BUIES
CREEK, N.C. - Campbell University opens its 2009 women's soccer
regular season Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Francis Marion. The
contest is the first of four-straight home dates at the start of
CU's 2009 schedule. CU also hosts N.C. State (Monday), South
Carolina State (Sept. 3) and Appalachian State (Sept. 5) before
leaving the home surface for the first time this year.
CAMEL PREVIEW: Seven starters return from last
year's Campbell squad that was one of the most improved in the
Atlantic Sun Conference. CU fashioned a 5-10-3 overall record and
3-6-1 mark in the league to more than double its wins from the
previous season. The Camels finished just one win shy of
qualifying for the six-school A-Sun tournament. Two members of the
2009 CU squad have earned A-Sun All-Freshman team honors --
Kaili Terry (2006) and Olga
Ekblom (2008). Terry, who led the team in scoring in both
2006 and 2008, and Hanna Salmen, who has started
33 games over her first two seasons, have been named
co-captains.
FRANCIS MARION OUTLOOK: Under the direction of
first-year head coach Joel Person, the Patriots return eight
starters from last year's club that finished 6-12-1, including a
2-0 season-ending victory over visiting Campbell. FMU's top three
scorers -- Angela Salem (3G, 7A), Kiley Williams (5G, 2A) and
Amanda Hall (5G, 0A) return after leading the team to 6 wins in its
last 8 games of 2008. Salem and Hall scored FMU's goals in the win
last year at Florence.
THE SERIES: Francis Marion has won both of the
first two games in the series, which began in 2007. FMU competes
as an independent member of NCAA Division I in women's soccer and
men's golf, and is a member of the Division II Peach Belt
Conference in its other sports.
PRE-SEASON: Campbell dropped a
4-0 decision in an exhibition last Saturday at Wake Forest (which
was ranked No. 25 and advanced to the 2nd round of the 2008 NCAA
College Cup). Francis Marion defeated The Citadel
1-0 on Tuesday in its pre-season tune-up.
HOME, SWEET HOME: Campbell plays its first four
and nine of its first 11 games of the year in Buies Creek at the
Eakes Athletic Complex. Campbell's 12 home regular season games
are the most in the program's history. CU played 11 home matches
in 1995, including two A-Sun Championship contests. Since its
first year of varsity play in 1992, the women's team has fashioned
a 74-58-12 record at the Eakes Complex.
SCHEDULE NOTES: Not only will the Camels play a
full, 10-match Atlantic Sun regular season schedule, CU will face
four Big South Conference opponents during the 2009 campaign. CU
announced last spring that it will re-join the Big South for the
2011-12 academic year. N.C. State's visit to the Eakes Complex
marks the first time the Camels have hosted an Atlantic Coast
Conference member since CU and State played to a 1-1 draw on Aug.
27, 2004. The six-team A-Sun Championship starts on Halloween when
the third- and fourth-seeded teams will host the sixth and fifth
seeds in the opening round. The regular season champion will then
host the semifinals and final the following week.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Freshman Cissy
Nitz (Greensboro, N.C.) is the third sister in her family
to play for Campbell. Christine (1999-2002) and Mary (2003-06)
Nitz were four-year standouts and both earned A-Sun All-Academic
recognition. Mary Nitz was a first-team all-conference performer
in 2005... Junior Kaili Terry (Carrollton, Texas)
is joined in Buies Creek this year by her younger brother, Keegan,
who is a freshman on the men's soccer team. The Terry's older
brother, Kevin, played at A-Sun rival Lipscomb, and their father,
Kevin, is a former pro soccer player who is a FIFA referee.
