Women’s Soccer Opens Season in Merrimack Kickoff Classic
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's soccer program officially kicks off its 2018 season in the annual Merrimack Kickoff Classic, featuring teams from Molloy College, Dominican College, and Bentley University. Four games span over the three-day tournament, with Merrimack featured in the 7 p.m. game Thursday, August 30, against Molloy, and Saturday, September 1, against Dominican. 2017 Rewind:
The team finished the season 10-9, winning five of the final six games to secure the eighth and final seed in the NE10 Championship
2018 seniors Gigi Guenther and Emily Maier were both tabbed on the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) All-New England First Team
Junior Erin Fulton started in the final nine games for the Warriors, posting a 6-4 record with a team-high three shutouts in 2017 and a .873 save percentage; she returns as the only upper-class goalkeeper on the roster
Guenther and senior Erika Scott will serve as captains in 2018; Guenther led the team in goals (6) and Scott will transition from midfield to back
Finishing eighth in the NE10 regular season, Merrimack pulled off the ultimate upset over Adelphi 2-1 in the NE10 Quarterfinal
Mack Facts
Seven seniors return to the 2018 roster, with a combination of 7,718 total minutes played in the 2017 chapter
Eleven newcomers will be suiting up this season, with 10 of them being true freshmen
Head coach Gabe Mejail (entering his 35th season) recently became the winningest coach among active Division II coaches, boasting 480 total wins
Merrimack defeated two nationally ranked teams in 2017; #7 LIU Post, and #6 Adelphi in the NE10 Championship
2017 was the 33rd time in 34 years that the team produced a winning record
As of right now, six players will be switching positions from 2017; seniors Taylor Cogliano and Amber Gustafson move from forward to midfield, and join junior Jackie Ireland whose moving up from the backfield; senior Mckenna Moore moves from forward to back; Scott transitions from the midfield to the backfield; senior Tori Daigle moves from the backfield to forward
Inside The Series:
Merrimack is 10-0-3 against Molloy, dating back to 1997
This is the sixth meeting against Dominican since 2004; Merrimack is 6-0-0, allowing just one goal in a 6-1 win in 2007
The team swept the 2017 Merrimack Kickoff Classic, winning 4-0 over Dominican and 3-1 against Molloy
Meet the Opposition:
RosterRoster
ScheduleSchedule
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Up Next Merrimack will have a week off after Saturday, preparing to host Adelphi Saturday, September 8th, at 11 a.m. Next Saturday's game will be a rematch of the 2017 NE10 Quarterfinal.