-5-1 in 2016, winning a share of their first-ever OVC regular season title and advancing all the way to the OVC Tournament title game.
 
It was a magical season, and Flohre – the reigning OVC Coach of the Year – has an arsenal of talented players returning in 2017, including seniors Jordan Foster – a 2016 first team All-OVC forward – and Anna Hall – a 2016 second team All-OVC goalkeeper.
 
So … cue the high expectations! EKU has been picked by the assigned prognosticators – league head coaches and sports information directors – to finish third in the OVC this season, and the Colonels received four first-place votes. That is the highest preseason OVC ranking in program history, and it is an indication EKU has returned to the upper echelon of the conference.
 
However, despite the hype, you won't find Flohre and the Colonels looking ahead towards another trophy. In fact, you won't find them looking past Friday night's game at NKU.
 
"We haven't talked about any goals for the future, and we won't," Flohre said. "We just focus on getting better and evolving within our system and our program. The feeling is that the results will come from the small details we have been harping on."
 
"Our big thing is … if we focus and improve the details, everything else will come from that," Flohre continued. "I think the players understand that if we look too far ahead, we could get caught. We don't think there is a game on our schedule we can't win, but there is also not a game that we can't lose if we don't have the right mentality. The focus is on us getting better. We don't go out saying we want to win this or that. We simply want to make sure that we continue to improve daily and compete at the highest level."
 
Speaking of improvement, Flohre has seen plenty of it during the preseason. Especially from his eight new players.
 
"Overall, I think we are in a much better place than we were at this point last year as," Flohre said. "The freshmen have blended in very well. Their personalities are starting to shine and they are getting comfortable. They have interacted well with the upperclassmen and the upperclassmen have embraced them whole-heartedly. We're in a good place."
 
The following is a position-by-position look at the 2017 Colonels.
 
Defenders
 
EKU's defense thrived in 2016, recording a program-record 11 shutouts. The stingy EKU backline surrendered only one goal in the Colonels' final five games of the season.
 
A lot of that success stemmed from the play of center backs Kacy Eckley and Haley Kemper. Paired together for the first time in 2016, the duo quickly developed into one of the top central defenses in the OVC. Eckley, a cerebral player who keeps the backline organized, started every game and played a team-best 1,689 minutes in 2016. Her importance to the team was summed up with this statistic: she did not leave the field of play in 17 of the Colonels' 19 games. Kemper, a physical, aggressive slide tackler, played the second most minutes of any non-goalkeeper on the team (1,639).
 
Eckley and Kemper, now both juniors, will be looked upon to lead the EKU defense with more than just their play this year.
 
"Kacy and Haley have become more vocal, which is something we asked them to do," Flohre said. "They didn't have to do that as much last year. But they're leaders back there now and they know how things should work, so we have asked them to really step forward and be more vocal on the field."
 
Freshman Jess Philpot will also see action at center back in 2017.
 
On the outside, senior Makenna Sullivan will continue to play a key role. The native of St. Francis, Minnesota started 18 games last season and has been a consistent presence at outside back the last three seasons.
 
Sophomore Larissa Heslop and freshman Katie Shaffer, meanwhile, have seen significant time at outside back during the preseason, and both should play vital minutes at that position this fall. Senior Sutton Edwards will also provide solid experience on the outside of the defense.
 
Sophomore Kirsten LaPlante and freshman Claire Hicks will play the role of utility players, seeing time on both the backline and in the midfield.
 
In summation, Flohre and his staff have a lot of strong, veteran options available to them on defense. It will simply (or, perhaps, complexly) be a matter of determining the most productive combinations to play.
 
"We have so much depth on defense, we haven't figured out who fits best together," Flohre said. "We knew, coming in, it was going to be a great problem to have, but in addition to the returning players, who were fantastic for us last year, we have some good incoming players who have come in full steam ahead. We are still trying to figure out the best combinations in terms of how players work together. But, again, it's a good problem to have."
 
Midfielders
  
Similar to the defense, Flohre likes EKU's depth in the middle of the field.
 
"The midfield is still a work in progress, but it's another area where we have confidence subbing without losing much in terms of talent level or quality on the field," Flohre said.
 
Senior Allison Werner started 11 games last season and has developed into a quietly crucial player for the Colonels.
 
"Allison is tough to take off the field because she does all of the little things very, very well," Flohre said. "Also, from a defensive standpoint, she's one of the best we have, screening the backline."
 
Flohre compares freshman Alyssa Julien – from Canada – to Werner: "Alyssa is similar to Allison – just a ball-winner and a player who distributes very well."
 
Sophomore Marian Wolski, meanwhile, is coming off a stellar freshman campaign in which she started all 19 games, dished out two assists and was voted to the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
 
Redshirt sophomore Monica Rios will also provide an added boost to the midfield. The native of Lexington was one of the Colonels' top players as a freshman in 2015, but missed all of 2016 with an injury. She is healthy and anxious to be a contributor again.
 
Junior veterans Bailly Bounds and Idalys Rea should also see key minutes in the midfield. Bounds came off the bench last year to record the game-winning assist against Belmont and score the game-winning goal against Jacksonville State. Rea also provided a playmaking spark off the bench last year for the Colonels, appearing in 13 games as a reserve.
 
Forwards
 
If there is one spot the Colonels are thin, it is up front.
 
EKU does return two proven goal scorers in Foster and fellow senior Emmi Carroll. Foster put together the best offensive season in program history last year, breaking single-season records for goals (eight), game-winning goals (four) and assists (five). Carroll – always good in the air and blessed with a scorer's instincts – ranks third all-time in career goals at EKU (11).
 
"Emmi and Jordan have a good understanding of what they are being asked," Flohre said. "They are starting to be more creative and try different things up front that are more dynamic."
 
Sophomore Erin Torrence, meanwhile, should provide an attacking spark off the bench. Torrence scored three goals last season as a rookie, including the game-winner at VMI in September. Fellow sophomore Sam Eastes also saw time up front as a freshman, attempting seven shots.
 
There is little additional experience, though. Junior Tara Claus, who scored three goals last season and was expected to be a major part of the attack, will miss 2017 with an injury.
 
Freshmen forwards Sarah Owusu, Kylie Thompson and Taylor Tolle will likely be looked upon to play solid minutes this fall.
 
"We are not where we want to be up front, but looking at the big picture and keeping things in perspective, we will keep at it and, eventually, it's going to start clicking," Flohre said.
 
Goalkeepers
 
Hall is the solidified starter heading into her senior campaign. The native of Ross, Ohio was a force in goal for the Colonels last season. She set a new EKU single-season records with 11 shutouts and a 0.78 goals against average, surpassing the previous bests set by Stephanie Lynch in the 2008 season. Her 11 shutouts were tied for the best mark in the OVC, and kept her ranked in the top-20 in the entire NCAA for most of the season.
 
Flohre, however, is looking for her to be even more of a vocal leader this fall.
 
"Anna is obviously very talented and she had a great year last year," Flohre said. "She has trained hard all summer and has continued to improve. However, we are continuing to push her to be more of a leader. She has a voice and a personality that everyone listens to. So we are asking her to step up and keep everyone organized, challenge people if they need to pick things up or consult people if they need to calm down a bit. We need her to be an overall team leader."
 
Behind Hall is a duo of sophomores – Bry Mandarino and Lorah Pund – and freshman Billie Clark.
 
"All four of our goalkeepers work very well together, challenge each other and support each other," Flohre said. "It's a group that is very tight-knit."