Women's Soccer Set to Open 2018 Season

Friday, August 17

Bloomington, Ind.

7:30 PM

Indiana University

Wake Forest

8/16/2018 4:42:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Hoosier Challenge Cup Tournament Central Watch Live Live Stats Indiana Game Notes 2018 Promotions

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Women's Soccer officially kicks off the 2018 season Friday by hosting Wake Forest at 7:30 p.m. Since the program started in 1993, Indiana is 15-7-3 all-time in regular season openers.

The game is part of the annual Hoosier Challenge Cup tournament, which also includes Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern. Indiana will face off against Miami Sunday at 3 p.m. Admission to all Indiana Women's Soccer home games is free of charge. Both games will be streamed live on BTN Plus.

Full Hoosier Challenge Cup Schedule:
Friday
4:30 p.m. - Miami vs. Northwestern
7:30 p.m. - (RV) Wake Forest at Indiana

Sunday
12:30 p.m. - Northwestern vs. (RV) Wake Forest
3 p.m. - Miami at Indiana

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Friday's opener against Wake Forest will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

The Demon Deacons, who received 34 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Rankings, are coming off a 11-6-5 mark and a 5-3-2 ACC record on their way to a Second Round appearance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest was picked to finish eighth in the Preseason ACC Coaches Poll. The Demon Deacons return four of their top five scorers from a season ago, led by senior Bayley Feist, who netted eight goals and added a pair of assists in 2017. In goal, Wake Forest saw the graduation of Lindsay Preston, who was a 2017 All-ACC Second Team pick and finished second in program history in career saves (238) and starts (64).

During the offseason, Indiana added former Wake Forest midfielder/defender Claudia Day. Day joined the Hoosiers as a graduate transfer and has one year of eligibility remaining. With the Demon Deacons, Day played in 54 games, scoring one goal and adding a pair of assists.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Indiana will wrap up the Hoosier Challenge Cup by playing host to Miami on Sunday. IU leads the all-time series, 2-0, with the last meeting coming in 2003.

Last season, Miami finished the year 2-15-1. The RedHawks, who were picked to finish 12th in the Preseason MAC Poll, tout a youthful roster, which includes 13 freshmen. Miami returns five starters, led by junior Olivia Winnett, who led the RedHawks in scoring last season with five total points - including a pair of goals. Starting goalkeeper Patricia Koutoulas returns after playing every minute last season, earning a 1.56 goals against average with 91 saves.

WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2018?
The 2018 schedule features six games against 2017 NCAA Tournament participants and seven that finished in the top 50 of the final RPI of the year. Eight of this year's opponents were ranked or received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Rankings.

The non-conference portion of the slate includes eight games, with three opponents advancing to the tournament last year and three finishing in the RPI Top 45.

Big Ten play for Indiana opens Sept. 13 against Michigan. Other home conference battles include Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Penn State. The Hoosiers will face Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and Maryland on the road.

THIS WEEK'S PROMOS
Friday's opener includes a Indiana rally towel giveaway. On Sunday, fans are invited to bring their four-legged friends to Bill Armstrong Stadium for Pups at the Pitch. Fans will receive a free pop-up Indiana water bowl for their dogs and the Monroe County Humane Association will be in attendance.

RETURNING IN 2018
Indiana has 19 returners from last season, including nine starters. Redshirt senior Mykayla Brown, senior Maya Piper and junior Chandra Davidson highlight that group of starters as the trio were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List. Brown, a two-time Preseason Honors List member, is the active team leader in goals scored with 12. Piper led the Hoosiers in scoring last season with seven goals, while also adding a pair of assists. Davidson was close behind with six goals in 2017 - three of which were gamewinners.

The 2018 Hoosiers feature a large senior class with eight donning Cream and Crimson for their final season. Along with Brown and Piper, Abby Allen, Caroline Dreher, Annelie Leitner, Justine Lynn join newcomers Alex Reibel and Claudia Day to represent the senior class.

IU will also see the return of junior Allison Jorden, who missed most of 2017 with an injury. Fellow junior Meghan Scott was key to Indiana's backline success last season while also netting a pair of goals and adding two assists. Sophomore Hanna Nemeth is also a key returner to the IU defense as she played every minute of the 2017 season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Bethany Kopel also played every minute of the 2017 season. Kopel finished the year with 96 saves, the third-most in the Big Ten and the second-most ever for an Indiana freshman. Kopel earned five shutouts in 2017 and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Oct. 17.

THE NEWCOMERS
The Hoosiers have six newcomers this season - Day and freshmen Caitlin Arbuckle, Madeline Carlson, Maddie Essick, Natalie Lunt and Sarah Wampler.

IU ADDS DAVISON AND BRIZARD TO THE STAFF
Assistant coaches Sandy Davison and Daniel Brizard were both added to the staff during the offseason. Davison joined the Hoosiers in March after four highly successful seasons at Washington State. During her time with the Cougars, Davison helped lead the team to a 42-28-10 overall record and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, Washington State advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and finished the year ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll with a 10-8-4 mark. Davison has also previously coached at Louisville, Cincinnati and UNC Greensboro.

Davison has an extensive background in the youth soccer arena, having been involved with numerous clubs, as well as U.S. Youth Soccer National Teams and the Olympic Development Program.

Brizard, a 20-year college coaching veteran, joined the IU staff in June after spending last season as a volunteer coach at LSU. His time with the Tigers marked the second stop in Baton Rouge as he served as an assistant with LSU from 2005-10. Brizard served as an assistant at Rhode Island for three years after a head coaching stint at Tennessee Tech. Prior to that, Brizard also coached at Florida International, University of South Alabama and University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Brizard has also been active in the Olympic Development Program since 1994, including serving as the goalkeeping director for Rhode Island ODP from 2015-17 and as Region I coach from 2014-17. Prior to that, he was a head coach for the Tennessee ODP from 2010-13 and the goalkeeper coach for Region II (2009-10) and Region II (2001-08).

HOW TO WATCH #IUWS
The Hoosiers will have a pair of games on Big Ten Network this season - against Michigan on Sept. 13 and at Iowa on Sept. 23.

In addition to the Big Ten Network broadcasts, every home game will be available for streaming on BTN Plus, beginning with this Friday's season opener against Wake Forest. BTN Plus is a web-only streaming service that is available for a small monthly fee.