GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- A new era in Tusculum University women's soccer begins on Friday, Sept. 1 when the Pioneers host West Alabama in their 2023 season opener at Pioneer Field.
For the first time since 1997, the Pioneers will have a new coach on the sidelines as former player and assistant coach Vanessa Fyffe takes over following the retirement of Mike Joy after 26 seasons and 290 victories at Tusculum.
Fyffe is a 2010 Tusculum graduate and four-year letterwinner as a goalkeeper for the Pioneers from 2006-09. She is the third head coach in program history and welcomes back four starters from last year's team that finished 9-4-5 overall and 3-3-5 in the South Atlantic Conference.
"I am very excited to be leading the team and coaching with my new staff heading into the next phase of soccer here at Tusculum University," said Fyffe. "Preseason has flown by, and we have done major work getting our incoming players integrated into our style of play and developing a new team culture. The team has worked very hard in preparation for the upcoming season. We are looking forward to the official kickoff and the challenges that come along with playing soccer within the very competitive South Atlantic Conference."
FORWARDS
Sophomore Sydney Grant (Schaumburg, Ill.) is a preseason second-team All-SAC selection after starting all 16 matches as a freshman and ranking among the team leaders with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Grant was SAC Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 2 after scoring three goals in two Tusculum victories, and she put 15 of her 20 shot attempts on target.
Senior Hannah Deakins (Dayton, Tenn.) played in six matches last season and has 10 career appearances for the Pioneers. Sophomore Skylar Georges (Morganton, N.C.) played in 14 matches off the bench last season but is expected to be sidelined for the 2023 campaign due to injury. Sophomore Lexus Singleton (Hudson, Fla.) played in three matches for the Pioneers a year ago.
Sophomore Lakin Pennington (Hallsville, Texas) joins the program after scoring three goals and an assist in 13 games at Northeast Texas CC during the 2022 season. Freshman A'jaylah Yates (Fayetteville, N.C.), scored 98 goals and 31 assists in her career at Cumberland Polytechnic High School, while McKenzie Hanson (Oxford, Ohio) was three times All-Conference at Talawanda High School and is the program's third-leading all-time scorer.
MIDFIELDERS
Senior Joey Garrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.) appeared in 16 matches last season, with six starts, and was on the field for 538 minutes. Garrett has played 35 career games for the Pioneers, taking 17 shot attempts and earning one assist.
Sophomore Wilma Axelsson (Ytterby, Sweden) appeared in 17 matches as a freshman for the Pioneers in a reserve role, totaling 514 minutes and taking three shot attempts. Sophomore Adriana Netskos (Sarnia, Ont.) played in three matches for the Pioneers a year ago, earning an assist. Another sophomore, Sterre van Aanholt (Tegelen, Netherlands), played in a pair of matches for the Pioneers as a freshman.
Senior Ashlie McFarlane (Colorado Springs, Colo.) saw time in just one match last season, and has appeared in 22 contests in her career. Fellow seniors Tori Mitchell (Dayton, Tenn.) and Gracie Westhoven (Waynesville, N.C.) each made their varsity debuts last season and saw time in a pair of matches. Junior Macy Vermillion (Greeneville, Tenn.) played twice last year in her first season at Tusculum.
Junior Alexis Roessler (Appleton, Wisc.) comes to Tusculum after earning All-Conference honors at South Georgia State last season, where she had two goals and an assist in nine matches. Sophomore Nara Santos (Altura, Portugal) made 15 starts for Oakland City as a freshman, helping the team to an appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament.
Freshman Marin Wills (Lexington, Ky.) was team MVP four years at Lexington Christian Academy, and was a three-time All-Region and two-time All-City selection.
DEFENDERS
Sophomore Marja Enste (Aachen, Germany) is a third-team preseason All-SAC selection after starting all 18 matches for the Pioneers as a freshman, contributing a goal and four assists while playing a team-high 1,593 minutes.
Sophomore Ella Funderburk (Maryville, Tenn.) appeared in 14 matches as a freshman, with 13 starts, and played every minute of each of the Pioneers' final eight matches. Funderburk also contributed a goal against Emory & Henry on her only shot on goal of the season.
Senior Trystan Wepking (Nolensville, Tenn.) played 16 matches in her first season with the Pioneers and made four starts, and recorded her first career goal against Mars Hill. Senior Anna Hill (Dexter, Ky.) made two appearances for the Pioneers during last season. Junior Helena Walts (Mooresville, N.C.) played in three matches last season for the Pioneers.
Joining the program are freshmen Tanna Bookhamer (Greeneville, Tenn.), Molly Hartman (Mosheim, Tenn.), Caroline Heintzelman (Marietta, Ga.), Kyndal Rollo (Athens, Tenn.) and Brynn Stokes (Cleves, Ohio).
Hartman was All-State and All-District as a senior at Greeneville High School, scoring five goals while helping Greeneville to the state finals for the fourth straight year, while teammate Bookhamer netted 37 goals in her final two years and earned All-Region honors.
Heintzelman was a three-sport athlete at Pope High School, earning four letters in soccer, while Rollo was an All-District selection at McMinn County High School and helped her team to two state tournament appearances. Stokes was a four-year starter at Taylor High School and scored 51 career goals en route to being All-Southwest Ohio as a senior.
GOALKEEPERS
Senior Grayson Patterson (Maryville, Tenn.) is third-team preseason All-SAC after starting all 18 matches in goal last season, finishing seventh in the SAC in goals against average at 1.12 and fifth in save percentage at .789. A two-time SAC Defensive Player of the Week, Patterson was fourth in the league with 75 saves while her seven shutouts were fifth in the conference.
Senior Emma Harriman (High Point, N.C.) started 11 matches during the 2021 season and compiled a 2.90 goals against average along with 60 saves and one shutout.
Sophomore Mikayla Weems (Greeneville, Tenn.) joins the program this season after starting for back-to-back state championship teams at Greeneville High School in 2019 and 2020.
SCHEDULE
The Pioneers host West Alabama in their season opener on Friday, Sept. 1 at Pioneer Field, and will play their first SAC match of the campaign on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Lenoir-Rhyne. Tusculum has nine home matches among its slate of 16 contests, with the season finale set for Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Carson-Newman.
