Dover, Del. (Aug. 18, 2016) --- A new era for the Delaware State women's soccer program begins Friday evening when the Hornets kick off the 2016 season at Lafayette of the Patriot League. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow at Lafayette's Mike Bourger Field in Easton, Pa.
The contest also marks the debut of new Hornet head coach and Delaware native Kortney Rhoades, a standout at Padua Academy in Wilmington before a successful college career at the University of South Carolina. While at South Carolina, Rhoades helped lead the Gamecocks to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and the school's first-ever Southeast Conference Tournament and regular season championships.
Rhoades was an assistant coach at Div. II Colorado Mesa before accepting the Delaware State job this summer.
She is the sixth coach in the history of the DSU women's soccer program.
Rhoades will inherit 12 players from the Hornets' 2015 squad, which set a school record for wins in a season (8) and captured the Independent teams tournament for the second straight year.
The top returning scorers are midfielders Elise Pratt (sr.) and Dina Isham (sr.).
Pratt was tied for the team lead in assists (3) and ranked third on the Hornets in points (9) and tied for fourth on the club with three goals last season.
Isham was tied with Pratt and two others for fourth on the team with three scores and ranked sixth on the Hornets with six points in 2015.
Forward Ayanna Smith (sr.), the Most Outstanding Performer of the 2015 Independent Tournament, also returns. She was tied with Pratt for the team high with three assists and tallied one goal last season.
The 2016 Hornets also featured experienced goal keeper Michelle Lammers, who posted the most shutout victories (5.2) and collected the seventh most saves (86) in DSU single-season history a year ago.
Delaware State's 2016 roster also features 11 newcomers, including eight freshmen.
“My goal is to continue the growth that former coach Kerri Scroope was able to do while she was here,” said Rhoades. “From what I've seen, we already have a good program here and my expectation would be to just keep growing it and get the Delaware State name out there more than just the Tri-State area.”
The Delaware State contest also marks the 2016 opener for Lafayette, which posted an 8-7-1 overall record last season, including a 1-0 victory over the Hornets in Dover, Del.
The Hornets will play their 2016 home opener this Sunday (Aug. 21) against Temple. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. at DSU's Alumni Stadium.
