STOCKTON, Calif. – The University of Pacific women's soccer team is ready to begin the 2022 season and improve on a good year one under Co-Head Coaches Danesha Adams and J.J. Wozniak.
Led by a solid returning core and a promising crop of young talent, the Tigers look to take the WCC by storm in the 2022 season.
"The roster we have been able to put together is arguably one of the deepest in program history, and the players are ready to go," said Adams and Wozniak. "We were thrilled with the recruiting class we put together for this year and couldn't wait for them to get here to Stockton and on our campus, and now that they are here, those new players have acclimated, adjusted, and blended in very well with the very talented and experienced group of returners we have back this fall."
Led in goal by reigning WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Brenna Crump, on defense by the all-time leader in starts Camryn Scully and the midfield by Aniela Jensen and Jaida Nyby, the Tigers are loaded with firepower.
On attack, Pacific returns every player that had multiple goals for the team last season. Jaida Nyby and Hunter More will lead a frontline that scored 22 goals last season.
"We knew that we had enjoyed a highly successful season by our program's standards, and everyone associated with our program felt great with how the season went, but we knew the players wanted more," stated Adams and Wozniak. "To achieve more and take the program to standards and levels never experienced, we knew we had to increase the strength of our schedule, and we know that we have achieved that with our 2022 Fall season schedule. Not only are we playing programs that have consistently proved they are quality over the years, but we are also playing programs that are extremely well coached and full of talented players."
The Tigers start the season against Long Beach State, one of the top teams in the Big West Conference that finished last season with a 9-7-2 record with wins over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
"There is no doubt we are so excited to get the Fall 2022 season kicked off on Thursday, Aug 18, at Long Beach State," said Adams and Wozniak. "We know there are big expectations for our team, but the reality for us is that our players have big dreams and goals for this season, and they are prepared to take on every challenge they face starting at Long Beach State head-on and are on a mission to make the Fall 2022 season their most memorable season yet!"
The program's first home game of the season is on August 21 against Sacramento State, a team, the Tigers defeated 4-0 last season. Four different players scored for the Tigers, and the defense held Sacramento State to just two shots.
After traveling to UC Davis, the Tigers host Oregon State for Family Day on August 28 at Knoles Field. The Beavers had 11 wins last season in a demanding PAC-12 schedule and will be a good challenge for the Tigers early in the season.
After away matches against Iowa and Fresno State, the team is back at Knoles field to host Weber State and San Jose State on September 8 and 11. This will be the Tiger's first matchup against Weber State. The Tigers defeated San Jose State last season 2-0, thanks to Hunter More's and Aniela Jensen's goals.
The Tigers are on the road against Nevada and UC Santa Barbara to close out their road non-conference schedule. The program plays back-to-back matches against the 2020 National Champion Santa Clara. The home match on September 25 will be a non-conference matchup, while the away matchup on October 1 will be the Tigers' first WCC action.
The Tigers host Saint Mary's on October 5 for Mental Health Awareness Night before hosting the 2021 Runner-Up in BYU on October 8. The Tigers host Pepperdine on October 22 for Club Night before closing out the season with an away matchup against Portland and home games against Loyola Marymount on November 2 and San Diego on November 5.
Adams and Wozniak continued, "It's a challenging schedule in many ways but one that has motivated our players to prepare at an incredibly high level to make sure they are ready for the grind of both the Non-Conference and Conference slate of matches."
