Women’s Soccer Reveals 2017 Schedule

Women's Soccer | 7/18/2017 12:00:00 AM

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(2017 schedule)

An enthralling campaign a year ago left plenty of room for optimism and Goldey-Beacom's women's soccer team hopes that carries over into the 2017 season.

The schedule opens with a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game for the first time since 2013 as the squad hosts Bloomfield on September 1. The 17-game slate continues two days later against Roberts Wesleyan as part of a doubleheader with the men's team, which faces Bloomsburg.

The Lightning then play five of their next six games on the road, including a trip to New Castle on September 20 to face Wilmington (DE). The squad also makes a journey to western New York to visit Daemen on September 26.

GBC then plays five of its next seven contests at home, ending October 18 against Holy Family in a rematch of last year's CACC quarterfinals. League play concludes October 21 at CACC champion Caldwell and the regular season ends October 27 at Queens (NY).

The league's top eight teams make the CACC Tournament, which starts October 31. The semifinals and final will be held later that week in Lakewood, NJ.

Goldey-Beacom (12-6-1, 8-3-1 CACC) last season closed third in the league for its highest finish since 2005, also the last time it hosted a conference tournament game before last year. It also made the CACC Tournament a third straight season for the first time since going four consecutive years from 2003-06.

Helping pace the charge is senior midfielder Amy Runciman (Luton, England), a valuable player who does it all with her keen field awareness, scoring touch and great passing. The second team all-conference pick a season ago certainly earned it by closing 28th in the country with nine assists, 32nd with 0.47 assists per game, 90th with 23 points, 98th with 1.21 points per contest and eighth in the CACC with seven goals.

One of five returnees who started all 19 games last season, Runciman enters this year second in school history with 25 assists, fourth with 63 points and fifth with 19 goals.

Another key returnee among the midfielders is junior Cliona Crammond (Wicklow, Ireland), who also gives the Lightning plenty of scoring touch and once again should be one of the catalysts. Also starting all 19 games a year ago, Crammond ended sixth in the conference with five assists, 21st with 13 points and 30th with four goals.

Senior Tanner Turner-Rush (Harrisburg, PA) has been a four-year starter at center back and now becomes the leader for a defense which last season was third with 1.12 goals allowed per game and tied for third with seven shutouts. Junior midfielder Sophie Woods (Manchester, England) also returns after closing 21st in the CACC with three assists, 26th with 11 points and 30th with four goals.

Leading the way is second-year coach Dan Frick, who last season was tabbed CACC Coach of the Year.

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