The Citadel Week 5 Notes
SoCon Week 5 Notes

CHARLESTON, S.C. – After last weekend's schedule was altered by Hurricane Irma, The Citadel women's soccer team will look to get back into a normal flow this weekend with a pair of non-conference road games. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play at Jacksonville University on Friday, Sept. 15, and at North Florida on Sunday, Sept. 17.

The games will be the last non-conference tilts of the season for the Bulldogs as Southern Conference (SoCon) play opens next week.

"We have two big challenges ahead of us this weekend down in Jacksonville," said Head Coach Ciaran Traquair. "I am thankful that both games can be played and that Irma didn't interrupt any more of our scheduled plans. This is our last weekend before SoCon play and it is important that we put in two good performances. We want to be able to reflect well on our first away Friday/Sunday games.

"I expect two tough matches, but we go in with confidence in our ability and push to get that quality out of the players," Traquair continued. "We want to give our opponents problems, but be structured and in control when we don't have the ball. I am looking forward to the trip."

The Citadel and Jacksonville have met on the soccer pitch just twice prior to Friday's matchup. The Dolphins took the previous two meetings 2-0 and 3-0. The two teams first met on Sept. 10, 2001, in Jacksonville and renewed their rivalry on Aug. 27, 2010, in Charleston.

The Dolphins are led by 10^th-year head coach Brian Copham. Copham has led Jacksonville to a 64-44-16 record, including winning the Atlantic Sun championship in 2013, leading to a berth into the NCAA Tournament that year.

The Dolphins enter Friday's game with a 2-3 record on the year, including wins over Charleston Southern and LIU Brooklyn. Jacksonville kicked the season off with a 2-1 home win over the Buccaneers in Jacksonville before dropping games to Elon and UNC Asheville. The Dolphins got back into the win column with a 2-0 blanking of LIU Brooklyn before dropping their most recent game at home to FIU. The Dolphins were scheduled to play Coastal Carolina and nationally-ranked South Carolina on the road last weekend, but Hurricane Irma changed those plans.

Jacksonville is led by senior forward Joelle D'Entremont's two goals off 17 shots, including one game-winner. Fellow senior Sope Akindoju scored Jacksonville's only other game-winner and has one goal scored on the year. Junior Kyra Cloutier has three points so far this season as she has a goal and an assist. Sophomores Meagan Gruber and Danielle Henry scored the Dolphins other two goals. In goal, sophomore Micaela Mackay has started three games while seeing action in all five contests with junior Brittany Hundley starting the other two. Mackay (1-3) has allowed five goals and made 14 saves while Hundley (1-0) has made eight saves compared to one goal conceded.

Sunday's game will be just the third meeting between the Bulldogs of The Citadel and the Ospreys of North Florida. The Ospreys claimed the first two games 4-2 in Jacksonville and 2-1 in Charleston. The first meeting came on Sept. 20, 2009, and the second meeting happened on Sept. 7, 2014.

The Ospreys are led by fourth-year head coach Robin Confer. North Florida has posted a 20-33-5 under her guidance.

This season, the Ospreys are 5-1 with wins over Charleston Southern, UNC Asheville, Winthrop, FIU and LIU Brooklyn. The lone blemish on North Florida's season came in the season-opener in the form of a 4-2 loss to Elon at home. The Ospreys have out-scored their opponents 7-2.

North Florida has been led in scoring by freshman Thais Reiss's three goals, including two game-winners. She has seven points on the year, including one assist, and has taken 27 shots. Behind her, junior Krista Colubiale has scored two goals off 12 shots while senior Kendall Pollock, sophomore Lorena Cedeno and freshman Madi Sagas have all netted one goal.

Following the two games in Jacksonville, The Citadel will open SoCon play next week on the road at Mercer. The Bulldogs will travel to Macon, Ga., on Friday, Sept. 22 for the second-to last game of the month and the only game next week. Kickoff against the Bears will be at 7 p.m.

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