Women's Soccer Off to a Great Start

Good Afternoon Asheville Fans!

Since I’ll be writing most of the Bulldog Blog posts during the upcoming year, I want to start out by introducing myself. My name is Jonathan Keeney, and I’m an Asheville native interning in the UNC Asheville athletic department. Although I spent my college years at that other UNC school, I have fond memories of games at the Justice Center as a kid, and I’m excited to spend the year working with and supporting the Bulldogs.

I wrapped up my first day yesterday by catching the second half of the women’s soccer exhibition match against the Eagles of Carson-Newman University. The Bulldogs looked prepared for the new season with a convincing 2-0 victory. Coach Cornish noted on her Facebook page that the Bulldogs generated several good scoring opportunities and the margin of victory could easily have been greater. She also applauded the defensive line for their solid effort in preserving the shutout. Carson-Newman was no small hurdle for the Bulldogs. They enter the season ranked 13th in the nation in Division II, and are the unanimous favorite to win the South Atlantic Conference title. The victory should prepare the Bulldogs well for their season-opening match against ACC heavyweight Clemson on August 28th at Greenwood Field.

It is my plan to update the Bulldog Blog on a daily basis throughout the year, and to ensure that it is a place where Asheville fans can always find new content about their favorite teams. My work with the department promises lots of variety, but I do know that I will be in regular attendance at the soccer, volleyball, and basketball matches this fall. My first priority will be sports-related content - game previews, recaps, and hopefully some interviews and insider information. However, when there is a break in the action, I’ll provide some insight into all that goes on here in the Athletic Department as well. Because my goal is to provide Bulldog fans with a useful and entertaining source of sports information, I am especially interested in making the Bulldog Blog as interactive as possible. In addition to our Ask the Athletic Director feature (in which I strongly encourage you to participate), please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments you might have - for myself, or for anyone else involved in UNC Asheville athletics. I will struggle valiantly to have your questions answered, and I hope to have a regular mailbag or question and answer feature as a part of the blog.

Go Bulldogs!