Winthrop women’s soccer to play 17-game regular season schedule in 2015

The Winthrop women's soccer team has released its 2015 schedule, which includes nine home matches at Eagle Field and two preseason exhibition tilts.

After posting a 2014 record of 8-9-1, including 4-5-1 in the Big South Conference, the Eagles look to improve their conference standing under sixth-year head coach Spencer Smith. Winthrop advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big South Conference Tournament last season before losing to eventual champion High Point.

"Once again we have a challenging non-conference schedule which should help us prepare for a demanding Big South Conference schedule," said Smith. "We are excited about the upcoming season but our players understand that in order for us to have a successful season we will need to be well prepared and be at our best each and every match."

Winthrop begins that preparation with a pair of preseason exhibition matches against Jacksonville (Aug. 11) and USC-Upstate (Aug. 15). The regular season begins Aug. 23 on the road against non-conference foe Western Carolina; that begins a string of seven consecutive non-conference games. The Eagles will face Francis Marion in the home opener on Aug. 27. Winthrop then meets Charlotte, Georgia Southern, South Carolina State, East Tennessee State, and The Citadel before jumping into conference action.

Winthrop opens Big South Conference play Sept. 23 at home against UNC Asheville, a team the Eagles shut out 5-0 in 2014. Winthrop will host its annual Senior Day on Oct. 17 against Campbell at Eagle Field. The regular season concludes Oct. 27 at home against Presbyterian. The Big South Conference Tournament begins Oct. 30 and runs through Nov. 8. The semi-finals and championship games will be held at Bryan Park in Greensboro, NC. The top four seeds will host quarterfinal games.

Winthrop, which led the Big South in goals scored last season with 39, must replace leading scorer Krystyna Freda who topped the team with 16 goals. Junior forward and former Clover standout Samantha Prytulak returns as a goal scoring threat after putting four in the net a year ago. Other top offensive returnees include senior midfielder Megan David, senior forward Taylor Watson, and sophomore forward Zoe Conover.

Senior forward midfielder Taylor Coleman, who started all 18 matches last season and was named to the Big South All-Tournament team, is expected to provide solid senior leadership to the squad. After losing starting goalkeeper Amelia Henderson, those expected to contend for the starting role include Caroline Duncan, Karly Gustafson, Kendall Roberson, and newcomer Kelly Horan.

2015 Winthrop women’s soccer schedule

Date;Opponent;Location;Time

Aug. 11;Jacksonville (exhibition); Beaufort, S.C.;12 p.m.

Aug. 15;USC-Upstate (exhibition);Spartanburg, S.C.;7 p.m.

Aug. 23;Western Carolina;Cullowhee, N.C.;2 p.m.

Aug. 27;Francis Marion;Rock Hill, S.C.;7 p.m.

Sept. 2;Charlotte;Rock Hill, S.C.;7 p.m.

Sept. 9;Georgia Southern;Statesboro, Ga.;6 p.m.

Sept. 11;South Carolina State;Orangeburg, S.C.;7 p.m.

Sept. 15;East Tennessee State;Rock Hill, S.C.;7 p.m.

Sept. 18;The Citadel;Rock Hill, S.C.;6 p.m.

Sept. 23;*UNC Asheville;Rock Hill, S.C.;6 p.m.

Sept. 26;*Gardner-Webb;Boiling Springs, N.C.;7 p.m.

Sept. 30;*Longwood;Rock Hill, S.C.;6 p.m.

Oct. 3;*High Point;High Point, N.C.;7 p.m.

Oct. 9;*Coastal Carolina;Conway, S.C.;6 p.m.

Oct. 14;*Charleston Southern;N. Charleston, S.C.;3 p.m.

Oct. 17;*Campbell (Senior Day);Rock Hill, S.C.;1 p.m.

Oct. 21;*Liberty;Rock Hill, S.C.;6 p.m.

Oct. 24;*Radford;Radford, Va.;6 p.m.

Oct. 27;*Presbyterian College;Rock Hill, S.C.;6 p.m.

Oct. 30-Nov. 1;Big South 1st Round;TBA;TBA

Nov. 6;Big South Semi-Finals Greensboro, N.C.;TBA

Nov. 8;Big South Championship Greensboro, N.C.;TBA

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Winthrop women’s soccer to play 17-game regular season schedule in 2015."