West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's soccer program will kick-off the 2023 season with an afternoon game at Malone on Thursday. The Hilltoppers and Pioneers will match-up at 5 p.m. at Pioneer Park in Canton, Ohio.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Canton, Ohio (Pioneer Park)
• Kick-Off: 5 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty posted a 5-12-1 (4-11-1 MEC) record during the 2022 season, finishing fifth place in the North Division of the Mountain East Conference.
• WLU was picked to finish fifth in the North Division of the 2023 MEC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Amelia Compston and Rileigh Gualtiere tied for the team lead with three goals as a freshman and sophomore respectively.
• Compston added a pair of assists to her three goals last season, giving her a team-best eight points in 2022.
• Isabella Aperfine, Ellie Cunningham, Marisa Knouff, Maya Taggart, Anne Williams, and Mia Zecca each scored one goal last season, marking six other returners who scored a goal for the Hilltoppers last season.
• In goal Zara Wickert returns after starting all 18 matches as a true freshman in 2022, she recorded 95 saves with a 0.736 save percentage and two shutouts. Her 95 saves last season set a new WLU single season record.
• As a team West Liberty ranked fifth in the MEC last season with 5.39 saves per game, while Wickert ranked fifth individually with 5.28 saves per game.
• Pete McMenemy is entering his second season as a coach at West Liberty.

MALONE STORYLINES

• Malone posted a 1-11-4 (0-10-4 GMAC) record during the 2022 season, finishing 11^th in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
• MU was picked to finish 11^th in the 2023 GMAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Pioneers return their top four points leaders from a year ago, as Teegan Graff and Brynn Mowrer tied for the team lead with eight points, followed by Morgan Ross with six points and Camryn Emerling with five points.
• Graff and Mowrer not only tied for the team lead in points but also scored a team-best three goals in 2022. They are joined by Ross in a tie for the team lead with two assists.
• Ross and Emerling each scored two goals last season and are joined by Anna Schmeltzer with one goal as the three other returners who scored a goal last season.
• In goal Kassidy Cannon returns after playing and starting in 16 matches as a true freshman in 2022, she recorded 65 saves with a 0.699 save percentage and one shutout.
• Bailey Shattell enters her fourth season as the head coach at Malone with a career record of 8-27-10 during her time with the Pioneers.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty and Malone have played each other two times on the pitch all-time as the Pioneers hold a 2-0-0 series lead.
• The most recent match-up in the series was September 13, 2019, when MU notched a 1-0 win on the road at the West Family Complex with a goal in the 85^th minute.
• In the only game played at Malone in the series history, the Pioneers captured a 3-1 win on September 4, 2018.