STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women's Soccer Team will kick off the 2010 season with an exhibition match, hosting Armstrong Atlantic State University on Sunday, August 15 at 1 p.m.
For the young Eagles, the exhibition will be the final tune-up before the regular season, which begins Aug. 20 at home against Winthrop.
For the 11 freshmen on the Eagles' squad, the match against the Pirates, ranked 19th in NCAA Division II, will be the first taste of collegiate soccer outside the training grounds.
The Eagles enter the match hoping to get off to a hot start after a tough 2009 season, but they have five returning starters, including leading goal scorer Sara Oland (Evans, Ga.), who put three in the back of the net as a sophomore. Jenny Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.) has the most experience on the team as the only senior, and will be leaned on heavily to direct the younger players.
The Pirates return 19 players from a 2009 squad, which went 16-4-3 and won the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Morgan Mitchell is one of four returners to score at least five goals last season, blasting 12 into the goal, but Armstrong Atlantic lost senior Kristin Burton, who led the team with 31 goals.
The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Eagle Field on the campus of Georgia Southern University. The first 50 fans will receive a free slice of Papa John's Pizza. Fans will also be able to watch live streaming free of charge on Eagle Vision, follow live stats at www.georgiasoutherneagles.com or live scores at twitter.com/gsuscores.
