Women's Soccer 2024 Season Preview
FROSTBURG, Md. - Frostburg State Athletics will be taking a preview for each team competing in the fall season, covering eight total sports. Over the next one and a half weeks, each team will be broken down into their expectations, key players, and overall outlook for their season and program. Second up for this week is Women's Soccer.
Overall
Frostburg State Women's Soccer will play its 31st season this fall in 2024. Head Coach Brian Parker is set to enter his 23rd season leading the program, as he welcomes back both Assistant Coach Torii Zamorski and Graduate Assistant Maggie Jones.
Last Season
Frostburg went for an impressive overall record of 17-3-2 in 2023, with an 11-1-2 mark in MEC play, clinching their fourth straight North Division title. The Bobcats pushed to their third consecutive conference championship game, falling just short against Charleston (WV) in a 2-1 contest. FSU also earned a spot in the Division II NCAA Tournament, for the second straight season, as the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic Region, where they faced West Chester in the opening round of regional play.
Parker had six All-MEC honorees to start the season's awards, with goalkeeper Ashley Bilger, forward Toni Fiocco-Mizer, and defender Cat Smit earning spots on the All-MEC First Team, while midfielder Hannah Thompson and defender Mei Homman took All-MEC Second Team honors, and defender Carolyn DeSena received All-MEC Honorable Mention. Continuing with accolades on the field, Bilger, Fiocco-Mizer, Thompson, and Smith were all United Soccer Coaches All-Region Selections, while Smith went on to be named D2CCA First Team All-Region, as well as a D2CCA Third Team All-American. Off the field, the team excelled in the classroom with five being named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, with Bilger and Thompson going on to receive the Academic All-American honor. To round out the season, the team as a whole received their 16th consecutive Ethics and Sportsmanship Award and their 17th consecutive United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award.
The Returners
Parker welcomes back a tremendous number of returners in 19, but lost a solid senior class of seven, including Bilger, Fiocco-Mizer, Thompson, Kayla Robinson, Keely Knotts, Lela Clark, and Dez Mortimer, who were a big part of the program during their time at Frostburg. Senior Madi Allen looks to lead the way up front, tying for the team lead in goals last season with eight, as she will be accompanied by fellow senior Mackenzie Alonso and juniors Morgan Mrizek and Hannah Claggett, along with sophomores Chelsea Pettyjohn and Grace Sarver. The midfield will consist of DeSena and junior Carly Gillette, who showed a strong 2023 season, as they will play beside juniors Hannah Lebo and Jayme Sooy, and sophomores Ella Combs, Amanda Hawbecker, and Madison Hinton, all who saw time in their freshman season. The senior duo of Smith and Homman make their return to the defensive side of the ball, with the help of juniors Mary Greco and Skylar Ehart, all who will help protect both senior Katie Sterne and sophomore Mia Graff in goal.
The Newcomers
The Bobcats add a solid freshman class of 11 to the mix, as Parker looks to add them to the gameplan right away. Mollie Rebuck, Amber Ignudo, and Elena Fernandez join the team as the trio of forwards, playing in front of midfielders Ellie Fiedler, Rayiah Davis, and Ariana Davis. The defensive freshman class is made up of Ridgely Houck, Ainsley Wilson, Madison Hobson, and Cassidy Paige, that all look to cover incoming goalkeeper Kayla Doty.
Kick off to Season
FSU kicks off their season on the road, as they travel to play Shippensburg on Thursday, September 5 for their 2024 opener at 7 PM. Frostburg welcomes in Point Park on Wednesday, September 18 at 7:30 PM for their first home and conference match of the year.
For more information and upcoming previews, please visit frostburgsports.com.
Latest Women's Soccer Stories
- Smith Selected as MEC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the WeekSenior Cat Smith was named MEC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for the opening week of competition. The award was announced on Monday by the league office and is presented by The Health Plan.
- Women's Soccer Unable to Hold On to Early Lead in Loss to IUPThe Frostburg State Women's Soccer team suffered their first loss of the season 2-1 to Indiana (Pa.) at the MD Soccerplex on Saturday afternoon.
- Smith's Late Goal Paves Way for Women's Soccer to Take Opener Over RaidersSenior Cat Smith scored a late winner as Frostburg State Women's Soccer opened their 2024 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Shippensburg on Thursday evening.
- Women's Soccer Predicted to Win MEC North Division for Third Consecutive YearThe Frostburg State Women's Soccer team was selected to finish first in the North Division for the third consecutive year, as shown in the MEC Preseason Poll announced on Wednesday afternoon by the league office.
- Women's Soccer Receives 17th Consecutive Academic Team AwardUnited Soccer Coaches announced on Thursday the College Team Academic Award winners, where Frostburg State was one of 243 total women's teams to receive the honor.
- Women's Soccer Receives 16th Consecutive Ethics and Sportsmanship AwardThe Frostburg State Women's Soccer program once again was among the recipients of the United Soccer Coaches Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, the 16th straight season with the honor.