STONY BROOK, N.Y. — The Stony Brook University women’s soccer team is set to begin the fall season with two games in Oregon this weekend.
The Seawolves will open the season at the University of Oregon Friday night, before traveling north to take on Oregon State Sunday afternoon. Stony Brook will look to defend their America East title this season as it faces each of the West Coast opponents for the first time in program history.
The visitors are coming off of their first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance since 2013 after winning the AE Championship a season ago.
Stony Brook was selected to finish second in the conference this season, behind New Hampshire.
Sophia Manner (Helsinki, Finland) was named 2017 America East rookie of the year after an impressive collegiate debut, while classmates Alyssa Francese (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and Fanny Gotesson (Varnamo, Sweden) joined her on the league’s All-Rookie team. Kaitlin Loughren (Huntington, N.Y.), now a senior, boasted second team honors.
The Seawolves return the bulk of their offensive production from as season ago. Classmates Alyssa Francese and Rachel Florenz (East Islip. N.Y.) led the way with nine and six goals, respectively, while fellow sophomores Kimmy Chavkin (Franklin, N.J.) and Fanny Gotesson added five assists apiece.
Goalkeeper Sofia Manner started 20 of the 21 games she played in last season, finishing the year with a 1.13 goals-against average, and a .797 save percentage.
Stony Brook returns 13 letterwinners from the championship squad, including eight starters.
The team has also welcomed eight newcomers for this season. Six freshmen have joined the squad, as well as UMBC transfer Skyler Mackey (Washington, D.C.) and former Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team player Carolyn Carrera (Riverhead, N.Y.).
Sophomore Chase Rome (Mulino, Ore.) returns to her home state this weekend, while four other Seawolves travel closer to home as they also hail from the West Coast or Hawaii – Anna Slang (Cowichan Bay, B.C.), Chelsie DePont (Honolulu, Hawaii), Spencer Wirkkala (Granite Falls, Wash.) and Tatum Kauka (Wahiawa, Hawaii).
Scouting Oregon
The Friday night matchup will be the season opener for both teams. In exhibition play earlier this month, Oregon topped Portland State, 5-0.
The Ducks finished 11th in the Pac-12 last season, sitting at 8-11 and 2-9 in league play. They return 15 letterwinners from 2017, including eight starters.
Team leading scorer Melissa Everett returns after scoring five goals and adding four assists last year.
Goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir is also back for the Ducks. She had a 1.33 GAA and .742 save percentage a season ago.
Scouting Oregon State
Oregon State will open the season Friday night against Clemson before hosting the Seawolves.
The Beavers finished last season with a 6-10-3 record, sitting at 3-7-1 in Pac-12 play.
Seven starters return for Oregon State, while the team welcomes 11 newcomers.
The Beavers graduated their top two scorers from a season ago, as well as their starting goalkeeper.
