JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Middle Tennessee soccer opens the 2022 campaign with two matches in the Sunshine State. The Blue Raiders will take on North Florida Aug. 18 and Jacksonville Aug. 21. Here’s how to follow the action.
Middle Tennessee at North Florida
6 pm CDT | Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla.
SWOOPLife Live
Live Stats
*Please note, the match is no longer on ESPN+ as previously mentioned.
Middle Tennessee at Jacksonville
11 am CDT | Southern Oak Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla.
ESPN+
Live Stats
MT is coming off its fourth Conference USA tournament appearance over the past five years as the Blue Raiders reached the semifinals after upsetting No. 2 Rice in PKs.
Around the Pitch Returning five starters and 19 overall letterwinners, while bringing in 13 newcomers, Aston Rhoden‘s 21st season as head coach features a balance of experience and fresh faces.
Goalkeeper Hannah Suder enters her senior season in the top 10 of several program goalkeeper charts. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Suder is:
● Seventh in shutouts (7)
● Seventh in games played (33)
● Eighth in goals against average (1.39)
● Eighth in minutes played (2601:19)
● Eighth in games started (27)
● Ninth in career saves (107)
● Ninth in winning percentage (.556)
Suder ranked second in the conference in total saves (80) and goalkeeper minutes (1,694) last season.
Anchoring the Blue Raider defense in front of Suder is a group of experienced Blue Raiders.
Starting in all 44 games of her career and playing in over 4,000 career minutes, Caroline Manley looks to keep the streak alive in 2022. Manley earned both USC All-South Region and C-USA All-Tournament Team honors last season for her superb play.
Sascha Nielsen represented MT on the 2021 C-USA All-Freshman Team after starting all 19 contests and playing in 1703 minutes in 2021. Nielsen and fellow defender Alex Goffi each scored a goal.
As far as offense goes, Kirstine Lykke returns after making an impression during her debut season. The midfielder/forward from Denmark scored five times last season and recorded two assists.
Other front line returnees include seniors Campbell Kivisto with three career goals under her belt in three seasons. Senior Elizabeth Slavinsky appeared in all but one match last season and scored two goals for four points.
First Blood Middle Tennessee was 5-0-1 when scoring first during the regular season last year. Over the past three seasons, the Blue Raiders are 16-4-2 in games when striking first.
Coach Rhoden Two wins away from 200 career victories at Middle Tennessee, Aston Rhoden is the third-longest tenured head coach in Conference USA.
Fresh Guidance Middle Tennessee added two new coaches during the offseason Zak Davis and Hannah Hoefs.
Davis joins the Blue Raiders after serving as the assistant women’s soccer coach at George Washington University for the past four seasons. Over his four seasons with the Colonials, Davis helped lead GW to a 33-27-9 overall record and a 20-14-4 mark in A-10 play.
Before arriving in Murfreesboro, Hoefs coached at Shenandoah University for a year and a half during two different stints with the Hornets. Hoefs began her collegiate coaching career when she first joined the coaching staff at Shenandoah in June 2020 following her standout career as a midfielder at Loyola University of Maryland.
Opponent Breakdown
About North Florida
Nickname: Ospreys
Head Coach: Eric Faulconer
2021 Record: 9-4-3 (4-3-2 ASUN)
Starters Returning/Lost: 9/3
All-Time Series vs. MT: 0-1-0 (L, 0-2 / Aug. 23, 2018)
About Jacksonville
Nickname: Dolphins
Head Coach: John Constable
2021 Record: 7-8-3 (2-6-1 ASUN)
Starters Returning/Lost: 9/2
All-Time Series vs. MT: 1-0-0 (W, 3-0 / Oct. 5, 1997)