After a record-setting season in 2022, Lourdes returns to the pitch for the 2023 women's soccer season looking to build upon last year's success.
 
Head coach Jackie Phillips returns for her ninth season as the helm of the Gray Wolves and returns 15 players from last season's roster which won a school-best nine matches on the way to a 9-5-4 overall record and a 6-4-1 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.  Lourdes finished fifth in the league during the regular season and advanced to the WHAC semifinals for the first time in program history.
 
Lourdes yielded just 13 goals in 18 matches last year and will look to its defensive third to lead the team again in 2023.  In goal, Emmy Rodger set a single season mark with a 0.72 goals against average and 10 shutouts on her way to earning First Team All-WHAC accolades for the second straight season and enters her junior year with an .837 career save percentage.  Freshman Samarah Arendsen will also compete for time between the posts for the Gray Wolves this season.
 
Senior Karlie Heilman, a Second Team All-WHAC honoree one season ago, will anchor the center back position for the Gray Wolves while Simona Iacobacci transitions into the same role this year heading into her senior season.  Molly Anderson appeared in five matches during her rookie campaign and will also work into the rotation this year.
 
On the outside on defense, Natalie Samples is back for her second year after earning WHAC All-Newcomer Team accolades for her efforts as a freshman.  Zoey Trout appeared in 16 contests during her rookie season and is back as well while incoming transfer Cecily Hughes saw her first collegiate action for NCAA Division I Detroit Mercy in 2022 and will look to bring that experience to the Lourdes lineup.  Freshman Elise Dodson will also look to break into the lineup defensively for the Gray Wolves.
 
With 53 career appearances in her first three seasons, 18 more matches than any other on the Gray Wolf roster entering the year, Gianna Salatino will anchor the central midfield.  Her three career assists are the most among active Lourdes players.  McKenzie Klingensmith is also back for her senior season while Sophia Larabee saw action in 14 contests as a freshman giving the Gray Wolves returning experience in the central midfield.  Freshmen Emily Wade, Laura Rincon, and Rylie Jones will all look to make an impact as well during their first year with the program.
 
Keira Boskovich and Sydney Woodring are back on the flank entering the season, joining freshmen Chloe Wittbrodt and Kayden Firsdon, both of whom will also battle for action at the position.
 
Up top, Kayla Dillinger is the team's top returning scorer.  She found the back of the net four times in 2022 and has 13 career points through her first two seasons with the Gray Wolves.  Ellen Kolodin and Trina Spuck also return at forward while Paige Stooksberry moves up top after playing a more defensive and midfield role last season.  A pair of rookies, Taylir Lynam and Kendall Gregory will also be in the mix on attack as Lourdes opens the season.
 
Lourdes opens its season on Aug. 27 with a home match against Roosevelt, the first of 17 contests on the schedule in 2023.  The Gray Wolves begin WHAC play on the road at Cornerstone Sept. 23.
 
With a great deal of experience in goal and on defense, Lourdes has also brought in a talented freshman class that will compete for playing time immediately, giving the Gray Wolves a great deal of optimism in search of the program's third consecutive winning season.   
 
As the team continues to gel throughout the year, the Gray Wolves will look to see who will step up offensively to put the ball in the back of the net in the quest for another postseason run in the WHAC tournament.