BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – With multiple starters returning from last season, including leading goal scorer Samuelle Grove, along with the addition of 12 newcomers, head women's soccer coach Mike Varga hopes to find the perfect blend of youth and experience heading into the 2018 season.

The Runnin' Bulldogs will open will their 2018 season tonight with a 6 p.m. exhibition match at South Carolina State.
 
"We have a lot of experience on the roster this year," said Varga. "The returners understand what it takes to be competitive at the Division I level and in the Big South Conference. They are also an incredible group that understands the concept of team first and have been great in welcoming the newcomers and helping them blend into our program and understand what our culture is all about. I have high expectations for this group on and off the field. I am confident that we will be competitive with every team we line up against this fall."
 
Offensively, Grove (Ottawa, Canada / Homeschooled) and junior Stina Kleppe (Skien, Norway / Dahlske videregaende skole) will lead the Runnin' Bulldogs on the pitch. The duo combined for seven goals last season and recorded a total of 19 points.
 
"We have more weapons on attack this fall than we have had in previous years," Varga said.  "Stina and Sam return as our statistical leaders and both should have a lot of success.  They will cause more problems for our opponents because we have other dangerous players around them that can't be forgotten. Along with the depth we have returning, we have added quality to our attack with our incoming class, and I look for multiple new players to make an immediate impact."
 
In addition to Grove and Kleppe, midfielders Jana Braun (Frittlingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany / Albertus-Magnus Gymnasium), Kayla Curatolo (Clermont, Fla. / Monteverde), Bailey Hierholzer (Heath, Tx. / Rockwall Heath HS), Aubrie Jackson (Spotsylvania, Va. / Spotsylvania HS) and Ty Snell (Lake Forest, Calif. / Laguna Hills HS) each netted a single goal for the 'Dogs in 2017.
 
Midfields Isabel Eigenbauer (Dacula, Ga. / Mill Creek HS), Ivy Spratling (Augusta, Ga. / Augusta Christian) and Emily Burton (Westerville, Oh. / Olentangy Orange HS) also return for Gardner-Webb in 2018.
 
In goal, the 'Dogs return senior Keely Brown (Cincinnati, Oh. / Cincinnati Christian), whose 16 shutouts and 316 career saves are both Gardner-Webb program records. She is 13^th all-time in the Big South Conference in shutouts, while her 316 saves are good enough for 11^th all-time. She needs just 21 saves to enter the top 10, as Veronica Lazar of UNC-Asheville, currently sits 10^th. Four shutouts would place Brown in a four-way tie for 10^th all-time on the conference's career saves list.

"Experience in goal is something that cannot be taken for granted," said Varga. "When a team has someone with the experience and success that Keely brings you can't help but be confident going into the season. Keely has achieved some milestones during her time at Gardner-Webb and that is also a credit to the continuity of her back line and our team defending." 
 
Protecting Brown on the defensive end are Emily Jonas (Hicksville, N.Y. / Hicksville HS), Brittany DeLoach (Newnan, Ga. / Northgate HS) and Erin Shamleffer (Huntingtown, Md. / Huntingtown HS). Jonas was second on the team in minutes played last season, logging 1767 minutes as a true freshman. DeLoach and Shamleffer will provide senior leadership on the defensive end, while Maggie Mae Everett (Medina, Oh. / Highland HS) and Abbey Smith (Oxford, N.C. / J.F. Webb HS) conclude an eight-player senior class.
 
"We have a lot of leadership returning in our complete defensive group and that is a huge benefit at the beginning of a season when you don't have much time before you begin to play matches," noted Varga. "We spend a lot of time on how we defend as a team. Having players that have been a part of the program for three years in Brittany, Erin, Maggie, Abbey, Emily and Bailey is vital to our success and each of them has been incredibly important to our program in their first three seasons."
 
Junior defenders Kylie Ameres (Palmetto, Fla. / Manatee HS), Amber Freeney (Indian Trail, N.C. / Porter Ridge HS), Callista Eckert (Newnan, Ga. / Heritage School) and Jordan Vitale (Tampa, Fla. / Wharton HS) also return for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
 
This season, Varga and his assistants, Christina Sarokon and Lucy Jeffs, welcomed 12 newcomers to Boiling Springs, all of who are freshman.
 
Midfielders Gabby Berkes (Cuyahoga Falls, Oh. / Cuyahoga Valley Christian), Sara Houff (Caryville, Tenn. / Grace Christian Academy), Kate Katzman ( Brentwood, Tenn. / Independence HS), Michaela Stone (Yadkinville, N.C. / Forbush HS) and Maddie Turlington (Roanoke, Tx. / Byron Nelson HS) and will join incoming forwards Alisha Holcombe (Locust Grove Va. / Eastern View HS), Katie Howard (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption HS) and Jada Newton (Woodbridge, Va. / Osborn Park HS)
 
Defensively, Jaasiel Forde (Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago / Bishop Anstey HS), MacKenzie Sauter (Columbia, SC / Homeschooled) and Taylor Robinson (Leesburg, Va. / Homeschooled) join goalkeeper Katelyn Kellogg (Goshen, Ky. / North Oldham HS).
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs will kick off their 2018 campaign tonight with a 6 p.m. exhibition match at South Carolina State. The 'Dogs' final tune-up will take place at East Carolina on Saturday, August 11 at 7 p.m.
 
Less than one week later, Gardner-Webb will open the regular season at UNC-Greensboro on Friday, August 17 at 7 p.m. The home opener will come two days later on Sunday, August 19 at 1 p.m. as the squad begins a four-game homestand.
 
The 'Dogs will begin Big South Conference play on Friday, September 14 at Hampton, before welcoming new conference member USC Upstate to Greene-Harbison Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday, September 19. Following the conclusion of an 18-game regular season schedule, which includes a 10-game conference slate, the Big South Conference tournament will take place starting with the quarterfinals from October 26-28.
 
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