SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer program will host American in the 2019 season opener at County University Soccer Stadium tomorrow afternoon, kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
"We're very excited to kickoff the season here at home," USC Upstate head coach Tyson John said. "American University is also coming off a winning season, and we look forward to our first challenge of the year. Our women have worked hard in the offseason and our focus is to continue our pursuit of winning a Big South Championship."
 
This will be the first ever meeting between USC Upstate (0-0-0) and American University (1-0-0). The Spartans are looking for their eighth opening day win in program history. Last season, USC Upstate blanked USC Beaufort 4-0. Abbie Ellis (Clemmons, N.C.) played apart in all four goals last season, the then junior scored a pair and then assisted on the other two scores.
 
The Spartans historic 2018 season came to a close last season with an appearance in the Big South Tournament Semi-finals round. USC Upstate broke seven Division-I records, Wins (11), Points (93), Goals (37), Assists (19), Shot Attempts (327), Goals Against Average (1.43) and Shutouts (8). Ellis broke five different school records last season in route to a Big South All-Conference selection.
 
The 2019 Spartans squad has a quality mix of both youth and veteran leadership. Eight seniors headline an upperclassmen group hungry to compete for a Big South Title. Kirsten Nolan (South Africa), Tamsyn Sibanda (United Kingdom) and Natalie Valaskova (Czech Republic) are some of the top players in loaded freshman class for the Spartans.
 
American comes into Sunday's matchup having already played a regular season match in the 2019 season. The Eagles are coming off a 2-0 win against UNC Asheville on Friday night and they are looking for their fourth consecutive win over a Big South opponent. Last season, the Eagles defeated both Longwood and Hampton in route to a 7-5-5 overall record.
 
In the Eagles opening match against UNC Asheville, Keelin Ferris and Charly Slavick each scored a goal in the victory. Juliana Saling dished out a pair of assists in the win and Samm Franucci and Dori Rizzo each led the team with a pair of shots on goal. Ryleigh Brown played all 90 minutes for the Eagles in the net and recorded four saves in the win. American outshot UNC Ashville 16-7 and out-paced the Bulldogs with five fouls in the contest.
 
American will be looking to replace their three top scorers from the 2018 season. Out of 24 goals scored last season only three of them were scored by non-seniors. The bulk of the 24 goals were scored by Yari Bradfield (13 goals), Gabriela Maldonado (4 goals) and Audrey Denkler (3 goals). Bradfield also finished with a team high 28 points and 34 shots on goal.
 
On the defensive side of the ball brown returns after a quality 2018 season. Brown had a 3-4-3 recorded in the net last season and posted a trio of shutouts throughout the season. Brown allowed just 13 goals and registered 61 saves in 982 minutes of action.
 
Fans that are unable to come can view the game on ESPN+ or follow Live Stats at www.upstatespartans.com. Fans are encouraged to bring couches to the game and there will be free ice cream for students.
 
Follow USC Upstate women's soccer on Facebook (UpstateAthletics), Twitter (@UpstateWSoccer), Instagram (@upstatespartans), YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics) and text/email alerts (www.upstatespartans.com/list-signup).