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SLU women's soccer team opens season against Plattsburgh at North Country Tournament

Posted 8/29/14

CANTON -- The St. Lawrence women's soccer team will open the season against Plattsburgh State at 4:30 on Friday afternoon in the first game of the North Country Tournament. Senior captains Nyssa …

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SLU women's soccer team opens season against Plattsburgh at North Country Tournament

Posted

CANTON -- The St. Lawrence women's soccer team will open the season against Plattsburgh State at 4:30 on Friday afternoon in the first game of the North Country Tournament.

Senior captains Nyssa LaClair, Laura Topf and Holly Wark, as well as returning All-Conference selections Mackenzie Collins and Emily DePoy will look to lead the Saints in 2014.

Depoy is the team's top returning scorer from 2013, having tallied 10 points on four goals and two assists. Junior Samantha Rock is also among the Saints top returners after a nine-point season, followed by seniors Collins and Wark, who each contributed six points a year ago.

As a team, the Saints finished last season with a 9-4-3 overall record and went unbeaten against non-conference opponents. Additionally, the program attained its highest national ranking since 2000 at No. 21 in early September.

"While the team found much success last year, they were quite disappointed that we didn't advance to the postseason," Head Coach Franco Bari said. "They've used that as motivation for reaching that goal this season. The team came in bigger and stronger than years past, motivation was high and the desire to compete at a higher level was clearly evident."

The team graduated five seniors in May, including Regional All-American selection and leading scorer Julia Friesen, but added eight first-year students and a junior transfer to the mix for 2014. Additionally, the Saints maintained a solid core of returners comprised of five seniors, 10 juniors and four sophomores, which helped to the set the tone for the Saints in the preseason.

"The captains (LaClair, Topf and Wark) did a fantastic job keeping everyone in check," Bari said. "The returners as a whole welcomed the first years and the team came together much faster than previous seasons. With returners helping to teach our system and strategy, the first-years have jumped right in, as if they'd already played with the team."

The Saints will face a challenging schedule in 2014, with three games against opponents who were nationally ranked in the NSCAA preseason poll in No. 1 William Smith, No. 3 Middlebury and No. 21 RIT, but Bari is confident the team has the tools to succeed.

"I was quite pleased with the way preseason went this year," he said. "They are very focused and determined; provided that we can stay healthy we're hoping to reach new heights."

After Friday's contest against Plattsburgh State, the Saints will face Colby-Sawyer on Saturday at 3:30 pm. Each of the team's home games in 2014 will be broadcast free in HD.