CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel women's soccer team opens their 2023 season on Friday with a neutral site match against Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) at 5 pm on the campus of Mercer University.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs will make an in-state trip to Winthrop for a 6 pm kickoff to close out the weekend.

MATCH INFORMATION VS MVSU
Live Links: TBD
Date and Time: Friday, Aug. 18, 5 P.M.
Location: Macon, Ga.
Stadium: Betts Stadium
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS MVSU
All-Time Record: 1-0
Neutral Record: 1-0
Last Meeting: August 17th, 2018, W 5-2

MATCH INFORMATION
Live Links: VIDEO (ESPN+)
Date and Time: Sunday, Aug. 20, 6 P.M.
Location: Rock Hill, S.C.
Stadium: Eagle Field
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS WINTHROP
All-Time Record: 2-3-1
Road Record: 1-3
Last Meeting: September 18th, 2015, L 0-3 at Winthrop
 
THE WEEK AT A GLANCE:

• The MVSU Devilettes begin a new era under first-year head coach Kayleigh Lambrechts who is rebuilding a program that went 0-25-2 over the last two seasons.
• The Eagles come into this year under the guidance of Spencer Smith in his 14^th season as they are looking to improve upon a 4-8-3 campaign in 2022.

SINCE WE LAST SAW YOU:

• The Bulldogs look to take the next step after recording the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in program history.
• Head Coach Ciaran Tranquair enters his eighth season on the sidelines and is the women's soccer program's all-time leader in wins (52) and winning percentage (.424).
• The Bulldogs roster will be a mix of old and new as the squad returns 16 players from last season, including the addition of six graduate transfers, five freshmen, and a senior transfer.
• The returners feature a pair of All-SoCon performers from a season ago in All-Freshman selections, Elisa Fuentes (midfielder) and Celeste Nadar (defender). Nadar was the only Citadel player named to the 2023 Preseason All-SoCon Starting 11.
• In the 2023 SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Bulldogs were picked to finish 8-out-of-10 teams after earning a seventh-place finish and opening round SoCon Tournament win in 2022.

THE TRANSFER PORTAL:

• Coach Tranquair has once again successfully tapped into the transfer portal adding six graduate transfers and a senior transfer who have seen significant playing time at other schools:
  • Nicoletta Anuci (M) – played in 60 games, making 29 starts, at Eastern Illinois (2019-22), recording six goals and three assists.
  • Ellie Belcher (D) – spent the last four seasons at Western Kentucky, making 46 appearances with 27 starts, and was a 2020 Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection.
  • Dani Etienne (M) – played in 31 matches for the Fordham University Rams from 2019-21 and was a member of the 2023 Haitian National Team that participated in the FIFA World Cup.
  • Ariana Paez (F) - joins The Citadel after starting 16 games at Newberry a season ago, scoring two goals and notching four assists.
  • Olivia Rhodes (F) – made 43 caps for Sewanee: The University of the South from 2019-23, netting eight goals and four assists. Was named a First-Team All-SAA selection in 2022 as well as United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team honoree.
  • Nora Sampson (GK) - appeared in 17 of Furman's 19 matches in 2022, starting 12. She went 5-5-2 with a 1.15 goals against average and a 79.1 save percentage. Played a total of 40 games for the Paladins over four seasons, sporting a 1.09 GAA.
  • Grace Wolber (D) – played in 36 matches, making 24 starts, from 2019-2021 between Kent State and the University of Cincinnati. She was a member of the 2019 All-MAC Freshman Team.