HOBOKEN, N.J. (August 29, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team kicks off its 2013 season at The College of New Jersey Tournament this weekend, August 30-31, in preparations for a run at the program's 13th consecutive postseason trip.

Over the past 12 seasons, Stevens women's soccer has competed in 11 conference tournaments and claimed ten league crowns including Empire 8 tournament titles in 2010 and 2011. The Ducks enter 2013 off a 10-6-2 campaign from last fall with a trip to the Empire 8 semifinals and also took a service trip to Paraguay during Spring Break this past March.

"I honestly feel like our trip to Paraguay changed our program." said head coach Jeff Parker. "The time these student-athletes got to spend together and what they did as a group really helped us learn a lot about ourselves. It became more of a cultural exchange rather than a soccer trip. It really embodied what we are as a program."

The squad's 2013 edition features 11 upperclassmen, six sophomores and seven freshmen. Stevens also returns nine starters from that E8 semifinal last season which includes five all-conference honorees from a year ago. Among those five All-Empire 8 selections are the three previous conference Rookies of the Year.

Returning to the pitch after all-conference campaigns are seniors Bridgette Barden (Redondo Beach, Calif), Becky Wos (Mukwonago, Wis.) and Jessie Wos (Mukwonago, Wis.), junior Ann Heine (Sammamish, Wash.) and sophomore Carly Bean (Williamson, N.Y.). Barden, Heine and Bean are the last three recipients of the Empire 8's Rookie of the Year award.

Breakdown by positions:

Forwards

Heine, Jessie Wos and Bean will be the go-to players up top for the Ducks this fall. The trio accounted for the three highest point totals in 2012 with a combined 42 points on 21 goals and 10 assists. Heine led the way with nine goals and four assists, while Jessie Wos and Bean tallied six markers and three helpers each.

"Jessie will be counted upon to be a leader from the forward position," stated Parker. "She is a senior and keys how we play. She's crafty with the ball and is fortunate to have Ann, Carly and Georgia Johnson, who all play well off each other, patrolling the same position on the field."

Johnson tallied three goals during her sophomore season in 17 matches with seven starts.

Midfielders

The Stevens midfield is full of senior returners along with a pair of juniors that will be a key to the success this fall on both sides of the field. Joining Barden, a three-time NSCAA All-Region student-athlete, in the midfield are seniors Becky Wos, Lauren Hammerle (Sayville, N.Y.) and Tara Callahan (Harrisburg, Pa.). Juniors Mariah Cleveland (Los Gatos, Calif.) and Stephanie Basile (Macungie, Pa.) will play big roles for the Ducks on and off the field.

"Bridgette and Becky definitely have a presence on and off the field for us," Parker said. "Bridgette is a solid all-around player, while Becky has grown into a real mentor for our group. Tara is playing some of the best soccer in her five years at Stevens and it's exciting to see a fully healthy Lauren out of the field. She is ready to have a big 2013 and Steph is a solid player who will continue to make big contributions. Mariah is one of our most technical players and we look for her to continue to help us be both controlled and unpredictable in possession."

Backs

Stevens will rely heavily on returning senior Caitlyn Labonte (Northbridge, Mass.) and junior Bella Romano (Harrington Park, N.J.) to anchor the unit. According to Parker, "we know the two will work to form a strong partnership and lead us in the back all season."

Sophomores Kristen Goncalves (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Maggie Coppa (Arlington, Va.) and Adrianna Herrera (Middle Village, N.Y.) will all contribute to the defensive unit.

Goalkeepers

Two goalkeepers are on the Ducks' roster in 2013. Sophomore Evelyn Ting (Gaithersburg, Md.) and sophomore transfer Leah Spaulding (San Pedro, Calif.) have made great strides in net for Stevens throughout the preseason. Ting started six contests in goal last season and posted a perfect 3-0 record in nearly 350 minutes between the pipes. She made 14 saves and boasted a paltry 0.52 goals-against average.

"Evelyn put together a great spring season and we're fortunate to add Leah to our roster," expressed Parker. "Working with Coach Diaz has really pushed them to better and better performances."

New Coaches

This season's team also adds two new coaches to the sidelines. Emily Ottenhoff, former All-American from Calvin College, and Kelly Diaz, a Division II student-athlete from Holy Family University and most recently a coach at the World Class Soccer Club will help Parker this season as his top two assistants. Ottenhoff is helping to run the team's midfield while Diaz will work with the goalkeepers this season as the team moves into the weekend.

Schedule

Over the 18-match slate for Stevens, only two non-conference opponents missed out on postseason play. It also features five 2012 NCAA Tournament participants, which includes former national champions William Smith, The College of New Jersey and Ithaca.

"We have a difficult road in front of us, but it's not anything we haven't faced before," Parker said. "Our non-conference matchups will test us as we move forward into Empire 8 play."

During the opening weekend, the Ducks will be tested right away by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and No. 13 William Smith College, both from the Liberty League at TNCJ. RPI won the regular season Liberty League crown and will square off with Stevens for the first time since 2007 on Friday afternoon. This will be the first meeting ever between the Ducks and William Smith, who won the Liberty League tournament last year and has been to eight Final Fours and won two national titles.

After those two matches, Stevens will return back to Hoboken for the Tenth Annual Stevens Engineering Cup on September 7 and 8. The Ducks will take on another Liberty League team in Vassar College first and then play New York University in the final contest of the four-game weekend. The Ducks defeated Vassar, 2-0, last fall and also took down NYU, 3-2. 2012 NCAA Tournament participant Haverford College will also participate in the Engineering Cup.

Ramapo College is next up for the Ducks on September 11 in Mahwah, N.J. at 4 p.m. before three-straight home matches in a seven-day span. Farmingdale State College visits Hoboken on the 18th after a trip to NCAAs last season. The two teams were scheduled to play in 2012 but the contest was postponed due to weather. Farmingdale has won the Skyline Conference every year since Stevens departed in 2007.

Houghton College will make its first trip to Stevens as part of the Empire 8 Conference on the 21st after a 14-8 season and a spot in the NCCAA Tournament. The Ducks fell to Houghton, 5-1, in the first meeting between the two schools last October. In-state rival, Drew University, a ten-win opponent in 2012, steps on the De Baun pitch for a night contest at 7:30 p.m. on the 25th.

Over the next five contests, the Ducks will be on the road for four of those matches including four conference opponents from September 28 to October 13. Stevens heads up to Utica College on September 28 for an Empire 8 showdown at 12 p.m. - Stevens blanked Utica, 4-0, in 2012 - before a trip to Pennsylvania for a non-conference match against Eastern University on the first day of October at 4 p.m. The Ducks make a quick stop back in Hoboken to entertain Hartwick College on the 5th at 3 p.m. for another conference tussle and then head up to Rochester, N.Y., for two more Empire 8 games against Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College on October 12-13. Stevens defeated Hartwick, Nazareth and St. John Fisher in the regular season in 2012 but fell to Naz in the Empire 8 Tournament on penalty kicks.

Alumnae Day is set for October 19 as the Ducks play host to Alfred University at 1 p.m. after a 5-0 defeat of the Saxons in 2012. On the 23rd, Stevens will be tested by a 15-2-3 TCNJ squad that reached the NCAA Second Round last year. TCNJ was ranked 18th nationally in last season's meeting where the Lions came away with a 3-0 victory in Ewing.

Stevens' final conference road test is slated for October 26 at No. 10 Ithaca College, the team that halted the Ducks' two-year hold on the E8 title a year ago. Ithaca went 19-1-3 in 2012 and shut out the Ducks, 4-0 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Five days later, Stevens takes on its final NCAA opponent from 2012 against Western Connecticut State University for a 7 p.m. contest on Halloween. Western Connecticut posted a 15-5-3 mark in 2012 and played to a scoreless draw with the Ducks in the last meeting.

The 2013 regular season comes to a close on November 2 against Elmira College for Senior Day at De Baun. The Empire 8 finale is scheduled to kick off at 12 p.m., where the Ducks will look to avenge a 2-1 setback to Elmira.

"Our conference race is wide open this season," said Parker. "Houghton, Elmira and Hartwick are all up-and-coming which, we feel, makes the Empire 8 one of the best conferences in the country. The conference has been underrepresented at the national stage and three teams could have easily made the tournament each of the past two seasons."

The Empire 8 Championship takes place on November 9 and 10, as the Ducks attempt to capture their third conference title in the past four seasons.