2025 Austin College Women's Soccer Season Preview

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College women's soccer team heads into the 2025 campaign coming off one of its strongest seasons in recent memory, finishing last year with an overall record of 9-5-4, and the 'Roos head into the year picked to finish fourth out of 11 teams in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in a poll conducted among conference coaches.

Head coach Kevin Gregory has seen a steady improvement with his program as he enters his fourth season, going from one win his his first season to five in the second, with last year's team notching the most wins since an 11-win year in 2014. Gregory will need to find a replacement for four-year starting goalkeeper Kenedie Lane, but rising junior Amanda Zyla appears poised and ready to take on the challenge in a battle with first-year keepers Kieran McFarland and Meela Stubbs. Zyla played in and started four matches in her second season within the program, boasting a 0.57 goals-against-average in those appearances, and has 44 saves in 11 matches in her first two seasons with Austin College.

Austin College will be strong in the attacking third this year thanks to the return of junior forward Myles McGaha and sophomore forward Jetta Broquard, as well as dynamic attacking midfielder Emeri Watson, who has been an All-SCAC player multiple times during her career. Broquard was an instant-impact player in her first collegiate season last year, scoring a team-best five goals while adding four assists, and McGaha added three tallies. Watson chipped in a pair of goals and two assists during the 2024 campaign. They'll be helped by Rylie Balderas, a sophomore midfielder who led the team with six assists and added a pair of scores in her debut season. Hannah Oberbeck will also be called upon to help Austin College find the back of the net, with the junior midfielder having proven herself as one of the team's top creators in 2024.

The 'Roos will face a challenge not just in replacing Lane, but also Ranee LeVasseur, who helped anchor one of the top defenses in the league last season. Lauren Davis and Bailey McCreary both had breakout seasons as first-year players last year, as did Lily Davidson, while Kaya Jensen returns for her junior year after leading the defense as a starter in 17 of the 30 games in which she's played since arriving in Sherman. Laney Lambert adds athleticism and versatility as a player who can contribute both defensively and as an attacking forward, while Emma Boehmke is back for her junior season after providing a strong presence on defense while also tallying a pair of goals with two assists in 2024. Corey Huffman is another rising sophomore who made a big impact on a young side last year, as the 'Roos allowed just 13 goals, one of the lowest totals in program history. 

Gregory and assistant coach Mireya Del Abra brought in a strong class of newcomers, several of whom should make immediate contributions. With the bulk of the team's goal-scorers and defenders returning this season, Austin College will be looking to make some noise, as well as a run to the conference tournament, as the SCAC Championships expand from a four-team field to six teams for the 2025 campaign. The 'Roos open up play for the new season on Friday at home, when they host Wayland Baptist University at 6:00 p.m.