Demorest, GA - One year after a disappointing end to a solid season, Head Women's Soccer Coach Stephen Andrew feels his team is ready to bounce back with a more balanced squad in 2015.  The Lady Lions finished as Co-Champions of the USA South Regular Season with Meredith College, but fell to North Caronlina Wesleyan in the quarterfinals after a scoreless 110 minutes to end a bid at a repeat tourney title.

Knowing that his team needed some new pieces to create on the attack, Andrew addressed the issue in the off-season and now finds himself with a bevy of options to come in and produce the type of offense he's become accustomed to at Piedmont as a coach after such a successful offensive career himself as a player for the Lions.

"Defensively last year was what kind of got us through games, and we're hoping this year that we can balance that out a bit more by scoring more goals," said Andrew of his team's new look in 2015. "Scoring goals was a massive need for us, and we brought in a bunch of freshmen that we expect to score goals."

Though several of the newcomers to the Lady Lion offense have shown well early, Andrew also pointed to the experience returning up top, most notably that of MEGAN HATFIELD.  The veteran brings ten career goals with her over the last two seasons and looks to be in good shape to add to that total this coming fall. 

"Hatfield is one we will lean on, she's shown really well in preseason as you would expect a veteran to coming into a new year," said Andrew. "She's one we expect to come in and score goals to set an example for all these new freshman we have up top."

The new look doesn't stop there for the Lady Lions as Andrew also pointed to the midfield as a spot that fans can expect to see some of the new faces that appear on the 2015 roster, 13 in all including new international player TABEA SOELTER who comes to Piedmont from Germany looking to make an impact in the middle of the park.  The new look is no suprise though after Piedmont graduated SHAYNA ROGERS last season, a player who created a great deal of the attack with a team-high seven assists in 2014.

"I think we are going to play a lot of young players there in the midfield," stated Andrew. "That was a need we felt going into recruiting this past year was to bring in more creativity in the midfield.  Jaz (Penado) and Katie (Devine) have done really well in there as young players as well as our international player Tabea (Soelter)."

Even the returners in midfield for Andrew in 2015 bring youth as only three of the 14 midifelders listed on the roster are either juniors or seniors including veteran MORGAN EDELMAN who figures to be a key piece in the holding midfield for the Lady Lions according to Andrew: "Morgan's the steady play, you know what you're going to get from her. She does a lot of the work you're not going to see on the stat sheet breaking up play, and she's done well for us there."

One spot which remains mostly intact for the Lady Lions is in the defensive side, a good omen for the Green and Gold as Piedmont was able to shut out opponents on 14 occassions in 2014.  However, the back four does need to account for the loss of Academic All-American KELSEY SCHAFFERNOTH who graduated last season after four years as a starter.

"We lost a big piece in Kelsey, but we return three of our other four starters, so it's good to have that base to build on," said Andrew.  

Depsite the loss of Schaffernoth, Piedmont returns two All-Conference performers in the back lines including sophomore defender ABBEY DUNLOP and goalkeeper MICHAELA GARDNER who owns one of the best career goals against averages of any keeper in Lady Lion history.  Andrew also pointed to several returning pieces who have key experience that may add to an already established tradition for his teams:

"We also have ALEXIS GOTTKO who got some good minutes last year off the bench for us, ELIZABETH GALE is a senior we'll be leaning on a lot as well to help us replace what Kelsey left after her graduation last year too."

Piedmont will not have to wait long to see its young players be tested as the Lady Lions will open the season Tuesday, September 1 on the road at in-state rival Agnes Scott College, a team that Piedmont needed a late goal to defeat last season 1-0.  The road doesn't get any easier on the weekend as the Lady Lions travel to the Maryville College Fall Invitational to face Birmingham-Southern and Bridgewater, a team that posted a 16-4 overall record last season.

"At Agnes Scott, Coach Davis has her program ready and proven down there, it's a great rivalry for us to open up with," said Andrew of his team's start to the season. "Then we face another two solid programs that are established as well from different conferences, one SAA and one ODAC member.  That will be a good test for us to go there and see where we are at, gaining that experience of facing solid competition."

It all starts Tuesday, September 1st as the Lady Lions travel to Decatur, Georgia to face Agnes Scott College with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 pm between the two rivals.  The home opener will come on Friday, September 11 under the lights at Walker Athletic Complex against a foe from the Northeast in Maine Maritime.

To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont College Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, Snapchat: @PiedmontLions and Facebook. To follow Piedmont Soccer on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.