June 4, 2008
Moraga, CA - With the addition of eight new players for the to 2008 season, the recruiting class for the Saint Mary's women's soccer team was ranked 14th in the West Coast by SoccerBuzz.com. The Gaels welcome this class to a team that returns 18 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year's squad.
"We knew we had recruited a special group of young ladies, but to get the national recognition, and be in the top 14 recruiting classes on the West Coast is a tribute to their hard work and dedication over their youth careers," said third-year head coach Kelly Lindsey. "We are excited to welcome them all to our Saint Mary's family, and we cannot wait to start working with the team to build chemistry both on and off the field."
Saint Mary's is coming off a 2007 season that saw the Gaels win six games and post two ties in 19 contests. SMC failed to win a West Coast Conference game last year, and will look to this talented group of incoming freshmen to change that in 2008.
Lindsey added, "This freshman class comes to us with many unique experiences and championship runs under their belts. We want to harness that energy and enthusiasm and drive it towards a big WCC run. We will use the non-conference season to learn and integrate these new faces into our line-up. We want to be in sync and ready to battle when the whistle blows for our first conference game."
The Gaels will open the WCC schedule on October 12 at home against the San Francisco Dons. Saint Mary's will play a 12-game non-conference slate that includes games against Oregon, Stanford, and Saint Joseph's to name a few. Saint Mary's will begin its 2008 season with an exhibition game against California on August 16 at Saint Mary's Stadium. The first official game of the season will have Saint Mary's hosting UC Davis on August 22.
"This is an exciting time for Saint Mary's women's soccer," said Lindsey. "We have five experienced seniors to lead the charge this year, and a group of eager incoming freshmen, whom are committed to changing this program forever. We are excited about what the future holds for this 2008 team and beyond."
