Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, August 24
Baltimore, Md.
6:00 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
at
Loyola (MD)
Photo by: Maya Lewis/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders Open Two-Match Road Swing at Loyola Thursday Night
8/23/2023 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BALTIMORE, Md. – Middle Tennessee Soccer commences a two-match road trip in Baltimore Thursday night, taking on the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds at Ridley Athletic Complex.
First touch is 6:00 p.m. CT and the fixture will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Blue Raiders are fresh off a win vs. Belmont in their most recent game and look to extend their unbeaten start to 2023 to three matches.
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.
» F Cambell Kivisto is off to a hot start in 2023. After scoring the tying goal on opening night against Louisiana, the grad student scored and had an assist in MTSU's win over Belmont Aug. 20.
Kivisto is the first Blue Raider to both score and have an assist in a match since Manon Lebargy did so on Sept. 2 last season in a win over Mississippi Valley State. The Collierville, Tenn. native is also the first MTSU player to score in consecutive games since Eleanor Gough against Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech a season ago (Sept. 4-8), and the first to have three points in a single match since Lauren Spaanstra against Austin Peay (Sept. 4).
» MTSU assistant coach Hannah Hoefs returns to her alma mater for Thursday's game. In her three seasons as a Greyhound, the New Market, Md. native scored 15 goals and was named Patriot League Midfielder of the Year in 2019. Her nine goals in '19 are tied for ninth-most all-time in a single season for Loyola.
» Also retunring to their home states are Maryland natives G Emily McGrain, D Dylan Barnes and F Skylar Williams. Assistant coach Zak Davis is also a native of the state, orginally hailing from Baltimore, Md.
» 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 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.
» 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, Barnes and Ruby Ryan, M Olivia Norton, Olivia Ouzounidis and Presley Morales, M/F Hannah Murphy, and F Kadence Krempges and 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 seek spots on all-time program career record lists in 2023.
Suder currently stands in the top 10 of numerous program goalkeeping records, including being tied for fifth in career saves (172), fifth in games started (46), fourth in games played (51) and fourth in minutes played (4,250:32).
Manley meanwhile has started in all 63 Blue Raider matches across her
career. She currently stands at 4,676 consecutive minutes across 51 matches dating back to late in her freshman year. With 5,772 total minutes under her belt, she is roughly two full matches from the top 10 in career minutes played among MTSU field players.
Behind Enemy Lines
» Loyola rebounded from a 4-1 opening-night loss at Dayton, dispatching Temple at home this past Sunday, 1-0.
» Each of the Greyhounds' top two scorers from a season ago return. F/M Baylee DeSmit led the squad with six goals and 19 points in 2022, with F Kelly Hutton following with three goals and seven points.
» The program finished 6-8-4 last season, with a 3-4-2 mark in Patriot League play. The Greyhounds exited the Patriot League tournament in the opening round.
» Joe Mallia is in his in his fifth year of his second stint as Greyhounds head coach. He served in the same role previously from 1998-2004.
Next Up
The Blue Raiders remain in the Northeast Corridor to meet Howard Sunday in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. CT.
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 6:00 p.m. CT and the fixture will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Blue Raiders are fresh off a win vs. Belmont in their most recent game and look to extend their unbeaten start to 2023 to three matches.
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.
» F Cambell Kivisto is off to a hot start in 2023. After scoring the tying goal on opening night against Louisiana, the grad student scored and had an assist in MTSU's win over Belmont Aug. 20.
Kivisto is the first Blue Raider to both score and have an assist in a match since Manon Lebargy did so on Sept. 2 last season in a win over Mississippi Valley State. The Collierville, Tenn. native is also the first MTSU player to score in consecutive games since Eleanor Gough against Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech a season ago (Sept. 4-8), and the first to have three points in a single match since Lauren Spaanstra against Austin Peay (Sept. 4).
» MTSU assistant coach Hannah Hoefs returns to her alma mater for Thursday's game. In her three seasons as a Greyhound, the New Market, Md. native scored 15 goals and was named Patriot League Midfielder of the Year in 2019. Her nine goals in '19 are tied for ninth-most all-time in a single season for Loyola.
» Also retunring to their home states are Maryland natives G Emily McGrain, D Dylan Barnes and F Skylar Williams. Assistant coach Zak Davis is also a native of the state, orginally hailing from Baltimore, Md.
» 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 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.
» 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, Barnes and Ruby Ryan, M Olivia Norton, Olivia Ouzounidis and Presley Morales, M/F Hannah Murphy, and F Kadence Krempges and 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 seek spots on all-time program career record lists in 2023.
Suder currently stands in the top 10 of numerous program goalkeeping records, including being tied for fifth in career saves (172), fifth in games started (46), fourth in games played (51) and fourth in minutes played (4,250:32).
Manley meanwhile has started in all 63 Blue Raider matches across her
career. She currently stands at 4,676 consecutive minutes across 51 matches dating back to late in her freshman year. With 5,772 total minutes under her belt, she is roughly two full matches from the top 10 in career minutes played among MTSU field players.
Behind Enemy Lines
» Loyola rebounded from a 4-1 opening-night loss at Dayton, dispatching Temple at home this past Sunday, 1-0.
» Each of the Greyhounds' top two scorers from a season ago return. F/M Baylee DeSmit led the squad with six goals and 19 points in 2022, with F Kelly Hutton following with three goals and seven points.
» The program finished 6-8-4 last season, with a 3-4-2 mark in Patriot League play. The Greyhounds exited the Patriot League tournament in the opening round.
» Joe Mallia is in his in his fifth year of his second stint as Greyhounds head coach. He served in the same role previously from 1998-2004.
Next Up
The Blue Raiders remain in the Northeast Corridor to meet Howard Sunday in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. CT.
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).
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