LAKELAND, Fla.- After having their season opener cancelled on August 30
th due to Hurricane Idalia, Southeastern women's soccer will open the 2023 season this weekend against two opponents ranked in the NAIA Top 10 in Orange Beach, Ala.
On Friday, the No. 11 ranked Fire will kick off their season against No. 7 ranked University of Tennessee Southern with a contest against No. 5 ranked William Carey coming on Sunday.
The Firehawks come into the tournament with a 4-1-1 record including two shutouts in their last two contests. Thus far, the Firehawks average 15.7 shots per game with a .638 shot on goal percentage and 2.7 goals per game. Hikaru Uchida leads the offense with seven goals in just six games as well as an assist while Marina Nawa has tallied seven points with three assists and two goals. In goal, Laycken Stockstill has accumulated a .933 save percentage with 14 saves and just one goal allowed while Petra Brnkova has recorded 10 saves on 13 shots faced.
The Crusaders of William Carey are off to a 4-0 start to their season, outscoring their opponents 18-3 for an average of 4.5 goals per contest. Three different players sit tied for the team lead in goals with four including Maria Azarius who holds a team-high 11 points with four goals and three assists.
Last season, the Fire and the Crusaders met in Lakeland at the beginning of the season with the Fire taking the thrilling 5-4 upset win for their first win against the Crusaders in program history.
