2024 Austin College Women's Soccer Season Preview

The Austin College women's soccer team enters year three under head coach Kevin Gregory in 2024, and the 'Roos will look to continue their upward trend under his direction after jumping from one to five wins from year one to year two. Gregory's roster is young, but features plenty of talent and is bolstered by All-Conference talent in the junior and senior classes.

Leading the way will be senior goalkeeper Kenedie Lane, one of two 'Roos to earn All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference accolades last season. Lane was a second team selection following a year in which she finishd among the conference leaders in saves, save percentage, and shutouts, coming in among the top four in all three categories. Her .792 save percentage was the second highest mark in the SCAC last season. Also returning after an All-SCAC campaign is junior Emeri Watson, an honorable mention pick a year ago. Watson was 10th in the league with three goals and 12th with three assists last year, with two of her three goals coming as game-winners.

Bringing added leadership is senior defender Ranee LeVasseur, who transferred in prior to last season and found an immediate home in the starting 11. LeVasseur started 15 of 16 games a year ago, and joins Lane and Watson as captains heading into the 2024 campaign. LeVasseur and Lane are two of six seniors on this year's team, joined by Bri Vasquez, Bryanna Cortes-Pinedo, Rebekah Gutierrez, and Paulina Porter, all of whom are expected to contribute in their final season in Sherman.

Despite featuring six seniors, the 'Roos feature a whopping 30 sophomores and freshmen on their 39-person roster. Several of the sophomores gained invaluable experience a year ago, with Myles McGaha, Samantha Reynolds, Kaya Jensen, Layla Mireles, and Emma Boehmke starting for most of the season last year. Hannah Oberbeck, Miranda Countryman, and Amanda Zyla each earned at least three starts last season, as well, while Kate Drennan also earned starting experience a year ago.

Jensen, a defender, was voted by her teammates as Austin College's most valuable player in her first year in the program, while McGaha matched Watson for the team lead with three goals. Zyla filled in for Lane as the team's starting keeper three times in 2023, finishing the season with 35 saves in seven total appearances in the net.

They'll be joined by a large, deep, and talented freshman class, and Gregory expects several first-year players to make immediate impacts, including multiple players who could find themselves in the starting lineup as soon as the team's first game. The 'Roos open the season in California, playing a pair of neutral site games on the campus of the University of Redlands. First up is a match against Willammette on August 30.