Thursday, August 21, 2008

MACON, Ga. - The University of North Florida women's soccer team opens its fourth Division I season with an in-state battle against the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., in the first Atlantic Sun Game of the Week of 2008.

UNF and USF met once previously, in 2005. In that contest, the two battled to a scoreless draw until a dramatic 90th-minute goal from a dead ball just outside the penalty area lifted the Bulls to a 1-0 victory against UNF.

The 2008 Bulls return eight players, including two seniors, from a squad that gained the school’s first berth in to the BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championships since joining the league three seasons ago. Coach Schilte-Brown will look to those eight returnees to lead a talent-filled group of 18 newcomers.

Junior goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi returns as the starting goalkeeper for the Bulls. She appeared in all 17 games, starting 16 games marking 76 saves and five shut outs during 2007. Senior forward Lindsay Brauer looks to make an impact on the team finishing 2007 with four goals and two assists and a .575 shots on goal average.

The Lady Ospreys Coach Hamilton brings back 17 players and 13 newcomers. They are led by three seniors including leading scorer senior Elizabeth Gowan, selected on the Atlantic Sun Preseason All-Conference team and senior goalkeeper Rachael Howard boasted five wins and two shutouts during her junior year.

This season, Gowan can break into the top-10 in goals scored in UNF women's soccer history if she matches her total (six) from a year ago. With two assists, she can add her name to the record book in career assists.

Hamilton on the season: "We are becoming a new team and learning how to play with one another, and still developing team chemistry. We want to play as well at home this year as we played on the road last year."

Fans can follow the action courtesy USF’s Live Scoring at http://www.gousfbulls.com/liveStats/liveStats.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.