Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women’s soccer team opens the 2012 season today with an NCAA Division II Southeast Region contest at Limestone College (2 p.m. kick-off). In 2011, Wingate posted a 16-4 overall record. The Bulldogs won their first-ever South Atlantic Conference title and made their first NCAA tournament appearance in program history. The team’s 16 victories are a school-record.

The SAC coaches picked Wingate to win the 2012 league title. “After last season’s success, there are a number of challenges facing our program,” Wingate head coach Gary Curneen says. “We are expecting a target on our back and have spoken about the dangers of complacency and letting our standards drop. Managing expectations and dealing with pressure is a part of winning, so we have to approach this in a positive manner.”
 
Sophomore forward Jade Montgomery is first team pre-season All-SAC selection. She had 13 goals and two assists in her first season at Wingate, ranking second in the SAC in goals and third in points. Montgomery was a first team All-SAC and NCCSIA All-State pick in 2011. A second team All-Region player, she scored six goals as Wingate won the Food Lion SAC tournament.
 
Sophomore forward AJ Lightbody is also a first team pre-season All-SAC choice. She had eight goals and three assists in her freshman season at Wingate. Freshman forward Kalyn Meosky gives the Bulldogs a proven scorer. Senior Shelby Forza has big match experience; her contributions will be a key to the team’s success.
 
In the midfield, sophomore Chandler Murphy joined Montgomery and Lightbody on the first team pre-season All-SAC team. A second team All-SAC selection last year, Murphy had nine goals and five assists during her first season. Junior Holly Holsclaw, sophomore Katie Simpson and freshman Danielle Cremmen will fill important roles in Wingate’s starting rotation.
 
Holsclaw had six goals and two assists as a sophomore. Junior midfielder Meaghan Barry started nine contests last year. She had one goal and two assists. Freshmen Kim Fetsko and Jenn Foresta will provide Wingate with many options in the midfield.
 
Wingate’s 2011 defense allowed only 25 goals in 20 matches. Senior Kelly Moldenhauer (first) and junior Chelsey Horan (second) are both pre-season All-SAC team defenders. Wingate led the SAC with nine shutouts and a 1.25 goals against average. Moldenhauer earned first team All-SAC and second team All-Region honors in 2011. Horan is a Capital One Academic All-America® candidate.
 
The defense was most dominant in SAC play, allowing only five goals in the nine contests for a 0.56 goals against average. Junior Brandi Baldwin and freshman Lindsay Hyde will fill starting defensive positions. Baldwin has 13 career starts. Junior defender Taryn Grivois will see time in several different roles. Sophomore Jenica Zentner and freshmen Amber Williams, Nicole McCarthy and Victoria Sneyd will also make contributions to Wingate’s defensive efforts.
 
Wingate is very deep at the goalkeeper spot. Senior Miriam Boucher will get the nod in goal. She allowed 10 goals in 10 matches last season. Sophomore Ashlyn Hardie had 11 starts last year, notching a team-best 1.07 GAA. Junior Carly Rives has eight career starts. Freshman Montana Lucky and junior Jill Pennigar will fill vital roles between the pipes.
 
Leadership will be very important for the Bulldogs. “We have a good core group of players who have invested much into this team,” Curneen says. “Cohesion and team spirit are two things we feel can take us a long way; the players realize they have a role and responsibility in this area. We pride ourselves on our discipline and work rate and feel if we bring these two things every day, the results will not be too far away.”
 
Curneen is ready to get started. “I am excited for the season to begin,” Curneen says. “We have done much good work on the practice field…things are starting to come together. We have added depth in every position, so there is good competition for places and playing time. This is healthy for this time of the year.”
 
Wingate’s goals remain the same. “We still have aspirations to win the SAC regular season championship and get one step further in the NCAA tournament,” Curneen says. “(I believe it is important to remember) this is not a program based purely on results. We understand we have to come together on and off the field, put in the time and work and execute in games in order for us to reach the top. One day at a time has always been our mantra…this will never change.”
             
The schedule is a tough one. The Bulldogs have regional powerhouses Lander, Armstrong (Ga.) and Lenoir-Rhyne as three of their first six opponents. “It is important we progress as a team sooner rather than later, as time is not on our side,” Curneen says. “At the same time, we are always looking to peak around the last two weeks of the season; this is when the hardware and the regional spots are at stake.”

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, ranked as the 8th “best value” in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 2,700 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy and education. With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 20 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past six years.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000’s with 50 selections. Among North Carolina’s colleges and universities, Wingate’s 50 Academic All-America® honorees are first during this millennium. Wingate’s 59 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.