STATESBORO - Heading into the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, Georgia Southern was playing some of the best soccer in the nation, firmly putting the Eagles in the NCAA conversation as the team prepared for for Foley
A seven-match win streak to end the regular season and a program-best RPI ranking of No. 47 had the team in the at-large conversation leading into the selections of who would advance to postseason competition. And the rise of the Sun Belt Conference as one of the top mid-major leagues has had a distinct effect on that for all of the league's schools, including Georgia Southern
"To get an at-large bid, you have to take that mentality that every game counts," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "That's how you have to approach it, as the Sun Belt continues to improve, it can only help your RPI. And now that it's a Power 4 with the Pac-12 gone away, we want to be that in that next tier, the next group that's knocking on the door and I think we've made strides to do that."
The Sun Belt was ranked ninth among all schools in RPI at the end of last season and six teams finished the year in the top 75 in the nation. So the task of competing for a league title has gotten more challenging each year Coach Adams has been in Statesboro.
"It's enjoyable to play in the Sun Belt because every game means something," Coach Adams said. "You have to get up for every single game. And we're close. From top to bottom, it's an absolute competitive league and you don't have lopsided games hardly ever. From that standpoint, you want to play in a league that's as competitive."
The Eagles head into the 2024 campaign as one of the younger squads that Coach Adams has put on the field. Only four seniors and six juniors out of the 28-player roster means many spots are up for grabs, leading to intense competition at almost every position and a huge advantage over some of his previous squads.
"What we've got this year is greater depth," Coach Adams said. "How do you get to that point where you have so many freshman and sophomores? In this day and age where everyone is quick-fixing their team on a year-by-year basis, we're still doing it the old-fashioned way of getting people in our program and keeping them for four years. That kind of continuity goes a long way. One, for team chemistry. We've got a group that likes each other and they compete, but mature enough that if someone beats them out, they care enough about the team to cheer that person on. And we've been able to upgrade the quality of student-athlete in our program each year, creating heavy competition at every position. Typically going into the season, you have a good idea of what your starting lineup is going to be, but there's four to five positions right now where every day it's changing. And it's changing because people are playing and executing."
Here's how the Eagle shake down position by position for the 2024 campaign.
MIDFIELDERS
Coach Adams views the midfield as one of the team's strengths going into the campaign, with the most amount of returning experience on the squad. Seniors Smith Cathey (5-8, Sr., Madison, Ga.) and Anseligh Crenshaw (5-6, Sr., Savannah, Ga.) are joined by Carley Borgelt (5-5, Jr., Dacula, Ga.), Ellie McIntyre (5-2, R-Jr., Buford, Ga.) and Meredith Pugh (5-5, Fr., Gulf Breeze, Fla.) as players who started a significant chunk of games last year. Added into the mix are returners Larsyn Reid (5-10, R-Jr., Flowery Branch, Ga.), Addison Comer (5-3, Soph., Jackson, Miss.), Lauren Connelly (5-4, Soph., Roswell, Ga.) and incoming freshman Maya Zmistowski (5-3, Fr., Braselton, Ga.).
DEFENDERS
By comparison, the back line is the spot that sees the most change when you consider the loss of three-time All-Conference honoree Sade Heinrichs and fifth-year senior Megan Przybysz as the center back pairing that has started as a tandem for three consecutive seasons. The Eagles do return outside backs Maya Zovko (5-5, 5th., Waite Hill, Ohio) and Erin Wilkins (5-7, Jr., Tacoma, Wash.), who combined to make 23 starts last year, as well as Kendall Wilson (5-6, R-Soph., Fort Walton Beach, Fla.), Caitlin Conroy (5-8, Soph., Warrington, England) and Anna Wheatley (5-5, R-Soph., Madison, Miss.). But Coach Adams has brought in five freshman who will fight for time immediately in Olivia Golden (5-6, Fr., Peachtree City, Ga.), Libby Wooffindin (5-7, Fr., Featherstone, England), Claire Casey (5-9, Fr., Williamston, Mich.), Hailey Esser (5-5, Fr., Holly Springs, N.C.) and Peyton Free (5-5, Fr., Madison, Ala.).
FORWARDS
The departure of All-Sun Belt selection Simone Timm is key but the Eagles do return Bri Conley (5-3, Jr., Midland, Ga.), who earned preseason All-Sun Belt honors going into 2024 after earning All-SBC Tournament accolades last year. Coach Adams has also indicated that fellow preseason All-Sun Belt honoree Smith Cathey will see time up top as well. Other returnees include Faith Phillips (5-3, 5th,, McDonough, Ga.), Kyleigh Drew (5-4, R-Jr., Gainesville, Ga.), Millie Perry (5-5, R-Fr., Warrington, England) and Gwenna Townsend (5-9, Soph., Bluffton, S.C.) as well as the addition of freshmen Kaitlin Cook (5-7, Fr., Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Madi Rajecki (5-5, Fr., Canton, Ga.).
GOALKEEPERS
2022 All-Sun Belt Conference selection Katie Oakley (5-3, R-Soph., Covington, Ga.) returns to action after missing the 2023 campaign due to injury. She'll have a duel throughout the year with sophomore Quinn Wilson (5-5, Soph., Beaufort, S.C.), who started 17 matches as a true freshman last season and won 10 games, for who will be the Eagles' starting keeper.
THE SCHEDULE
In addition to the rigorous Sun Belt Conference slate, the Eagles have several key non-conference tilts this season - none bigger nor further traveled than a season-opening trip to Hawai'i to take on the host Rainbow Wahine and Pepperdine in a tournament. The Eagles will also face Washington State in a neutral-site game in Athens, along with in-state rivals Kennesaw State and Mercer; former SoCon foes Furman and Samford, along with North Florida and Jacksonville State.
"Opening at Hawai'i will be a big challenge," Coach Adams said. "They're a stingy team who played to a lot of one-goal games. It'll probably be a low scoring affair you would anticipate. Pepperdine is above us in RPI, so that will be a game that stretches us. Our other non-conference games are geography-based, with so many far games, the rest of the games are close by. I think it's a good schedule to prepare us for conference."
THE FINAL WORD
"I do think the sky's the limit with this group," Coach Adams said. "They are capable of anything they set their mind to. I think we got so close from an at-large standpoint - it really came down to one or two games. Of course the most direct path is to win the conference tournament for the AQ, but I want us to be hungry throughout the season to chase that at-large because I've always felt that if you have an at-large secured going in to the tournament, or you're close, you can play free and confident, and that's when you're at your best. We have to be in that upper echelon of the conference to get a favorable draw for the tournament; we've got to be playing our best soccer at the end of the year, and I'm hoping that the extra depth will help us keep our legs and keep us healthy so we can win a conference tournament get into the NCAAs. Then a smile will come to my face because we've worked extremely hard to get into the conversation and get over this last hurdle, rewarding our players with what they deserve for their efforts."
