Lynchburg women's soccer season preview

            The 2012 Lynchburg College women's soccer team begins the season ranked 15^th in the nation after winning a second-straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title and advancing to the NCAA tournament for the fifth year in a row.  The Hornets lost several key contributors to graduation, but head coach Dr. Todd Olsen and the rest of the team are poised to improve on the 19-win season of last year and make another run to the Final Four.
            Finishing in the top-ten nationally in several defensive categories, Lynchburg aims to stifle opposing offenses in 2012.  The defense posted a 0.298 goals against average (GAA) after allowing only seven goals throughout the year.  Four-year starter in goal Jackie Bader graduated and will be replaced by Audrey Moore.  The senior played in 11 games last year and did not allow a single shot past her.  Helping Moore out on the backline is former ODAC Rookie of the Year Tori Dott.  Dott played in 22 games last year, starting all of them.  She assisted on one goal and earned Second-Team All-ODAC honors.  Also returning to the vaunted defense are Rachel Sadowski and Nikki Rhodes.  Sadowski gained valuable experience in her sophomore season, starting in 17 of the 21 games she played in.  Rhodes appeared in 18 games during her junior year, with eight starts.  The experience of this defense should help keep Lynchburg at the top of the ODAC in 2012.
            Not to be overshadowed, the Hornets offense was one of the best in the NCAA during the 2011 season.  LC averaged the third highest total of goals a game (4.43) and scored the third most goals (102) in the nation. While a few members of the attack graduated, including All-American midfielder Brittany Klippstein, there is no shortage of firepower returning.  Rising sophomore Dessi Dupuy earned several accolades in her first year at Lynchburg.  She finished third in the nation in total goals (27) and was named ODAC Co-Rookie and All-State Rookie of the year, as well as first-team All-ODAC, All-State, and All-Region.  Dupuy will be looking to expand on those totals in her second season.  Joining Dupuy up top will be another first-team All-ODAC and All-State performer, Angela Bosco.  In her first season with the Hornets, Bosco finished second on the team with 18 goals.  Returning to the midfield are seniors Jessica Gonzalez and Shelley Hoath.  Gonzalez scored three goals in 2011 and increased her role on the defensive end near the end of the year.  In addition, she scored the game-tying goal against Virginia Wesleyan College in a game the Hornets came back to win and seal the number one seed in the ODAC tournament.  Hoath helped out on both ends as well, adding four goals and two assists. Both players have started since arriving in 2009 and will be looked to continue their stellar careers in 2012.
            Lynchburg will once again face one of the tougher schedules in the nation.  The season opener comes against defending Great South Athletic Conference regular season champion Maryville (Tenn.) College at the Roanoke College Kickoff Tournament.  Also on the schedule are three games against NCAA tournament participants, with all of them coming away from Shellenberger Field.  In October, the Hornets head to ODAC rival Roanoke College on the 12^th, and then face Capital Athletic Conference power Salisbury University two days later.  The marquee game on the schedule comes early this year.  In a rematch of the past two ODAC championship games, Lynchburg travels across the state to take on Virginia Wesleyan on September 12, in a game that could have major implications on the national stage as well as in the ODAC.