DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras women's soccer team opens its 2016 campaign in the Rockbowl for their first two games of the season with the first match this Thursday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m against Augsburg and then the second match of their schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 4 p.m against Wheaton.

NEW FOR 2016
The Duhawks will have a new head coach at the helm for the first time in 18 seasons with former head coach Dan Rothert moving into a new role as Director of Soccer and his longtime assistant Matt Pucci taking over for the women's program. You can follow all home matches this season live by tuning in on the Duhawk Broadcast Network and its new home at duhawks.com/watch, courtesy of SIDEARM Sports All-Access. Fans can also follow along on social media by following @LorasMWSoccer.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE AUGGIES
The two sides last meeting came last season when the Duhawks traveled to Minneapolis, Minn. and left with a 2–1 victory moving them to 3–2–1 all time against the Auggies. Senior Madie Avery put in the game-winning goal by the way of a header off a long throw from junior Gretchen Schutz after Schutz tied the game early in the second half.

AUGGIES TO WATCH
Senior midfielder Marta Anderson is a threat offensively for the Auggies coming off a season where she was second on the team in points (23) and first in assists (11). This performance earned her a spot on the All-MIAC team. The last line of defense for the Auggies comes in the form of junior goalkeeper Marissa Guillou. The Burnsville, Minn. native appeared and started in 17 matches last season for Augsburg. During that time she compiled a 0.91 goals against average and made 54 saves with a .783 save percentage. She finished with an 11–6 record to go along with six shutouts.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE THUNDER
Loras' last contest with Wheaton came last season when Loras traveled to Wheaton, Illinois to take on the Thunder. The match was a tightly contested one with the Thunder scoring in the 21st minute giving them an early 1–0 lead. After that no one scored until the 89th minute when the Thunder put in another one to seal the win and give them the win by a final score of 2–0. With that loss, Loras dropped to 3–9–0 all time versus Wheaton.

THUNDER TO WATCH
Junior Morgan Whitman is the highest points earner returning from last years squad. In 2015, Whitman compiled three goals and five assists giving her 11 points which was fourth on the team. In addition to Whitman, junior midfielder Sarah Van Wingerden completed last season with three goals and one assist earning her First Team All-CCIW honors.

FINDING NEW OFFENSIVE SOURCE
The 2016 campaign for the Loras women's soccer program will look different than the team that played in the IIAC Tournament Championship in Waverly, Iowa against Wartburg. With the two leading goal scorers graduated, generating offense without Katie Truesdale and Danielle Vujovic will be even more critical for the Duhawks in 2016, especially with the change in leadership in head coach Matt Pucci. For a team that averaged 2.35 goals per game in 2015 with Truesdale and Vujovic, Loras will need everyone to rise to the occasion and fill the void left behind.

NEW FACES BETWEEN THE POSTS
Loras Women's soccer is ready for the new transition in coaching and style they have played in the past years. The Loras women's soccer team has added 10 new faces to its roster this season, two of which are goal keepers. Last season, current senior Maria Siebels and current sophomore, Michelle Loyo, split the season in the net, while Siebels appeared in 13 games and Loyo appeared in 10. Siebels had 55 saves on the season while Loyo recorded 53. Joining the goalkeeper army this season is Megan Black, a transfer from Ashford University, and freshman Kaylee Coble.

REDEMPTION TIME
The Duhawks come off a season where they just missed appearing in the NCAA Tournament with losing in the IIAC Championship game in penalties and then not receiving the at large bid during selection day. As a team, they feel they have something to prove in this 2016 campaign, but they will need to fill some big shoes with the graduation of their leading goal scorer from a year ago in Truesdale who finished the season with 16 goals and four assists giving her the Iowa Conference Offensive MVP for the second year in a row and All-Region honors. But with Loras returning 18 letterwinners, this squad still has much to offer for a successful 2016 campaign. Avery finished last season in third on the team with five goals and also added an assist to her stat line. Defensively, Loras returns junior Sydney Wright who appeared and started in all 20 matches last season.