2017 Quick Facts
Week 1 Notes
Coach's Corner - Ciaran Traquair
Coach's Corner - Jack Marchant

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Second-year head women's soccer coach Ciaran Traquair and The Citadel women's soccer team officially open the 2017 season this weekend and there is a strong energy around the Bulldogs that Traquair hopes will translate into wins on the pitch this year.

"This is an exciting time for the program as we step into the 2017 season. We have many new faces as well as a very strong core of returners, and with the additional personnel comes added quality," Traquair said. "I have been extremely pleased with our work and attitude in preseason and I think it will translate well this weekend and well into the season. Our main goal is simply to continue to improve every aspect of our program every year and this season is a great opportunity to show the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes with our players, coaches and support staff."

Last season, the Bulldogs started off red-hot, winning their first three games, including two at home against UNC Asheville and LIU Brooklyn, while posting the best start in program history for a Bulldog women's soccer team. The Citadel adopted a bit of a conservative game plan down the stretch that served them well and allowed the Bulldogs to win matches against Wofford and Hampton while remaining in the thick of competing against some tough competition in the remaining games.

This season, Traquair hopes to adopt a slightly more aggressive approach in matches in hopes of turning some of those close losses into wins.

"We are hoping to see a little more quality from our cadet-athletes this year. Last year, we had to work very hard when we didn't have the ball and make sure it was very difficult for our opponents. We want to still have that structure behind us, especially when we don't have the ball, but we also want to be more threatening when going forward," Traquair said. "We especially want to perform well at home as we start the season with seven home games."

The team will benefit from 11 returners that saw action at some point last season, as well as two graduate transfers who had successful careers at their previous stops.

"The core of returning players, particularly the seniors and redshirt juniors, they are the most important part of bringing our freshmen along both on the field and the responsibilities that come with being here at The Citadel. Those five have seen just about everything there is to see here and know the ropes, so they'll be crucial to helping our freshmen get better, especially when they hit a wall this season.

"We had a good start from Tinslee Dilday, who will be a captain this year, last season," Traquair continued. "She had a couple of goals right at the start of the season and she's come in this year in great shape. Sam Waarum, a redshirt junior, will also be a captain and those two are on the higher end of coming in ready to go. We know we'll get a lot of out them and hopefully our two new grad transfers, Cierra Skyers and Georgia Robert, will also take on that senior role and take some pressure off of the freshmen. But as we continue to build this program, the freshmen are going to have to step up and have a big year and will have to learn how to push through hitting that wall."

This season, The Citadel kicks off the campaign with seven home games at Washington Light Infantry (WLI) Field. The Bulldogs will host Hampton, South Carolina State, Alabama A&M, Charleston Southern, Presbyterian, Delaware State and Alabama State all before hitting the road for the first time this season in the middle of September with a trip to Florida.

"We have the comforts of playing at home for the first few weeks of the season and that will be very beneficial for our cadet-athletes," Traquair said. "The entire schedule is competitive and keeps us in the region throughout the season and there are some big games that will help prepare us for Southern Conference play. The main thing is we want to build on the foundation from last year and continue to improve on every aspect of the program. I expect big things from our cadet-athlete this season."

The Bulldogs kick off the season this weekend with a pair of home games against Hampton and South Carolina State.

The weekend begins with a 4 p.m. kickoff against Hampton at WLI Field on Friday, Aug. 18. Hampton is led by second-year head coach Frank Hughes. In the previous two seasons, the Pirates went a combined 2-18-1 with wins last year over Hollins and Lincoln and a draw against Saint Peter's.

In 2016, the Pirates tallied 13 total goals with Sydney Jackson leading the way with four goals and three assists in eight games played. The junior midfielder returns to highlight 11 returners that are joined by 13 newcomers. The Pirates also return goalkeeper Maya Andrews, who ranked second in NCAA Division I in saves per game and 36^th in total saves last season.

Two days later, The Citadel will welcome the Bulldogs of South Carolina State to Charleston for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, Aug. 20. South Carolina State is led by fifth-year head coach Sandra Burris. The Bulldogs from Orangeburg begin the season on the road at East Tennessee State on Friday, Aug. 18, and will open their home slate against Campbell on Saturday, Sept. 2.

In 2016, the Bulldogs from Orangeburg went 3-11-2 with wins over Wofford, USC Aiken and Hampton to go along with ties with USC Upstate and Delaware State. S.C. State scored 17 goals with Jacqueline Beristain, Mary Pierce and Jamey Thomas all recording three goals, and all three return in 2017. Both Beristain and Pierce finished the season with seven points as they each added an assist while Alexandra Kidd led all Bulldogs with three assists.

For more information on The Citadel soccer team, follow @CitadelWSoccer or visit CitadelSports.com.