SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team's 2023 campaign will commence by hosting Davis & Elkins College Thursday and traveling to Fairmont State University Sunday.
The Rock and Davis & Elkins will officially start the 2023 season 7:30 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium while SRU's first away game of the year is set for a 1 p.m. start.
WATCH LIVE
• Fans can watch Sunday's game live and on-demand for free via the links below provided by Fairmont State Athletic Communications and Mountain East Conference TV.
GAME 1 OF 18
Opponent: Davis & Elkins
Date: Thursday – 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Mihalik-Thompson Stadium
Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Live Video: Rock Athletics Digital Network
Live Stats: Rock Athletic Communication
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
SERIES HISTORY VS. DAVIS & ELKINS
SRU and D&E have only met twice before, both resulting in Slippery Rock victories. The Rock played at D&E in 2013, winning 1-0 before hosting the Senators in 2014, securing a 4-1 win. D&E has not played a game in the state of Pennsylvania since 2016 in a loss to Indiana University (Pa.) and has not won a game in the Keystone State since 2015 when it defeated Pitt-Johnstown 2-1.
LAST MEETING
Slippery Rock hosted D&E on Sept. 13, 2016, winning 4-1. SRU was propelled by Andrea Felix, who scored the first two goals for The Rock. As this game was played at James Egli Field, Thursday will be Davis & Elkins' first trip to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. It will also be SRU Head Coach Jessica Giegucz's first match against D&E since a 6-0 win in 2010, when she was an assistant coach at Shippensburg University.
GAME 2 OF 18
Opponent: Fairmont State
Date: Sunday – 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Duvall-Rosier Field
Location: Fairmont, West Virginia
Live Video: Mountain East Conference TV
Live Stats: Fairmont State Athletic Communications
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
SERIES HISTORY VS. FAIRMONT STATE
Of the two prior meetings, SRU is 1-0-1 against the Fighting Falcons. The Rock will look to remain undefeated in the series after defeating Fairmont State 2-0 on the road in 2021 and playing to a 0-0 draw at home in 2022.
LAST MEETING
Fairmont State's only previous trip to The Rock took place last August. The scoreless tie marked Slippery Rock's first 0-0 home opener at Egli Field since 2014 when SRU and Shippensburg played to a blank sheet. Key returners that played big roles in the most recent FSU match are Sydney Patrick and Ashley Rea, who each recorded four shots. SRU led the Falcons in total shots 15-8 and 6-5 in shots on goal.
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
2022 Overall Record: 7-4-8 (.579)
2022 PSAC West Record: 6-3-7 (.594)
2022 Postseason: PSAC Quarterfinals
2022 Home Record: 2-2-5
2022 Away Record: 5-2-3
Last Five Games: 3-2-0
THE OPENING ACT
Thursday will kick off the 30th season for the Slippery Rock women's soccer program. Of SRU's previous 29 season openers, this year will be the 17th time launching on home soil. Overall, The Rock has a season-opener record of 16-12-1 (569). At home, they've gone 10-5-1 (.656) in that span. Davis & Elkins will be The Rock's 18th different season-opening opponent in team history.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The 2023 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll had The Rock ranked second in the PSAC Western Division. Slippery Rock garnered one first-place vote, falling in second only to reigning PSAC West champions Gannon University, who received the other eight first-place votes.
SETTING THE BAR HIGH
SRU's 7-4-8 record in 2022 extended the program's streak of consecutive winning seasons to 26. On top of that nationally renowned consistency, Slippery Rock qualified for the PSAC Tournament for a 12th straight year.
SRU will also look to continue its winning record in non-conference play. In the last 10 seasons, Slippery Rock's record outside of the PSAC stands at a convincing 11-5-2 (.667) mark.
Head coach Jessica Giegucz enters her ninth year at The Rock after coaching to an impressive 83-38-17 (.663) record within the program.
RETURNING TO THE ROCK
16 of the 27 student-athletes on the roster are coming back to Slippery Rock for at least their second season. Leading in experience are this year's seniors Brandie Nauman, Sydney Patrick, Ashley Rea and Brooke Riefenstahl.
High hopes surround Rea, now a graduate student. Rea added nine points last year on four goals and one assist. Morgan Sarver also returns to The Rock after contributing three goals and three assists in 2022. Jaime Dermotta comes back to the roster as well after an impressive two-goal freshman year. Rea and Sarver combined to produce 52 of The Rock's 131 shots on goal last year.
Joining Riefenstahl and Patrick as team captains is junior Maddie DeLucio, donning the armband for the first time in her career. DuLucio netted three goals last year in 10 appearances, two of which were game-winners.
A NIGHT OF DEBUTS
Nine true freshmen will make their first appearances wearing Slippery Rock green on Thursday night in Leah Allman (Olmsted Township, Ohio), Ava Balazentis (Mars, Pennsylvania), Allie Burkholder (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), Allie Burns (Wexford, Pennsylvania), Ariana Daniels (Poland, Ohio), Irene Doleno (McMurray, Pennsylvania), Bailey McGee (Aurora, Ohio), Sophia Palermo (Wexford, Pennsylvania) and Lindsey Price (Zelienople, Pennsylvania).
Accompanying them are two Division I transfers, Brianna Matteson of Rider University and Sydney Gray of VMI.
SEARCHING FOR SUCCESSORS
One of the most vital pairs of cleats to fill will be those of Kayla Swope, who graduated after leading the team in points last season with 10 on three goals and four assists.
Slippery Rock will also see a new face in between the pipes. Veteran goalkeeper Emma Yoder graduated from The Rock in May capping off an impressive five-year career.
Helping to ease the goalie transition is the return of the majority of SRU's backline from a year ago including All-PSAC defenders Nina King and Brooke Riefenstahl as well as Faith Diffenbacher. As a whole, Slippery Rock's defense returns to the pitch after allowing only 13 goals a season ago, which tied for second-best in the PSAC.
SHINING IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Over the last 10 seasons, Slippery Rock has a record of 20-6-4 (.733) in games that start at 6 p.m. or later. However, it has not won a night game at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium since a 1-0 victory over IUP in 2017.
THE SENATORS BY THE NUMBERS
2022 Overall Record: 9-8-1 (.528)
2022 Mountain East Conference Record: 8-7-1 (.531)
2022 Postseason: MEC Quarterfinals
2022 Home Record: 5-5-0
2022 Away Record: 4-3-1
Last Five Games: 3-2-0
DAVIS & ELKINS SCOUTING REPORT
D&E will come into Thursday night's game with possibly the most momentum it has ever had for a season opener. The Senators are coming off a historic year for the program, highlighted by their first trip to the Mountain East Conference tournament in school history. While they fell in the quarterfinals to West Virginia State University 2-0, the Senators still managed to secure a winning record in MEC play for the first time.
The Senators also led the MEC in goals and assists last year, another accolade for the D&E record books. Davis & Elkins netted 56 goals and 38 assists over the course of 18 games last year.
The top two goalscoring threats from the D&E side are junior Madison Rose and senior Alexa Karsel, who both had 10 goals in 2022, tied for sixth best in the conference. Six different D&E players ended the year with double-digit points totals.
A more promising note for Slippery Rock is that of D&E's defensive struggles. The Senators allowed 39 goals, the fourth highest total in the Mountain East. Another defensive question mark heading into Thursday evening is that of D&E's netminding. Like Slippery Rock, Davis & Elkins saw the departure of a veteran goalkeeper in Katie Clarke, who graduated after making 193 saves in 43 games. Davis & Elkins picked up Danish goalkeeper Monica Birkelund this offseason, a junior transfer from Iowa Central Community College.
The Senators are guided by Head Coach Alberto "Kiko" Magana, who returns to the program for a second year. He will lead the 2023 roster that features student-athletes from seven U.S. states, 15 countries and 4 continents.
THE FIGHTING FALCONS BY THE NUMBERS
2022 Overall Record: 12-4-5 (.690)
2022 Mountain East Conference Record: 10-3-3
2022 Postseason: MEC Champions (First Round, NCAA Tournament)
2022 Home Record: 6-2-1
2022 Away Record: 6-1-4
Last Five Games: 2-2-1
FAIRMONT STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Sunday afternoon will feature Slippery Rock's first road test of the season as it travels to reigning Mountain East champions Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons claimed their first conference title in program history by defeating the top-seeded Frostburg State University in a penalty kick shootout. Fairmont State fell 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Gannon.
The Falcons were picked second in the MEC North Division in the preseason coaches' poll, securing five of the 11 first-place votes, trailing Frostburg State's six. 14 student-athletes from the championship-winning squad return this season for Fairmont State, most notably, their top two attackers, Kiera Kuzinski and Alejandra Puerto.
Kuzinski, who ranked ninth in Division II a season ago with 17 goals, is perhaps The Rock's biggest threat on Sunday. Starting all 21 games, the junior from Michigan placed two of her three shots on target in last year's scoreless draw with SRU.
Puerto returns to the Falcons as a sophomore after a freshman year that culminated with seven goals and six assists. Puerto will also be welcomed back to the United States this semester after being selected for the Honduras national team's roster for a pair of friendlies against Guatemala in early August.
Sunday's matchup will likely be a defensive contest, as Fairmont State allowed the second-fewest goals in the MEC per game last year, at 0.76. Similarly, SRU allowed only 0.68 goals per game. Not only will Fairmont State be looking for their first victory against SRU in program history, but their first goal as well.
The game will also feature a faceoff between two first-year goalkeepers, as Fairmont State's Taylor Kennedy graduated after a 70-game, four-year career. Olivia Johnston and Delaney Haller, the team's listed goalkeepers, are both true freshmen.
The Falcons are coached by Kernell Borneo. After a successful 18-year career in club soccer's coaching realms, the Trinidad and Tobago-native will lead Fairmont State for a third season.
Before hosting The Rock, the Fighting Falcons travel to Seton Hill University Thursday to open the year.
LOOKING AHEAD
The remaining 16 games on the Slippery Rock calendar will be comprised of the double round robin circuit within the PSAC West. Slippery Rock returns home to Egli Field to square up with Pitt-Johnstown 4 p.m. Sept. 6.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
