SPORTS
A-10 Play Begins Thursday for Women’s Soccer
Senior Perry Zollicoffer’s precisely placed corner kicks were credited with assists on 2 out of 3 of the Wildcats’ goals in their overtime win vs. Upstate South Carolina.
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Atlantic 10 play begins this coming Thursday for the Davidson women’s soccer team as they open up against defending A-10 tournament champion La Salle at Alumni Stadium.
This will be the Wildcats’ first game since Sept. 7, as they had last weekend’s games on the road at Elon and Western Carolina canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
The Matchup …
Davidson (2-5, 0-0 A-10), entering its 30th year of women’s soccer, will welcome the La Salle Explorers (5-1-1, 0-0 A-10) at Alumni Stadium Thursday, September 20, for a 7 p.m. contest.
The All-Time Series/Last Meetings …
The game vs. La Salle will be the fourth meeting all-time between both schools. The Wildcats trail 0-2-1 in the series, which dates back to 2015 when they joined the A-10.
The last meeting occurred a year ago at La Salle where the Explorers took a 6-0 decision. Two years ago at Alumni Stadium, the ‘Cats earned a scoreless tie.
A-10 Preseason …
The Atlantic 10 preseason poll came out earlier this week and the Saint Louis Billikens were chosen as the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason favorite in a vote conducted by the league’s 14 head coaches. The league’s head coaches also voted for an 11-member preseason all-conference team.
The Billikens (15-3-2, 7-2-1 A-10 last year) earned 192 votes and ten first-place tallies to take the top spot in the rankings. La Salle ranked second in the predicted order of finish with 184 points and four first-place votes, followed by Duquesne and George Mason, who each tallied 145 votes to round out the top four spots. Davidson received 36 votes and was tied with St. Bonaventure for 12th place.
Previous Game For the Wildcats, Sept. 7 …
An early second-half goal by UNCG spoiled Davidson’s Senior Night as the Wildcats dropped a 2-1 decision Friday night in women’s soccer at Alumni Stadium. The game winner came seven minutes into the second half and the ‘Cats were never able to counter after tying the game up at 1-all in the 22nd minute on Emma Nguyen’sfirst collegiate goal. Gretchen Pearson was credited with an assist on the play.
Scouting the Wildcats …
•Davidson has been off since facing UNCG, Sept. 7, having last weekend’s games canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
•Alexis Pheng paces the team with two goals and four points, getting one of those goals on a game-winning header vs. USC Upstate in overtime.
•Perry Zollicoffer has a career-high three assists, while fellow senior Natalie Connell has a goal and an assist.
•Michele Maceaux had a team-high 13 shots, with eight of them on goal.
•Mary Grace Bunch (3 starts) and Sarah L’Hommedieu (4) have each saw time between the pipes. Bunch has 15 saves, while L’Hommedieu has 17.
•Davidson is 1-3 at home this year, scoring a 3-2 overtime win against USC Upstate, Aug. 20.
•The Wildcats are averaging 11.1 shots per game and have 25 corner kicks to the oppositions 19.
•This is Davidson’s fifth year in the A-10 after a 20-year run in the Southern Conference.
•Head coach Adam Denton enters his second year at the helm of the program.
•24 letterwinners return from last season, including six starters.
•11 newcomers joined the team this year, with 10 of them being freshmen.
•This year’s captains are Mia Hodges, Natalie Connell and Michele Manceaux.
Scouting the Explorers …
•La Salle is riding a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) after scoring a 2-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Sept. 13.
•The Explorers lone defeat on the season is a 1-0 setback in double-overtime to Drexel.
•They are 2-0-1 on the road this season.
•Madison Bower has a team-best five goals and 10 points, while Jenna Soriano (1 gl, 3 ast) and Camaren Cox (2 gl, 1 ast) are next with five points each.
•Bower had 11 goals and nine assists for 31 points a year ago.
•In goal, Claudia Jenkins has started all seven games with a 0.67 goals against average and 28 saves.
•La Salle is coming off a 17-4-2 record last season and a 9-0-1 mark in league games.
•Head coach Paul Royal has won 164 games since taking over the program in 2003.
•The Explorers were picked to finish second in the preseason coaches poll.
Next on the Schedule
The Wildcats travel to Saint Louis Sunday for a 12 p.m. game.