The Pitt-Bradford women's soccer team kicks off the 2016 season Friday on the road against Saint Vincent.
A lot has changed for the program since losing in overtime of the AMCC Championship match last fall. Marquis Walker has stepped into the role of head coach, replacing Mike Idland, who left in the offseason for the same position at SUNY-Brockport. In eight years at the helm, Idland steered the program to new heights and established Pitt-Bradford as one of the top teams in the conference. Walker will be tasked with taking the Panthers even further.
Walker comes from Hudson (Ohio) High School and previously coached at Malone University (Ohio). In his final year at Hudson, Walker led the girls' soccer team to a 15-2-2 record and finished the season ranked seventh in the state among Division I programs.
An AMCC championship continues to elude the Panthers, who have finished runner-up to Penn State Behrend four straight years. Pitt-Bradford has won the regular season crown the last two years but would gladly trade either title for the program's first NCAA tournament appearance. Behrend was selected to repeat in the preseason coach's poll, followed by the Panthers, so much of the same is expected in 2016 between the league's top two teams.
Walker will be inheriting a team with plenty of experience as only three seniors departed from a year ago and he's grateful for the opportunity.
"The leadership of the captains and upperclassmen is a luxury that I am thankful of," Walker said. "It is a rare occurrence that a new coach gets the opportunity to take the reins of a contender."
Junior goalkeeper Sarah Dailey returns to anchor the defense. The reigning AMCC Defensive Player of the Year led the league in shutouts a year ago and ranked second overall in save percentage. More impressively, she conceded only four goals in conference play.
Juniors Kaitlyn Donnelly and Kaitlyn Williams, a pair of all-conference selections, return as the top goal scorers. Williams, along with sophomore Meghan Stuck, will solidify the midfield, and sophomore Grace Dadzaa will join Donnelly up front to form a formidable attack. Ashley Parks and Kelsea Robbins are the lone seniors on the team and hope to finish their careers in grand fashion.
Despite last year's disappointing finish, Walker has praised the Panthers for their focus during the preseason.
"The players have a tremendous work ethic and are extremely competitive," Walker said. "While there are no guarantees based on past performances, I like the chances of our team competing at a high level this season in the conference."
The Panthers will be tested early, playing their first five games of the year away from Bradford, before hosting Allegheny on Sept. 17 for their home opener. AMCC plays starts a week later at Penn State Altoona and plays out through October. One note, Pitt-Bradford travels to Penn State Behrend Oct. 19, for a midweek match that could go a long ways in determining a regular season champ and home-field advantage for the playoffs.
That matchup comes with only three games remaining on the schedule, so by then Walker should have a fairly good idea of this team's ceiling. If anything, the Panthers will be looking to break through and clear that final hurdle setting the stage for a magical season.
