Demorest, GA -- The Piedmont College women's soccer team continues preparation for their season opener coming up this weekend following two weeks of preseason practice and a pair of successful exhibition games. So far, Head Coach
Stephen Andrew has liked what he has seen on the turf, from both the newcomers and returners alike.
“We are really pleased with the fitness level of the girls coming in this fall, it is obvious that a lot of them have been working hard over the summer," said Andrew of his team's showing so far. "Our upper classmen have been setting a really good example to our freshmen which has helped have a relatively smooth preseason that we hope will be the foundation for a very successful season. Everyone is starting to get excited about our first game next weekend.”
The Lady Lions come into this preseason following a 13-7 campaign in 2010 combined with a second straight appearance in the Great South Athletic Conference tournament championship game. The squad returns almost all goal scorers from that 2010 team though they will go through the season without the program's most prolific goal scorer as
KATIE PORTER departs with her career points and goals record intact after five years in the program.
“Obviously losing your program's all time leading goal scorer is going to be tough for us but we are hoping to spread the responsibility of replacing KP (
KATIE PORTER) among all of our forwards this year," stated Andrew on the graduation of the program legend. "There have been some players performing well in preseason who have the potential to step up and help us replace a player of the caliber of Katie.”
The 2011 team won't be short of offensive weapons however as they have shown in a pair of exhibition games where they outscored their opponents a combined 13-0. Returning GSAC Freshman of the Year
Laura Goodwin comes back for another season up top for the Lions while the most veteran of the slew of strikers on the roster, junior
Macie Rooke, also returns for her third year under the tutelage of her head coach.
“I have really enjoyed playing up top for Petey (Head Coach
Stephen Andrew) these past two years and am looking forward to the next two as well," said Rooke who scored both of the Lady Lions' weekend goals in last year's GSAC championships. "He (Coach Andrew) does a great job of telling us what he expects from us as forwards and uses specific drills during practice to help us imrpove."
With many young starters returning and a fresh group of talent coming in, the Lady Lions are not without experienced leaders either. Senior
Justine Clay leads that group as a three-year returning starter expected to head up a talented group of midfield players, a spot where she has become very comfortable during her time in Demorest.
"I'm really looking forward to my last season here with the program after a great three years," said Clay who joins several key returners in the midfield along some youngsters performing well so far. "Every girl on the roster brings something positive to the team that could lead to a very successful year."
The Lady Lions will officially open the 2011 season this Saturday, September 3rd against Methodist University at noon in the first of two games for PC at the Inaugural Piedmont College Fall Invitational. The Monarchs handed Piedmont a 2-0 defeat last season, the first of only two multi-goal losses for the Lady Lions in 2010.
