Upcoming in Gray Wolves Soccer: Lourdes continues its three-match road trip on Saturday afternoon in search of its first victory of the season.  The Gray Wolves are playing the second of three consecutive contests in the state of Michigan, battling Lawrence Tech.

Head Coach Jackie Phillips: In her sixth season on the Lourdes bench, Jackie Phillips has a 31-53-6 (.378) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves as well as overall as a head coach.  She is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lawrence Tech is 3-2 all-time against Lourdes in a series that began Oct. 21, 2015.  The Blue Devils have won two straight meetings between the two sides after a 5-0 triumph at Wildcat Stadium in 2019.  The Gray Wolves last win in the series came in overtime, 2-1, on Oct. 20, 2017 at home.  Lawrence Tech is 2-1 against Lourdes all-time in Southfield, Mich.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Jennifer Richmond scored on a rebound with 21:05 to play in regulation last Saturday (Oct. 3) as Siena Heights scored a 1-0 victory over the Gray Wolves in Adrian, Mich.  The Saints outshot Lourdes 14-9 for the match with Kerstyn Williams making four saves in goal for the Gray Wolves.  

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils opened their 2020 season last Saturday with a 1-0 victory on the road at Indiana Tech.  Jenny Dear scored the lone goal of the match for Lawrence Tech while Madison Bologna drew the assist.  In goal, Rebecca Almandoz made eight saves to earn the shutout in a match in which side registered 17 total shot attempts.  The Blue Devils were picked to finish sixth in the WHAC this season according to the coaches' preseason poll.

Playing Defensive: Lourdes has yielded just three goals total through the first three matches of the season, one per contest.  The Gray Wolves have also limited opposing scoring opportunities, allowing just 30 total shot attempts, an average of 10 per match.  Only 15 total shot attempts by the opposition have made their way to the Lourdes netminders for save opportunities.

Looking for the Back of the Net: Lourdes has been shutout in three straight matches to open the season for the first time in program history.  The Gray Wolves have had numerous chances this season, holding a 45-30 shot advantage in three matches, including a 20-15 edge on goal.  Lourdes has been unable to find the back of the net though.  Maddy Hodgson, Katie Varney, and Chloe Shaffer all lead the Gray Wolves with six shot attempts each.  A total of 15 different players have registered at least one shot attempts, with 11 players registering at least one on goal.

Two More Make Season Debuts: Emily Johnson and Katie Koch both saw their first action of the 2020 season last Saturday against Siena Heights.  Both sophomores, they have now appeared in 10 and 14 career matches respectively.

Behaving on the Field: In three matches involving Lourdes this season, there has yet to be a card (yellow or red) issued to either the Gray Wolves or the opposition.  In fact, Lourdes has been called for just 29 total fouls (9.7/match) while the opposition has been whistled for 24 (8/match).

Nearing School Records: Kerstyn Williams continues to move closer to several school records in goal.  The senior goalkeeper ranks second in program history for matches played in goal (38), minutes played in goal (2899:26), and saves (238).  Kiley Transit (2016-2018) holds all three of those records.  Williams is tied for the school mark with Transit with six shutouts while her career save percentage of .796 and goals against average of 1.90 are program records.

In the Record Book: Abigail Mann has moved into fifth place all-time at Lourdes with six career goals.  She also ranks fourth on the career list with six assists and 18 total points.  Erin Caldwell and Katie Varney are tied for sixth with five career goals while Varney also ranks sixth with four assists.  Varney is sixth with 14 career points while Caldwell is eighth on the points list with 12.

Lots of Appearances: Maria Schmidt ranks second all-time at Lourdes with 48 starts wearing the terra cotta and black.  She trails just Karlie O'Keefe (2016-2019) who started 68 contests during her time with the Gray Wolves.  Schmidt also ranks fifth in all-time appearances with 49, four behind Lauren Poslaiko (2016-2019) who is fourth having played in 53 contests.  Erin Caldwell is tied for sixth all-time with 34 starts in her career.  She trails fifth place Tara Blundell (2015, 2017) by one starting assignment.

Captains: Kerstyn Williams, Maddy Hodgson, and Olivia Pomponio will serve as the team's tri-captains in 2020.  All three are in their first season in the leadership role.

A Different Look This Season: Due to COVID-19, five schools in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference have opted to not play soccer this fall, moving all of their matches to the spring.  The remaining seven league schools will play a split season, competing in five WHAC matches in the fall and six in the spring.  The WHAC tournament and NAIA National Championships will also take place in the spring.

A Look Ahead to Spring: When the Gray Wolves resume play in the spring, they will host Northwestern Ohio and Cleary in WHAC play while traveling to Indiana Tech, Aquinas, and Madonna.  Lourdes would also travel to Michigan-Dearborn if they resume athletic competition by March.

This and That: Lourdes has played 23 different players already this season ... the Gray Wolves are 2-8-6 all-time in overtime matches ... Lourdes is 11-29-3 all-time on the road ... the Gray Wolves are looking to snap a 10-match losing skid dating back to last season ... Lourdes has taken 20 corner kicks while yielding just 12 so far this year.