Setting the Scene- The Bulldogs kick of the 2015 season with a trip up north to face two Central Region opponents in No. 6 Minnesota State - Mankato and Concorida, St. Paul of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
- SWOSU opens their season in a rematch of last year's season opener when they travel to Mankato, Minn., to play against the No. 6-ranked Mavericks on Friday at 3 pm. The Bulldogs fell 1-0 to Mankato last season in Weatherford
- The Bulldogs then make the trip to St. Paul, Minn., for a match against CSP on Sunday at 1 pm. It will be the first time the two programs have met
The CoachesSWOSU: Mark Persson (55-49-11; 7th season)- This is Persson's seventh season in charge of the SWOSU soccer program
- Since taking over the program in 2009, Persson has amassed a 55-49-11 record,
becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history. He also led the Bulldogs to back-to-back GAC Championships in 2012 and 2013
- A two time All-Conference Coach of the Year, Persson holds a 29-21-6 record in GAC play
- He has coached one All-American, 10 All-Region players, and numerous All-Conference players during his time in Weatherford
No. 6 Minnesota State - Mankato: Brian Bahl (39-4-2; 3rd season)- Brian Bahl returns for his third season in charge of the Mavericks women's soccer program
- In his first two seasons at the helm, Bahl directed MSU-Mankato to both NSIC regular season and tournament titles, as well as back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths
- He has placed four players on All-American teams, while also developing 11 All-Region selections and 13 All-NSIC honorees
- Bahl is 1-0 against Persson
Concordia, St. Paul: Steve Bellis (25-43-3; 5th season)- Steve Bellis enters his fifth season at the helm for Concorida in 2015
- In four seasons, he has led the Golden Bears to a pair of ninth place finishes in the NSIC, but has yet to register a conference tournament appearance
- Bellis has coaching experience overseas, where he served as a coach in Manchester United's youth academy
- This will be the first meeting between Bellis and Persson
The OpponentsNo.6 Minnesota State - Mankato- The Mavericks went 22-1 last season, falling 3-2 in the third round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament to Central Missouri
- Mankato rose all the way to No. 1 in the polls last season
- Korey Kronforst and Dana Savino return to lead the attack. The duo combined for 26 goals last season. Kiana Nickel also returns to the fold after registering 11 assists as a sophomore
- Lauren Hoeppner returns as the only goalkeeper who saw action last fall, picking up two shutouts in two starts
- The Mavericks went a perfect 13-0 at home in 2014
Concordia, St. Paul- The Golden Bears finished 5-11-2 in 2014, placing 13th in the NSIC
- Taryn MacMillan returns for her senior season to lead the attack from the midfield where she scored four goals last season. Jessica Bianchi, who lead the team with four assists a season ago, also returns for her final year
- Emma Gartner will look to feature in goal after posting 79 saves and three shutouts last season as the starter
- The Golden Bears went 3-4-1 at home last season
GAC Preseason Poll- Despite not receiving a single first-place vote, the Bulldogs were tabbed for a second-place finish in the Great American Conference
- Defending GAC Tournament champion Ouachita Baptist received four first-place votes and are picked to win the conference this season
- Harding garnered a solitary first-place vote en route to a third-place finish, while defending GAC regular season champion Southern Nazarene earned two first-place votes but finished in fourth place
- Rounding out the poll in order were: Oklahoma Baptist, East Central and Northwestern Oklahoma State
Bulldog Facts- SWOSU will return nine starters and 12 letterwinners from the 2014 squad, headlined by All-GAC selections
Charlotte Eastman,
Ashlee Beitinger,
Cori Kelly and
Olivia Butler. Additionally, Eastman was named to a Second Team All-Central Region honoree
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Courtney Flores enters the 2015 season with 148 saves to her credit to rank sixth all-time in program history. With just 17 more saves she will move into the top three
- With 16 goals,
Samantha Nunez enters her redshirt-senior season with the fourth-best total in school history. One goal will move her into a tie for second, while seven goals this season would see her top the leaderboards
- Nunez, Beitinger and Butler all enter the season with five career assists and rank eighth in program history in the category
- SWOSU went 1-6-0 on road trips in 2014
- The road trip to Minnesota will mark the northern-most trip the Bulldogs have made in program history
Looking Ahead- The Bulldogs will host their home opener against in-state rival Central Oklahoma on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 4 pm. SWOSU fell 3-1 to the Bronchos last season in Edmond
- SWOSU goes back on the road for a match against West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 pm. The Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 decision to the Lady Buffs in Weatherford last fall
