University of Delaware Athletics
Women's Soccer Kicks Off 2013 Athletics Season at St. John's (Aug. 22, 2013)
8/22/2013 4:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The contest will be streamed live on ESPN3.com beginning at 7 p.m. The Red Storm and Blue Hens last met on August 31, 2008 with Delaware having won two of the three all-time meetings.
Head coach Scott Grzenda – the only person to serve as head coach in school history - enters his 24th season at the helm of the Blue Hens. Grzenda returns eight letterwinners from the 2012 squad and welcomes 10 new Blue Hens to the program.
Delaware, which registered an overall record of 9-8-1 last season while going 6-4-0 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play, looks to make a third consecutive CAA post-season tournament appearance this fall.
Five veteran players return to the squad this season for Delaware. Seniors Chelsea Duffy, Shannon Kearney, Dianna Marinaro, Jessica Levy, and Brittany Bonzano will all complete their careers as Blue Hens in 2013.
Duffy, Kearney, and Marinaro started in all 18 games last year for Delaware. Duffy was selected to the All-CAA second team as a midfielder and also earned 2013 All-CAA pre-season accolades. Kearney registered three points last season while Marinaro scored one goal. Levy will continue her reign in net for Delaware after ranking fourth
overall in CAA goalkeeping statistics while Bonzano returns as the lead of the Hens' defensive unit.
Delaware also returns Emily Market, who was selected to the CAA All-Rookie team last season, and junior Allegra Gray, who earned All-CAA first team accolades as a midfielder in 2012. Gray earned All-CAA first team honors in 2012 to become just the second defensive player and first sophomore in Delaware program history to earn first team all-conference honors since Delaware joined the CAA in 2002.
Following Friday's contest, the Hens travel to West Long Branch, N.J. to take on the Monmouth Hawks on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. Delaware then closes out its season-opening three-game road swing at Rutgers on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.
The Hens will return to Newark for the home opener on Friday, Sept. 6 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Loyola (Md.). Delaware will play five more non-conference contests before
the CAA opener on Sept. 26 at Towson.
