Wagner Women's Soccer Opens 2018 Season

August 17, 2018

2018 Wagner College Women's Soccer Quick Facts

Game 1	Army West Point (0-0-0) vs. Wagner College (0-0-0)
Date	Friday, August 17, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Location	Staten Island, NY \| Hameline Field
Wagner	Roster \| Schedule \| News
Army West Point	Roster \| Schedule \| News
Watch Live \| Live Stats	N EC Front Row \| Live Stats

⚽️Hameline Field - Staten Island, NY
📆Friday, August 17th
⏰7:00pm
Vs. Army West Point pic.twitter.com/NDGqUwIDrr

— WagnerCollege Soccer (@WagWSoccer) August 16, 2018

Staten Island, NY- The Wagner College women's soccer team, under second-year head coach, Phil Casella, will commence the 2018 season at home and under the bright lights of Hameline Field as the Seahawks welcome Patriot League members, the Army West Point Black Knights, at 7:00 pm this evening.

Seahawks On Opening Night: In season openers, the Green &White are 1-3-1 over the last five seasons and are 4-19-2 in program history. Last season, the Seahawks tied Liberty, 1-1, in the opener at Hameline Field. The last time Wagner won on opening day came back on August 23, 2013, when the Green & White defeated Saint Peter's on the road, 3-1.

Captain, My Captains: Wagner second-year head coach, Phil Casella, named his captains for the 2018 campaign. Juniors Christine Letendre, Kaitlyn Ross, and Maria Nunez join senior Peyton Beck as this year's team leaders. Coach Casella on his captains: "I have had a year and a half to evaluate and these four practice hard and want to get better each and every day. It's not only the things they do on the field, but what they do in the classroom and keep the entire team on their toes and have the rest of the team look up to them.

Wagner Against The Patriot League: Since the program's inception in 1993, the Seahawks are 2-15-1 all-time against the current ten members of the Patriot League. The Seahawks have yet to face American, Lehigh, and Loyola (MD). The last victory against a Patriot League school came back on September 1, 2013, when the Seahawks bested Holy Cross, 2-0, on Grymes Hill.

Seahawk Reflection On The Preseason: Head Coach Phil Casella: "I think the preseason went very well from the standpoint of coming out and training and working hard day in and day out. We had the opportunity to play against two tough teams (St. John's and NJIT). The result might not have gone our way, but there were a lot of good things that came out of those contests, particularly our team's effort, intensity, and competitiveness from the start was really good to see."

2018 Breakdown (From Coach Casella):

Goalkeepers:
Delaney Beck and Katie Viscardi were among the top-ten in the Northeast Conference (NEC). "Both goalkeepers have a lot of collegiate experience and have a tremendous ability to make saves and keep us in games. They push one another and keep each other sharp and are going to be vital parts of what we are doing in 2018."

Defense:
Our back four defenders are an experienced quartet. They know what it takes to defend against top-level attacking players and teams, and they compete and are comfortable on the ball and play out of difficult situations.

Midfield/Forwards:
A group of players that do a good job in keeping the ball and allowing us to get out of our own end and pressure the defense. There are many players, we feel, can create opportunities for us to find the back of the net. Going forward, we are looking for them to be our game changers.

Scouting Army West Point: The Black Knights went 4-11-2 last season but ended the 2017 season with a 3-0 victory over American University in the regular season finale. Army West Point squared off against one Northeast Conference (NEC) member a year ago, falling to the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, 1-0, in double overtime at home. Sydney Witham was the lone Cadet selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League team, being recognized for the first time in her career. She garnered third team all-league honors in 2017 and was a vital part of Army's defensive unit for 14 of the team's 17 contests a season ago.

Up Next For Wagner: Following the season opener, the Seahawks will close out their short two-match homestand as they welcome Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) members, Rider, to Staten Island on August 21 at 7:00 p.m.

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