LAKELAND, Fla. – Over the past two seasons, the Southeastern University women's soccer team has cultivated a culture of success and family. Entering his third season at the helm of the program, head coach
Randy Belli has helped foster an environment for growth and has guided the team to new heights of accomplishment.
The Fire are coming off a 2017 campaign in which they shattered numerous team/individual records, won their first Sun Conference Tournament Championship with a 4-2 win over Keiser, and advanced all the way to the NAIA National Quarterfinals before bowing out to William Carey 2-0. Under Belli's direction, SEU looks to take another step of growth in 2018.
"We are excited to build on last year's season but every season is a new season," shared Coach Belli. "We can't rest on what we accomplished last season because we weren't satisfied with where we ended. Moving forward we have to take the experience we had last year and keep growing."
Missing from this year's team is defender
Heidi Ruth, who was a Second Team NAIA All-American and First Team All-TSC placer in 2017. Ruth anchored the Fire back line at center back, which recorded 29 shutouts with during her 56 games played at SEU.
Now playing professionally in Mexico with Club America, attacking midfielder
Estefania Fuentes also will not be back after netting eight goals and recording five helpers last season.
The Fire also have had to replace a pair of graduating goalkeepers.
Sydni Brookhouser and
Kaitlyn Romero played a combined 4,519 minutes in the net for SEU in their four-year careers, compiling a 37-7-1 record and 180 saves as a goalkeeping unit.
The Fire return 19 players from last year's 19-win squad. The top of the list of key returners is junior forward
Uchenna Kanu.
Kanu turned in a magical 2017, setting a new program single-season record for goals scored at 45, while also registering 10 assists. Kanu was a five-time Sun Conference Offensive Player of The Week, NAIA National Player of the Week, First Team All-TSC, Second Team NAIA All-American, and landed on the NAIA All-Tournament Team. She netted as many as five goals in a single game in 2017.
Another First Team All-TSC returnee for SEU is junior midfielder
Bania Duran. The Homestead native missed the final stretch of the season but looks to make a powerful return to action after notching three goals and 10 assists last season.
Also back for Southeastern is sophomore forward
Aisha Solorzano. After making her debut mid-season last year, Solorzano went on to set a new single-season program record in assists at 14. The Guatemala City native also found the back of the net seven times and was an All-TSC Honorable Mention.
Rounding out the list of key returners is senior midfielder
Lynsey Kelly, who appeared in all 21 contests for SEU last season and earned an All-TSC Honorable Mention.
"It is key when you can return a large portion of players from last years' team that experienced so much success," commented Belli. "We are excited to see how this group of returners have matured over the last couple of seasons."
There are also a number of new faces to the program in 2018.
One of the top newcomers for the Fire is senior forward
Yulie Lopez, who has previously played at NCAA Division I Florida State and West Virginia. Lopez was a U-14, U-18, and U-20 U.S. National Team pool member and attended camp with the U-14 and U-18 squads. She also earned a tryout to play for the Full Colombian National Team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
SEU also brings in a pair of goalkeepers. Junior
Maddy Miller is a transfer from Polk State after being named 2017 First Team All-Region 8 NJCAA. Freshman
Holly Eddins joins Miller in the net. Eddins competed for the Orlando City Soccer Club.
Garbiella DiDio caps off the group of key newcomers. A graduate transfer from Hastings College, DiDio led the team in assists in 2017 with 11 and also netted seven goals. The Toronto, Canada native was Second Team All-GPAC last season.
"We are excited that the transfers we have secured have good backgrounds and have already done it at a high level," said Belli. "We are also excited about our incoming freshman. It's one of our smaller classes but it is a quality class. It's one of the best we've ever had."
Southeastern begins the 2018 season in Lakeland, hosting The Masters' University on Saturday, August 18, at 4:00 p.m. The Fire will play their first three home contests of the season at Polk State College while construction for the new SEU Soccer/Track & Field Complex is being completed.
