The Citadel Week 3 Notes
SoCon Weekly Notes

CHARLESTON, S.C. – After starting 3-0 for the second straight year, The Citadel women's soccer team has a new challenge ahead this weekend: stretch that to 4-0 and hopefully 5-0 after that.

The Bulldogs are focused on the next challenge and this weekend, a pair of solid Big South Conference opponents will come to Washington Light Infantry (WLI) Field. The action will begin Friday, Sept. 1, when Charleston Southern takes the short drive from North Charleston for a 4 p.m. kickoff and concludes on Sunday, Sept. 3, with Presbyterian coming to town from up I-26 in Clinton, South Carolina. Sunday's game is slated for a 1 p.m. start.

"We have started the season well, but have yet to reach our full potential. We have trained well and know we must improve as we move forward in our season," said Head Coach Ciaran Traquair. "We have trained to win and our expectations for this weekend have not changed. We want to build on our strong performances this weekend and continue to grow as a team."

The Citadel enters the weekend with a 3-0 record for just the second time in program history with all three wins coming at home. That streak of home wins matches the program record for most home wins in a row. The 2002, 2010 and 2014 squads all also enjoyed streaks of three wins in a row at WLI Field. Along the same lines, the 2013 team recorded five positive results in a row at home near the beginning of the campaign, going 3-0-2 (W, T, W, T, W) and the 2002 team went 3-0-1 (W, W, W, T) at home near the middle of the season.

To have a chance to set another new standard, The Citadel will play two programs that have given the Bulldogs fits in the past.

The Citadel and Charleston Southern have met on the soccer pitch 12 times with the Buccaneers owning a 7-4-1 record against the Bulldogs dating back to the 2005 season. The Citadel's first win in the series came in 2010 when the Bulldogs claimed a 4-1 win at Charleston Southern. Since 2010, the Bulldogs own a 4-3 record with the Bucs, taking four of five from 2010 to 2014. The Bucs have won the last two games in the series.

Charleston Southern, led by 22nd-year head coach Eric Terrill, enters the weekend with a 1-3 record, including three losses on the road. The Buccaneers have played three strong teams on the road at Jacksonville, North Florida and Coastal Carolina. Last season, the Bucs were led by Anna Sells with eight goals and Jordan Newman with five goals. Newman returns along with Kelly Hinkle who scored three goals a season ago and added three assists. So far this season, Newman and Sidney Doherty lead the Bucs with two goals scored each. Between the pipes, Alyssa Dellacqua has started all four games after earning five starts last season. After making 31 saves in 2016 compared to 10 goals given up, the junior keeper has already made 32 saves while conceding just six goals.

The Citadel and Presbyterian have met just three times since 2009 with the Blue Hose having won all three meetings, including one in double overtime in 2013. This will be just the second meeting between the two teams in Charleston.

Presbyterian is led by Brian Purcell who has been at the helm of the program for 28 seasons. The Blue Hose enter the weekend 2-0 with wins over Furman and Wofford, including a shutout over the Paladins on the road in Greenville. Before focusing on the Bulldogs, the Blue Hose will take on the Cougars of the College of Charleston on Friday, Sept. 1. Presbyterian is led by sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Leaman, the reigning Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The Blue Hose are without two of their three leading goal scorers from a season ago. Last season, Kristen Peagler led the team with five goals scored while Ashlynn Powell chipped in three. Frances Whitesides returns for 2017 after scoring four goals off 19 shots. So far this season, five different players have scored the five Presbyterian goals. Whitesides and Kelsey Yeager both lead the way with three points as they both also have an assist.

Most recently, The Citadel women's soccer team claimed a 2-1 victory over in-state rival South Carolina State at Washington Light Infantry (WLI) Field on Sunday, Aug. 27.

The Bulldogs open the 2017 season with seven straight matches played on their home pitch, WLI Field. The long home stand continues through Sunday, Sept. 10 when The Citadel hosts Alabama State.

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