Experienced Team Looks To Surpass Historic Season

The Brenau University Golden Tigers soccer team, coming off its best season in program history, finished 2012 with a 13-5-0 overall record and an 8-3 SSAC mark. The Tigers historic run concluded with a loss to the NAIA's four time defending national champions- Lee University- in the semi-final match of the SSAC tournament.

2012 provided the Tigers with many accolades despite the earlier than desired conclusion to the season. Amongst them were records set for most team and individual goals scored in a season, most wins in a season, and best overall winning percentage of any Brenau soccer team. The individual accomplishments included the first-time selection of three players to both First Team All-SSAC and NAIA All-American teams, as well as many other individual awards and honors.

This year's team should be well-positioned to build on the success they enjoyed last fall. Head Coach Mike Lochstampfor will return all but one starter from the 2012 team. Additionally, the 2013 version will bring a great deal of experience with seven seniors and eight juniors vying for starting positions.

The Golden Tigers offense will be exciting to watch this year once again with the return of some key players for the team. The 2012 team was ranked #17 nationally in team scoring with 59 goals on the season. Individually, the Tigers will need to rely on a few players that helped produce those results- including NAIA All-American and SSAC Offensive Player of the Year- Esther Anyanwu (Lagos, Nigeria). Anyanwu led the both the Tigers and the conference with 27 goals and 8 assists- impressive enough results to earn her a second place NAIA national ranking for total points. Anyanwu will likely team up with Jenny Knibbs (Doncaster, England), who led Brenau with 10 assists– ranking her 15th nationally in the NAIA. Knibbs also chipped in 8 goals of her own last year. Brenau's triple threat on offense includes junior midfielder Kayla Madsen (Flowery Branch, GA). Madsen, who also saw playing time as a forward last year, contributed tremendously on offense- as Brenau's second leading scorer - with 12 goals and 9 assists on the season.

Led by NAIA All-American, Linda Chukwuji, the Golden Tigers midfield should be solid once again and will prove to be one of the keys if the 2013 team is to be successful. Chukwuji will likely combine with fellow senior, Kirsty Smith (Doncaster, England), and junior Elizabeth Campbell (Richmond Hill, GA). Smith will contribute as a key playmaker while Campbell's aggressive ball-winning ability will once again prove invaluable on defense. Sophomore, Monica Sanchez (Miami, FL), has gained valuable experience on the international stage over the course of the summer. Newcomers to the midfield include transfers Vanessa Alexander (Toronto, Canada) and Taylor Salmon (Bradenton, FL- Valdosta State). Alexander brings a wealth of experience from one of the NJCAA's best programs - Georgia Perimeter College- where she was recognized as a GCAA First-Team selection in 2012 recording 11 goals and 11 assists on the season. Alexander is a crafty player that can play a well-timed pass to an attacker or is equally capable of scoring herself. Salmon has gained valuable time at two of the best NCAA DII programs in the Southeast and will add to the team's defensive capability at midfield. She has the ability to win a lot of balls and can serve a great left footed ball from a deeper position.

With the return of three solid starting defenders and NAIA All-American goalkeeper, Tori Brown (Windermere, FL), the defense will play a vital role in the success of the 2013 team. Brown has demonstrated a consistent ability to take care of her goalkeeping responsibilities while effectively organizing the defense. Brown recorded 5 shutouts in 2012 while posting 106 saves and an .822 winning percentage. Helping to anchor the defense will be veteran defenders seniors Hannah Norwood, (Lilburn, GA), speedster Janay Hunt, (Madison, AL) and junior Anna Garrett (Marietta, GA). All three have formed the nucleus of a solid defense that has been together for the past two seasons while securing 13 shutouts for the team.

Fans should once again be excited about what should again be a great season for the Golden Tigers soccer team. The Tigers schedule will be a challenging one as they face four NAIA Top 25 ranked teams in addition to the always rigorous SSAC schedule. The Tigers open the 2013 slate with a competitive match against cross-state rival Savannah College of Art & Design on August 23rd. They subsequently hit the road for four consecutive matches against some of the best NAIA programs in the nation before settling into conference play in late September- all great preparation for achieving the goal of an historic postseason run in 2013!