MOBILE, Ala. – As Spring Hill College (SHC) women's soccer head coach Allison Whitworth begins her third season with the Badgers, she is pleased by what she sees coming out of the early season practices and scrimmages. "The biggest thing I see is that we are deeper and more consistent in our talent pool," she says. "We have a better ability to last in games, but when we do substitute, the reserves are bringing the same sustained effort with them."

Whitworth, however, admits that her squad is still very young. "We are made up of 19 underclassmen and only four upperclassmen," she says. "But we make up for our lack of experience with real enthusiasm." She also praises her team leaders for pulling the squad in the right directions. "We have a very good leadership group this season," Whitworth states. "They work well together and are steering the ship on the right course. It's a pleasure to see our leaders, in particular senior Gabrielle Burmaster (forward; Harvey, La.) and sophomore Hannah Fogt (midfield; Sidney, Ohio), have instilled in the team a commitment to success."

The 2018 season will be the first season of full NCAA and Gulf South Conference (GSC) membership for the Badger since beginning the transition to Division II in 2013 and Whitworth already sees the added incentive of a postseason possibility paying off. "Getting to the postseason and the GSC Tournament is one of our team goals this year," she says. "We have not tasted that excitement in a long time and we're hungry for it."

On the defensive side of the pitch, Whitworth is excited to see that the goalkeeping position is an all-out competition between returning sophomore HP Fluharty of Jacksonville, Fla., and two freshmen in Grace Riley of Covington, La., and Kira Babiarz of Bayonet Point, Fla. "What will determine the starter this year will be more than just ability," she says. "The starter this time around will be based on leadership. All three keepers possess different skill sets, so whatever proves effective and whoever proves the most consistent will be our starter."

The defensive back line consists almost exclusively of sophomores and Whitworth says a year's worth of experience is helping. "The communication and increased pressure on the ball is definitely improved over last year," she says. "Our 'Twin Towers' of Foat (6'0") and fellow sophomore Kylee Harrell (5'10"; Odenville, Ala.) are really coming together." Sophomores Abby Lollar of Rossville, Tenn., Sabrina Cruz of Miami, Fla., and Kiersten Turpeau of New Iberia, La., along with freshmen Carrington McKenzie of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Sofi Guisasola from Miami, Fla., and Kylie Long of Lakeside Park, Ky., will all provide valuable depth along the Badger back wall.

In the midfield, Whitworth admits that she is still experimenting to find the right combination on the field. "We have several competing," she says. "It will just come down to which group develops the right chemistry, but having Caroline Lewis (sophomore, Parker, Colo.) is big for us. Freshman Meggie van den Oever of Veghel, The Netherlands, has also impressed the SHC staff. "Meggie has shown us great moments as has sophomore Devin Fry (Johnson City, Tenn.)," says Whitworth. "We just have to keep making adjustment to find the right combination." Sophomores Johanna Meister of Waldshut-Tiengen, Germany, Mackenzie Howell of Fairhope, Ala., and Regan Gaudreault of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., will join freshman Libby Durrough of Hebron, Ky., in Whitworth's living chemistry set of midfielders.

The offensive side of the field for SHC will be much improved in 2018. "We have a lot of speed on the front line," Whitworth says. "We have players who don't just want to create chances, but finish them, as well. Burmaster is leading the way right now after leading the team in scoring the past two seasons, but our chemistry up top is better than ever." Freshman Mikaela Gamboa of Fort Worth, Texas, appears to be making an early impact as have sophomores Sidney Spivey of Edgewood, Ky., and Olivia Hall of Memphis, Tenn., together with senior Melissa Schwartz of New Hyde Park, N.Y., and freshman Olivia Odimegwu of Spring Hill, Tenn.

Whitworth is optimistic about her Badger team in 2018. "We are closer as a group than we have ever been in my previous years here," she says. "We're a smaller group, but everyone is committed to the team goals and that's fun to watch."

The Badgers will open the 2018 regular season at home on Thursday, August 30, at 4 p.m. on Library Field versus non-conference opponent the Wingate University Bulldogs.