WASHINGTON – The American University women's soccer team begins its fall 2021 campaign at Reeves Field on Thursday afternoon against former CAA rival, William & Mary.
QUICK INFO
- Date/Time: Thursday, August 19, 4:00 p.m.
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Reeves Field)
- Series History: William & Mary leads, 7-0-1
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dante Verme (pxp)
MASK POLICY AT AU ATHLETICS EVENTS
- Individuals are required to wear masks to all American University athletics indoor AND outdoor events, per current AU guidelines.
- We also encourage social distancing at all of our venues.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Historically, William & Mary has had AU's number on the pitch, as they are currently unbeaten in games against AU.
- The two programs used to face off on a regular basis as members of the CAA conference in the 1990s.
- The Tribe were ranked in each of the last five matchups between the schools.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- AU enters the second season of the Marsha Harper era with a full coaching staff and goals of growth.
- In the shortened season last spring, the Eagles started out slow but made improvement throughout the year, ending the season with a 1-1 draw at eventual PL champion, Navy.
- With the foundation in place, the Eagles are looking to the junior and senior class for leadership in taking the next step, particularly on the offensive end of the field. Seniors Juliana Saling, Tate Jordan, and Emily Smith will set the tone in the final third.
- An influx of freshmen talent should provide a spark of energy. With the loss of four-year starting keeper Ryleigh Brown, rookies Nina Zwolinski and Julia Kato should see action between the pipes. Offensively, Brooke Steel and Maya Ordaz will push for valuable minutes at the forward and midfield positions.
- Fellow rookie Jordan Mahony joins her sister on the defensive end of the field, while Amelie Kovacevic, Lily Becker, Giuliana Capraro, and Andriana Cabral round out the newcomers.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT WILLIAM & MARY
- The story of William and Mary's spring 2021 season is eerily similar to AU's. The Tribe went 0-3-3 and struggled to finish around the net and score goals.
- The Tribe also made some coaching changes in Shackford's fourth season at the helm. Former W&M head coach John Daly is working as a volunteer assistant to help with the attack. Daly won 413 games as head coach of the Tribe from 1987-2017.
- With 18 freshmen and sophomores, Shackford calls this team one of the youngest rosters of her coaching career.
- She is hoping the youth will lead the program back to its glory days when they had 36 straight winning seasons from 1981-2016, which is an NCAA record.
FULL STAFF
- Coach Harper added two new coaches to her squad for this fall season, rounding out her staff in year two.
- Matt Freibaum was brought on as an assistant coach to work with the attacking unit, among other duties. He joins AU after two seasons at Wofford.
- Martina Loncar is serving the team in a volunteer assistant role while she pursues a Master's degree at AU. A four-year letterwinner at Colgate, her experience in the Patriot League will undoubtedly be a valuable resource for the Eagles.
SISTER, SISTER
- The Mahony sisters are the first siblings to play for AU Women's Soccer since 2000, and just the fourth pair ever.
- Olivia, a senior, and Jordan, a freshman, played for The Pennington School for one season, although Jordan played only sparingly as a high school freshman.
- The most heralded sister duo in AU Women's Soccer history is the Pike sisters. Liz holds every scoring record in program history and is in the Cassell Hall of Fame, while Julia is fourth in program history in career assists with 15.
- Liz played for AU from 1990-93, while Julia was on the team from 1992-96.
HOW TO WATCH ESPN+
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