Women’s football | 21.08.24 | 13:19
HELENA, Montana – The Carroll College women’s soccer team will officially begin its 2024 season Wednesday night at 5 p.m. when it hosts the University of Lethbridge (Canada) at Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium in Helena.
Tonight marks the start of the Carroll Women’s Soccer program’s quest for its ninth conference title. The Fighting Saints last won the trophy in 2018, but after a successful 2023 season, anticipation and expectations for the program are high.
The 2024 version of the team features all but one member of a 2023 team that finished 11-2-4 and finished second in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings. Second-team All-CCC defenseman Natalie Brown has graduated, but several of her classmates from last year’s graduating class will give purple and gold another try.
Emily Funseth (Great Falls, Mont. / GR) returns to the midfield for her final season. In 2023, Funseth led the Saints with 10 goals and 24 total points and was named to the First Team All-CCC as well as a United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection.
In addition to Funseth, three other captains will try to lead the Saints to new heights this fall. Zoie Koci (Boise, Idaho / GA), Jaymee Sheridan (Helena, Mont. / SR) and Ella Künzli (Colorado Springs, Colorado / JR). In total, the captains scored 12 goals and 34 points in the 2023 season.
Three sophomores will look to repeat the success on the field they had last season. Goalkeeper Maria Ackerman (Billings, Mont. / SO) and defender Avery Lambourne (Billings, Mont. / SO) were both named First Team All-CCC players in their first year of college soccer, while Delaney Moczan (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho / SO) joined them in the postseason honors section with a Second Team All-CCC nomination of his own.
Experience and depth will be the cornerstones of the 2024 team, as 10 starters from a year ago will return to their spots on the court, along with a deep freshman class with playmakers at every level of the court.
Carroll was one of the best defensive teams in the NAIA last season (11 goals against) and will look to keep opposing teams in check in 2024.
The Saints begin the season in the “Votes Received” portion of the NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Poll and will look to break into the Top 25 with strong early-season performances against strong competition.
The natural grass field at Nelson Stadium is long gone, and the Carroll Women will make history tonight in the first official contest on the new artificial turf at Valley Bank Field. The Saints will take on the Pronghorns of Canada and look to jumpstart their season before a trip to the Midwest to Indiana later this week.
Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. Live stats can be followed HERE, and a live stream will be available for free through the VEO Live application. Users can download the VEO Live app to any mobile device, then search for “Carroll College” to find all Carroll football games this season.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com tonight for a complete recap of the action and to stay up to date with all the latest news at Carroll Athletics.
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