Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, August 17
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
7:00 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
vs
Louisiana
Photo by: Maya Lewis/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders Kick Off Season Thursday Night Against Louisiana
8/16/2023 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The nine-month wait is over.
Middle Tennessee Soccer opens the 2023 regular season Thursday night against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium.
First touch is set for 7:00 p.m., and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes and Storylines
» The Blue Raiders open the regular season at home for the third time in four years. Across the past four years, the Blue Raiders are 2-2 in regular season openers and 2-2 in home openers.
» MTSU faces Louisiana for the first time since 2012, when the Blue Raiders were in the Sun Belt Conference. The Murfreesboro program leads the all-time series between the teams, 11-2-0. The Raiders currently enjoy a 10-match win streak against the Ragin' Cajuns, with Coach Aston Rhoden's only loss to UL coming in his first year at the helm at MTSU in 2002.
» Rhoden enters his 22nd season as head coach. The Jamaica native has led the Blue Raiders to three conference championships and carries a 200-160-38 record entering the season.
» Under Rhoden, assistant coaches Zak Davis and Hannah Hoefs each enter their second seasons with the program. Davis—a former goalkeeper at UNC-Asheville—works closely with that position group, while Hoefs—a former midfielder at Loyola (MD)—has been an invaluable asset with the outfield players.
» Middle Tennessee will play nine of its first 12 matches, as well as 12 of its first 16, in the state of Tennessee. In addition to playing at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium 10 times, the Blue Raiders have road fixtures scheduled against Vanderbilt at GEODIS Park on Sept. 10, and at Tennessee Tech on Sept. 17.
» The Blue Raiders are led by five graduate students in 2023, four returning and one newcoming. G Hannah Suder, D Caroline Manley, F Cambell Kivisto and F Elizabeth Slavinsky all return for their fifth seasons in 2023. In addition, the program brings in D Kaitlyn Butcher as a graduate transfer from George Mason.
» Ten freshmen make up the Blue Raider roster. This includes G Calais Butts, D Sadie Sterbenz, Dylan Barnes and Ruby Ryan, M Olivia Norton, Olivia Ouzounidis and Presley Morales, M/F Hannah Murphy, and F Kadence Krempges and Skylar Williams.
» Ten Blue Raiders on the 2023 roster hail from outside the United States. This includes Butts and F Taijah Fraser from Canada, M Eleanor Gough and Ryan from England, F Idun Kvaale and F Emma Pettersen from Norway, M Sascha Nielsen from Denmark, Ouzounidis from Sweden, M Manon Lebargy from France and M Yana Yordanova from Bulgaria.
» Suder and Manley are seeking spots on all-time program career record lists in 2023.
Suder enters her fifth season this fall in the top 10 of numerous program goalkeeping records, including being sixth in career saves (169), fifth in games started (44), tied for fifth in games played (49) and sixth in minutes played (4,070:32).
Manley meanwhile has started in all 61 Blue Raider matches across her career. She enters 2023 with 4,496 consecutive minutes across 49 matches dating back to late in her freshman year. With 5592 total minutes under her belt, she is roughly four full matches from the top 10 in career minutes played among MTSU outfield players.
Behind Enemy Lines
» The Cajuns finished 3-9-5 a season ago, with a 2-6-2 clip in SBC play.
» UL Head Coach Chris McBride enters his second season at the helm in Lafayette.
» Four of the squad's top seven minute-earners from last season return in 2023. This includes fifth-year F Karleen Bedre, who led the side with five assists and was second in both goals (3) and points (11).
Promotions
» First Responders Night
» Youth Club Night #1
» Blue Raider scarf and patriotic logo hat giveaway
Next Up
Middle Tennessee remains home this weekend to welcome local non-conference foe Belmont to Murfreesboro. Sunday's match against the Bruins is slated for 6:00 p.m. Sunday.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Soccer on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Soccer), Twitter (@MT_Soccer) and Instagram (@mt_wsoccer).
Middle Tennessee Soccer opens the 2023 regular season Thursday night against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium.
First touch is set for 7:00 p.m., and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes and Storylines
» The Blue Raiders open the regular season at home for the third time in four years. Across the past four years, the Blue Raiders are 2-2 in regular season openers and 2-2 in home openers.
» MTSU faces Louisiana for the first time since 2012, when the Blue Raiders were in the Sun Belt Conference. The Murfreesboro program leads the all-time series between the teams, 11-2-0. The Raiders currently enjoy a 10-match win streak against the Ragin' Cajuns, with Coach Aston Rhoden's only loss to UL coming in his first year at the helm at MTSU in 2002.
» Rhoden enters his 22nd season as head coach. The Jamaica native has led the Blue Raiders to three conference championships and carries a 200-160-38 record entering the season.
» Under Rhoden, assistant coaches Zak Davis and Hannah Hoefs each enter their second seasons with the program. Davis—a former goalkeeper at UNC-Asheville—works closely with that position group, while Hoefs—a former midfielder at Loyola (MD)—has been an invaluable asset with the outfield players.
» Middle Tennessee will play nine of its first 12 matches, as well as 12 of its first 16, in the state of Tennessee. In addition to playing at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium 10 times, the Blue Raiders have road fixtures scheduled against Vanderbilt at GEODIS Park on Sept. 10, and at Tennessee Tech on Sept. 17.
» The Blue Raiders are led by five graduate students in 2023, four returning and one newcoming. G Hannah Suder, D Caroline Manley, F Cambell Kivisto and F Elizabeth Slavinsky all return for their fifth seasons in 2023. In addition, the program brings in D Kaitlyn Butcher as a graduate transfer from George Mason.
» Ten freshmen make up the Blue Raider roster. This includes G Calais Butts, D Sadie Sterbenz, Dylan Barnes and Ruby Ryan, M Olivia Norton, Olivia Ouzounidis and Presley Morales, M/F Hannah Murphy, and F Kadence Krempges and Skylar Williams.
» Ten Blue Raiders on the 2023 roster hail from outside the United States. This includes Butts and F Taijah Fraser from Canada, M Eleanor Gough and Ryan from England, F Idun Kvaale and F Emma Pettersen from Norway, M Sascha Nielsen from Denmark, Ouzounidis from Sweden, M Manon Lebargy from France and M Yana Yordanova from Bulgaria.
» Suder and Manley are seeking spots on all-time program career record lists in 2023.
Suder enters her fifth season this fall in the top 10 of numerous program goalkeeping records, including being sixth in career saves (169), fifth in games started (44), tied for fifth in games played (49) and sixth in minutes played (4,070:32).
Manley meanwhile has started in all 61 Blue Raider matches across her career. She enters 2023 with 4,496 consecutive minutes across 49 matches dating back to late in her freshman year. With 5592 total minutes under her belt, she is roughly four full matches from the top 10 in career minutes played among MTSU outfield players.
Behind Enemy Lines
» The Cajuns finished 3-9-5 a season ago, with a 2-6-2 clip in SBC play.
» UL Head Coach Chris McBride enters his second season at the helm in Lafayette.
» Four of the squad's top seven minute-earners from last season return in 2023. This includes fifth-year F Karleen Bedre, who led the side with five assists and was second in both goals (3) and points (11).
Promotions
» First Responders Night
» Youth Club Night #1
» Blue Raider scarf and patriotic logo hat giveaway
Next Up
Middle Tennessee remains home this weekend to welcome local non-conference foe Belmont to Murfreesboro. Sunday's match against the Bruins is slated for 6:00 p.m. Sunday.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Soccer on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Soccer), Twitter (@MT_Soccer) and Instagram (@mt_wsoccer).
Players Mentioned
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