Live Stats | Live Video | 2011 SRU Stats | 2011 WJU Stats
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 14th-ranked Slippery Rock University women's soccer team will travel to Wheeling Jesuit Thursday to open the 2012 season with a 7 p.m. non-conference match. Below is a brief preview of the season opener.
Live Coverage: The Wheeling Jesuit sports information office is planning to do provide a live statistics and live video feed of the game. Those links can be accessed above.
Rankings: The only Division II rankings that have been released this season are the preseason rankings, where Slippery Rock slotted in at No. 14. Wheeling Jesuit was unranked.
Head Coaches: Noreen Herlihy is in her 18th season at the helm of the Slippery Rock program. She has led the team to 16 consecutive winning seasons with 10 or more wins and owns a career record of 211-97-24. The 16 consecutive winning seasons ranks eighth all-time in Division II history. Herlihy is a 1992 graduate of Mercyhurst College with a bachelor's degree in sports medicine. She also owns a master's degree in sports administration from Slippery Rock.
Carrie Hanna is in her 11th season leading the Wheeling Jesuit program, where she has posted a career record of 126-73-3. Hanna was a four-time All-American on the field for the Cardinals, where she led all NCAA divisions in scoring in 1992. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Wheeling Jesuit in 1996 and earned a master's degree from West Virginia in sports psychology in 1999.
Series History: Slippery Rock and Wheeling Jesuit have met eight times in the series, with the most recent match taking place last season at SRU. The Rock owns a 5-3-0 all-time record against the Cardinals.
Scouting The Rock: The Rock is coming off one of the best seasons in school history, a year that included a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 and a shutout streak that ranks as the fifth-best in Division II history at 11 consecutive games. SRU finished the 2011 season at 16-5-2 overall, the second most wins in a single season in school history.
The 2012 Rock roster welcomes back its top eight scorers from last season and nearly all of its starters. The top returning offensive players include
Kara Mullins, who led the team in scoring with 11 goals and four assists, and
Lucy Hannon, who tallied nine goals and five assists.
Shelby Ward netted six goals and a dished out a team-high nine assists.
Defensively,
Emer Flatley started every game but one and anchored a defensive effort that allowed just 13 goals in 23 games.
Izabel Scott and
Katie Kolodka started in all 23 games and were critical components of one of the top defensive units in the nation.
The team won't be looking far to replace All-Region goalkeeper
Lisa Rodgers, as 2010 starter
Dana O'Neill is set to return for her junior season of eligibility. O'Neill played five complete games last season and allowed just one goal while recording 20 saves and posting four shutouts.
The team will also welcome nine freshmen and three transfer students that are expected to make an immediate impact, including two with Division I experience. Those transfers include junior defender
Lauren Impey (Lynn University), sophomore defender
Brittany Boss (St. Francis University) and sophomore midfielder
Leslie Henny (Bowling Green University).
Scouting the Cardinals: Wheeling Jesuit is looking to reload after posting a 5-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last season. The Cardinals were picked to finish seventh in the league this season and welcome back a roster than includes 14 players with collegiate experience and 13 true freshmen.
The team returns three of its top four scorers from last season, including Allison Geary, who tied for the team lead in scoring with six goals and one assist. Brittany Decapio added three goals and one assist to rank third in scoring and Ashley McGinnis chipped in two goals and one assist to rank fourth in scoring. The team will be without co-leading scorer Megan Newrones, who tallied five goals and handed out three assists.
The team will open the year with no collegiate experience between the goalposts, as only three freshman goalkeepers are listed on the roster. WJU will look to the defensive leadership of Caroline Gacka, who was named to Honorable Mention All-WVIAC honors last season.
Last Meeting: (
Box Score) Slippery Rock defeated Wheeling Jesuit 3-0 at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Oct. 15, 2011. That win marked the seventh shutout in a row for SRU, which improved The Rock to 10-3-2 overall.
Slippery Rock was dominant in the game, keeping Wheeling Jesuit to just one total shot and no shots on goal. The Rock managed 20 total shots and 10 shots on goal.
Kara Mullins and
Stephanie Buckenheimer scored goals and
Shelby Ward and
Emer Flatley were credited with assists. A third goal was recorded as an own goal against WJU.
Dana O'Neill earned the win in goal for SRU. Jennifer Fletcher took the loss, allowing three goals and recording seven saves.
There were no cautions or ejections from the game.
