By Trevor Wenners
Assistant Director of Sports Information
The LaGrange College women's soccer team is expecting to take the next step in its evolution this coming fall, as Panthers head coach Fred Wagenaar has released the 2020 schedule for the team.
LaGrange is scheduled to compete in 17 regular-season games, eight USA South contests and six home games at Panther Field. The squad will open its season on Sept. 1, as the unit will travel to Marion, Alabama, to take on Judson.
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| Emma Smith won six games in net in 2019. |
The Panthers' home opener will be against Allen on Sept. 21, and then the squad will open its conference slate on Sept. 26 at Piedmont. The team will compete in its first home, USA South matchup on Sept. 30 against Huntingdon.
LaGrange won eight games in 2019, which was the most for the program since the 2013 campaign. The 2020 Panthers will certainly have a goal of qualifying for the USA South Tournament.
"Our expectations are set very high," said sophomore defender Madison Demkowski. "We want to overcome any adversity and we plan to train our hardest until we get to where we want to go. We have goals and we are set out to achieve them."
The 2019 team was anchored by an outstanding three-person senior class in Olivia Braun, Taylor Hamm and Maura Webb.
Hamm showcased a great deal of resiliency during her senior campaign, playing in seven of the final eight games after recovering from an ACL injury. Braun was the head captain for the Panthers since the end of her sophomore campaign, finishing her career with five goals. Webb was a reliable midfielder for LaGrange, organizing the Panthers' attack and helping the team transition smoothly from defense to offense.
Here is the Panthers' 2020 schedule.
2019 Highlights:
- Sophomore midfielder Sydney Dailey took home USA South Player of the Week recognition on Sept. 23. She buried her fourth-career, game-winning goal with 3:38 remaining in regulation during a 2-1 victory over Berea on Oct. 12. Dailey finished with two goals and an assist in a win over Talladega on Sept. 18. The Carrollton, Georgia, native led the Panthers in assists (7) and points (19), while her six goals were tied for the most on the team. The seven assists were the sixth most in a single season in program history.
- Sophomores Dynasty Burchett (6 goals, 1 assist) and Zoe Watts (6 goals) were a consistent source of offensive production. Burchett netted two goals 1:03 apart during a triumph over Mary Baldwin on Sept. 21. Watts recorded two-goal games in wins over Talladega on Sept. 8 and Mary Baldwin on Sept. 21. Demkowski continued to evolve as an exceptional defender and leader on the backline for the Panthers. If you have not seen it already make sure to give our feature on her a read.
- Sophomore Emma Smith and freshman Maurie White gave the Panthers some great performances in net. Smith led the team in wins (6), saves (113), save percentage (.825) and individual shutouts (2), while also finishing with two combined shutouts. She recorded double-digit saves in five out of the final seven games, including stopping a career-high, 19-of-20 shots in a 1-0 setback at Huntingdon on Oct. 16. White went 2-2 in goal and posted a team-best 1.46 goals-against average. The LaGrange native earned her first-collegiate win during a 4-0 triumph at Talladega on Sept. 8.
- The Panthers won five-straight games from Sept. 8-21, recording four shutouts during that span. LaGrange outscored those five opponents by a combined margin of 16-2. The team held 17-of-19 opponents to two or less goals. During a win over Judson on senior day, Hamm and Webb scored their first-collegiate goals.
Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lagrange.edu.
