Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sunday, August 20
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:00 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
vs
Belmont
Photo by: Owen Fink/MTSU Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders’ Continue Season-Opening Homestand Against Belmont
8/19/2023 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Coming off a split result to commence the 2023 season, Middle Tennessee Soccer hosts the Belmont Bruins Sunday as the Blue Raiders continue their season-opening homestand.
First touch is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes and Storylines
» Conference USA welcomes four new members for the 2023-24 season. Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State all join the league. The Blue Raiders will face all four of these new programs this season. Liberty comes to Murfreesboro on Sept. 21, with MTSU traveling to New Mexico State one match later Sept. 24. The squad welcomes Sam Houston Oct. 8 before traveling to Jacksonville State Oct. 22.
» The Blue Raiders opened 2023 with a draw at home against Louisiana. After going down a goal less than five minutes before halftime, Cambell Kivisto scored in the six-yard box in the 59' off an Idun Kvaale cross. MTSU outshot the Ragin' Cajuns 13-5.
» MTSU faces Belmont for the 19th time in program history. The Blue Raiders lead the all-time series 10-6-2 and are unbeaten in their last three against the Bruins. A 72' goal in Nashville a season ago sealed a 1-1 road draw in the teams' last meeting. BU has not defeated MTSU since 2017, and has not won in Murfreesboro since 2008.
» Head Coach Aston Rhoden enters his 22nd season at the program's helm. 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 field 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, 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, 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 seek 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 (45), fourth in games played (50) and fourth in minutes played (4,160:32).
Manley meanwhile has started in all 62 Blue Raider matches across her career. She currently stands at 4,586 consecutive minutes across 50 matches dating back to late in her freshman year. With 5,682 total minutes under her belt, she is roughly three full matches from the top 10 in career minutes played among MTSU field players.
Behind Enemy Lines
» Belmont opened the regular season Thursday with a 1-0 win over North Alabama. The Bruins connected 57 seconds into the match and didn't look back.
» The Nashville program is coming off a year where they finished 5-6-6 overall and 3-4-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
» Head Coach Kelsey Cameron is in her first season at the program's helm, after six years as head coach at Trevecca Nazarene.
Promotions
» Fan Appreciation Night
» Post-Match Autographs
» Team Posters & Match Day Poster Giveaway
For the full season promotion schedule, click here.
Next Up
Middle Tennessee embarks on a two-match road trip after this weekend.
The Blue Raiders will face Loyola (MD) in Baltimore, Md. on Thursday night, before remaining in the Northeast Corridor to meet Howard Sunday in Washington, D.C.
MTSU will be back at home August 31 against Lipscomb.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Soccer on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Soccer), Twitter (@MT_Soccer) and Instagram (@mt_wsoccer).
First touch is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes and Storylines
» Conference USA welcomes four new members for the 2023-24 season. Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State all join the league. The Blue Raiders will face all four of these new programs this season. Liberty comes to Murfreesboro on Sept. 21, with MTSU traveling to New Mexico State one match later Sept. 24. The squad welcomes Sam Houston Oct. 8 before traveling to Jacksonville State Oct. 22.
» The Blue Raiders opened 2023 with a draw at home against Louisiana. After going down a goal less than five minutes before halftime, Cambell Kivisto scored in the six-yard box in the 59' off an Idun Kvaale cross. MTSU outshot the Ragin' Cajuns 13-5.
» MTSU faces Belmont for the 19th time in program history. The Blue Raiders lead the all-time series 10-6-2 and are unbeaten in their last three against the Bruins. A 72' goal in Nashville a season ago sealed a 1-1 road draw in the teams' last meeting. BU has not defeated MTSU since 2017, and has not won in Murfreesboro since 2008.
» Head Coach Aston Rhoden enters his 22nd season at the program's helm. 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 field 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, 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, 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 seek 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 (45), fourth in games played (50) and fourth in minutes played (4,160:32).
Manley meanwhile has started in all 62 Blue Raider matches across her career. She currently stands at 4,586 consecutive minutes across 50 matches dating back to late in her freshman year. With 5,682 total minutes under her belt, she is roughly three full matches from the top 10 in career minutes played among MTSU field players.
Behind Enemy Lines
» Belmont opened the regular season Thursday with a 1-0 win over North Alabama. The Bruins connected 57 seconds into the match and didn't look back.
» The Nashville program is coming off a year where they finished 5-6-6 overall and 3-4-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
» Head Coach Kelsey Cameron is in her first season at the program's helm, after six years as head coach at Trevecca Nazarene.
Promotions
» Fan Appreciation Night
» Post-Match Autographs
» Team Posters & Match Day Poster Giveaway
For the full season promotion schedule, click here.
Next Up
Middle Tennessee embarks on a two-match road trip after this weekend.
The Blue Raiders will face Loyola (MD) in Baltimore, Md. on Thursday night, before remaining in the Northeast Corridor to meet Howard Sunday in Washington, D.C.
MTSU will be back at home August 31 against Lipscomb.
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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