Live Stats  I  2013 SRU Stats  I  2013 Millersville Stats

Millersville, Pa. – The seventh ranked Slippery Rock University women's soccer team will hit the road to take on Millersville Thursday for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference match that will serve as the season-opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
 
Live Coverage: The Millersville sports information office will provide a live statistics feed for the game at the link above. The SRU athletic communication office will also provide periodic updates through the official Rock Athletics Twitter page (@Rock_Athletics) throughout the game.
 
Rankings: Slippery Rock is ranked No. 7 in the preseason Division II national rankings compiled by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Rock was picked as a clear favorite in the PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving 11 of the league's 17 first place votes. Millersville is unranked and was picked to finish 10^th in the league standings.
 
Scouting The Rock: Slippery Rock enters the season as the defending Atlantic Region champion after emerging from the regional final of the NCAA Tournament last fall. The Rock finished the 2013 season with a 15-4-2 overall record, completing the 18th consecutive winning season and 16th straight with at least 10 wins for the program.
 
Slippery Rock welcomes back a strong team that features All-Americans Allison Harbart (2g, 3a) in the midfield and Andrea Felix (10g, 5a) at forward, along with All-Region midfielder Leslie Henny (1g, 1a) and All-PSAC defender Lynn Neef, as well as the leading goal scorer from last fall in forward Dara Demich (11g, 1a). Felix was named the PSAC Freshman of the Year last season.
 
All together, The Rock returns 17 players from the 2013 roster, including 11 of the 13 players that recorded at least one point and a total of eight players that saw significant time in the starting lineup.
 
The Rock outscored opponents 40-12 last season, allowing an average of just .57 goals against.
 
Scouting the Marauders: Millersville is looking to build off last season's effort after finishing with its best record since 2004 at 8-9-1 overall and 7-8-1 in the PSAC. The NSCAA poll ranked Millersville as the No. 14 team in the nation after its 4-0 start, marking the first time in 11 years the Marauders appeared in a national ranking.
 
After scoring a goal in each of the first two games of the year, Kristin Lepley went down with a season ending injury. Now healthy, Lepley's goal scoring prowess will be featured alongside last season's top scorer junior Megan Kelley (4g, 2a) on attack. Senior Megan Wilson (4g, 1a) returns in the midfield, accompanied by a pair of dynamic sophomores in Savannah Hall (1g, 4a) and Halie Parker (2g, 1a).
 
Olivia Webber made 18 starts in goal last fall and was 8-9-1 with a 1.11 goals against average and a .778 save percentage. Webber tallied four shutouts in 2013.
 
Millersville kept things low-scoring last fall, outscoring opponents 22-20 in 2013.
 
Series: Slippery Rock owns a 16-3 all-time advantage in the series between the two teams and has won the last nine meetings.
 
Last Meeting: (Box Score) Dara Demich scored a goal in each half and Dana O'Neill recorded a shutout to power The Rock over Millersville 2-0 last November in Slippery Rock.
 
Ali Brosky and Caitlin Binder each registered an assist in the win.
 
SRU finished with edges of 15-5 in shots and 6-2 in shots on goal.
 
Head Coaches: Noreen Herlihy is in her 20th season at the helm of the Slippery Rock program. She has led the team to 18 consecutive winning seasons and owns a career record of 239-107-29. 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.
 
Mike O'Brien is in his ninth season as the head coach at Millersville, where he has posted a 39-92-17 overall record. He led the Marauders to its best season since 2003 last fall, but is 0-6 all-time against Slippery Rock.
 
Up Next: No. 7 Slippery Rock returns to James Egli Field Saturday for its home opener against Shippensburg. The match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.