Preview: Will senior leadership help Edinboro Soccer?

The Edinboro Women’s Soccer team is looking to improve on last season.

In 2018, the team finished 6-11-0, with only one senior on the squad. They have three this year: Danielle Chatten, Sidney Dobbins and Audrey Billittier. Chatten scored seven goals last year and Head Coach Gary Kagiavas is looking to her to have another high scoring campaign.

Dobbins, meanwhile, is expected to continue her leadership. “The energy that Sidney brings is hard to replicate.” And Billittier helps maintain the energy level and the team spirit. “We tend to have a very thin senior class,” said Kagiavas.

He explained that majors and scholarships play into this as students may struggle with continuing to play if they’re not getting much in scholarships, but this doesn’t affect the team.

“We don’t mind. The young kids we bring in tend to be very productive for us in their sophomore and junior years,’’ said Kagiavas.

The team brought in eight freshmen, with some of them playing different roles than they did in high school.

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes into this including fitness level. Depending on where their fitness level is and how much they can contribute,

that makes a big difference. I think they’ll be okay,” he said.

Maddie Sleva, one of those first-year players, brings aboard a crucial piece the team needed, another goalkeeper.

“She’s terrific, Maddie’s terrific. She will be a good goalkeeper for us, a very great compliment for Anna (Voelker). She’s done really well, [and] I’m really excited about that,” said Kagiavas.

Edinboro also brought in three transfers before the season, but only two are eligible right now.

The team kicked off their season at Bloomsburg on Thursday, Sept. 5, and they play their first home game on Saturday, Sept. 7 when they face Notre Dame (Ohio). Bloomsburg, a top team in the eastern PSAC division, will present an early challenge. And it’s a challenge that Kagiavas is looking forward to.

“I think we should be able to hold our own,” he said.

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