East Carolina Soccer Hosts Loyola-Chicago Sunday Afternoon
August 22, 2015 | Soccer
| Match 2: East Carolina vs. Loyola-Chicago | |
| Date | Sunday, August 23 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. (EST) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (Johnson Soccer Stadium) |
| Match Notes | East Carolina  |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Pirates On Demand | @ECUScoreboard | @ecuwmnssoccer |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's soccer team will host Loyola-Chicago in the first meeting between the two schools in program history on Sunday, Aug. 23 at Johnson Soccer Stadium. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates are coming off a 2-0 win over George Mason in front of a record crowd of 884 fans Friday evening. Senior forward Kendall Frey scored 21 minutes into the first half, before junior striker Lana Spitler sealed the win with a tally of her own in the 80th minute. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Saundra Baron made four saves to move her career shutout total to 13.5, notching her seventh scoreless outing in her last nine starts dating back to last season.
SCOUTING LOYOLA-CHICAGO
The Ramblers earned a 3-2 double overtime victory at UNC Greensboro in their season opener Friday evening, topping an opponent ECU will face on Sept. 6. Loyola received goals during regulation from Claire Oberle and Jenna Szczesny, before Oberle scored again more than four minutes into the second overtime to end the contest.
COUNTING DOWN
East Carolina women's soccer begins the 2015 season just nine victories shy of 200 in its history. Since the inception of the program in 1994, the Pirates have averaged greater than nine victories per season.
BARON'S BACK!
Redshirt senior and starting goalkeeper Saundra Baron returns for her senior season after having the back end of her junior year shortened due to injury. The Greensboro native posted six shutouts in her first eight starts in 2014 before sustaining an injury that sidelined her for a majority of the remainder of the season. The vocal leader compiled a 5-2-1 record, 0.73 GAA, 30 saves and .833 save percentage overall.
VETERAN ATTACKING UNIT
The Pirates' top two offensive threats from a year ago return with Frey and junior striker Lana Spitler, who tied for the club lead in goals (8) and points (18), respectively, while Spitler topped all ECU players with 34 shots taken. Redshirt senior Stephanie Seagrave is back for a fifth season after having her 2014 campaign cut short due to an injury after just five matches and will provide a significant boost to the attack. She had four goals, three assists, 11 points and 31 shots taken during her last full season in 2013.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
ECU's defensive unit will take a slightly new shape in 2015 after losing all-conference second team pick Kelley Johnson to graduation, but still returns juniors Autumn Berry and Caitlin Hite, as well as Haley Patsey who has started all 41 collegiate matches in which she has appeared, but missed all of 2014 with an injury sustained during preseason. Senior Jackie Cajigal is also expected to contribute meaningful minutes and provide some of her veteran leadership in the transition game for the back line.
