Piedmont College Athletics

Demorest, GA -- New faces will be all over the field when the Piedmont College soccer teams kick off the 2010 season this afternoon against out-of-conference foe Tennessee Temple University. Over 20 new players combined will suit up for the men’s and women’s soccer teams who will host a doubleheader against the Crusaders beginning at 4:00.

For Head Women’s Soccer Coach Stephen Andrew, today’s season opener marks his third as a head coach at Piedmont College. The former men’s soccer standout is 2-0 in season openers as the leader of the Lady Lions with his teams posting a 4-1 combined margin of victory in those two matches.

“After having graduating a large class last year, our upperclassmen have done a really good job of integrating our young players onto the squad,” said Coach Andrew. “We are talented from top to bottom, and I feel that we have a chance to be very successful this year after our newcomers get used to playing at the collegiate level.”

The Lady Lions will be anchored in the back by senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Induni, a three-time GSAC All-Conference selection who started all 18 games of the 2009 season while collecting 89 saves between the posts for Lady Lions. Joining Induni in the upper classmen ranks will be Katie Porter, a senior forward who sits a mere four goals from snapping the PC career scoring record.

Returning for her junior season is midfielder Justine Clay who notched 29 total points during her sophomore season after claiming conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2008. Bringing a wealth of experience from her first season in green and gold will be sophomore defender Katherine Metz who was one of three Lady Lions to start all 18 games in 2009. Newcomers like Laura Goodwin, a freshman out of Brookwood High School, will also add offensive punch for the young squad.

“I think we have a great group this year and we all seem to get along really well on and off the field,” said Goodwin. “Our unity is clear not just in how we play, but in how we get along as an entire group. We’ve also been really lucky with our upperclassmen setting the tone and providing an example of the type of strength that will help us get through the tough games.”

For the men’s soccer team, Head Coach Jimmy Stephens begins his sixth year at the helm of the program having claimed a victory in last year’s season opener defeating Ferrum College by a 2-1 score. The PC alum will have 13 new Lions to mix in with a group of returning key players as he looks to claim the program’s sixth conference title and first since 2006.

“Our team is a very young group that we hope can mature quickly as seven of our first nine games are away from home,” said Coach Stephens. “If we can learn to take it one game at a time, I think our young talent that came in this freshmen class will mix well with the key pieces we have returning. It looks like the players have done well so far to understand what we want to achieve this season.”

The Lions will have plenty of new players on the field in 2010 after having graduated five starters from this past fall including the GSAC Player of the Year. Adding firepower up top will be junior Nick Weatherby who tallied eleven total points in 2009 while reigning GSAC Co-Freshman of the Year Sydney Smith will look to improve on his seven goal performance from this past season. New faces like Justin Whitaker from Lawrenceville, GA will also be looking to make a splash early and add to the attack for the Lions.

Defensive mainstay Brian Ruelbach, who started all but one match in his debut campaign in 2009, will return for an encore performance. Protecting the net for Piedmont will be a two year starter in rising junior Brian Gaid who has started every match at the goalkeeping position since arriving on campus in 2008. The Pope High School graduate has notched 204 saves in 38 games between the posts while wearing the green and gold.

“I think we really a chance to do something special this year with all the good players we have coming in and returning,” said Gaid. “Having been in the conference championship game the last two years has given us a great deal of experience to share with these young players. We’re just trying to take it one step at a time and we are focused on the Crusaders right now.”

The women’s soccer team will kick off the action this afternoon with a 4:00 match against Tennessee Temple while the men will follow shortly after with a game of their own at 6:00.  Both games will take place at the Allen Creek Soccer Complex in Gainesville, GA.