Women’s Soccer Preview: Clemson

UNC Asheville fans will have the rare opportunity to see an ACC soccer team play at Greenwood Field tomorrow, when the Bulldogs take on the Clemson Tigers at 4pm. Clemson should be a handful for the Bulldogs - the Tigers have defeated Asheville in each of nine previous match-ups between the teams, most recently an 8-0 thumping at Clemson last season. The Tigers have roared out of the gate this season, defeating Alabama 4-0 in a neutral site exhibition match, and knocking off Wofford by the same margin earlier this week. The back-to-back shutouts were the work of junior goalkeeper Paula Pritzen, who recorded the third highest save total in Clemson history last year, and will look to improve upon that performance this season. The Tigers have also assembled a potent offensive attack, with senior Molly Franklin and sophomore Tara Cort (the highest returning scorers) playing alongside talented freshman striker Maddy Elder, who notched two goals against Wofford.

The Bulldogs begin the new season with seven seniors providing experience and leadership on both ends of the field. Senior goalkeeper Veronica Lazar should continue to keep games close even against the toughest opponents (seven of the Bulldogs’ losses last year were by only one goal), and senior defenders Meagan Bradham and Keri Skelton look to shut down opposing attacks. On the offensive end, top returning scorer McKenna Stockhausen is already off to an excellent start, recording both goals in the Bulldogs 2-0 exhibition victory over Carson-Newman last week.

Both Clemson and UNC Asheville endured frustrating seasons last year. The Tigers turned in a 5-11-1 record, including only one conference victory, to finish 10th in the ACC. The preseason polls have them ending up in 10th this season as well. After finishing in 8th place in the Big South, with a 5-13-1 record, Asheville is projected to finish 8th again this year. The Bulldogs hope to exceed this forecast, thanks to a combination of experienced veterans and talented underclassmen. Most of last season’s defeats were decided by a slim margin and the team’s offseason improvements may be enough to swing the balance in similarly tight contests this year. UNC Asheville has the opportunity to make a big statement to the rest of the Big South by performing well against Clemson tomorrow. It bears mentioning that the last time an ACC team visited Greenwood field, the Bulldogs came out on top. In 1996, UNC Asheville recorded a 2-0 victory against a talented Wake Forest team that would go on to make it all the way to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament. If the Bulldogs can manage an upset tomorrow, or at least keep things close, it will bode extremely well for the 2009 season.

The match kicks off at 4pm tomorrow and admission is free. This is a great opportunity to support the Bulldogs in what might be their toughest challenge of the season.

Go Bulldogs!

McKenna Stockhausen

Meagan Bradham

Veronica Lazar