LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University women's soccer team will return to the pitch on Thursday, September 2 for the Bald Eagles' first varsity intercollegiate competition in 663 days.
 
LHU was recently selected to finish the 2021 season seventh out of nine in the Eastern Division according to the 2021 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) preseason women's soccer coaches' poll.
 
Head coach Maggie Kuhn has 72 career wins to her name as a head coach and looks to add her first winning season at Lock Haven. 2019 was her first at the helm of the Bald Eagles and she will look to a small group of veterans, along with two classes of underclassmen to bring their game to the next level.
 
Further, LHU will return its two leading scorers from the 2019 season in senior Josie Swartz (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata) and now-junior Marley Sprenkel (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove High). They combined for 18 points in 2019. With nearly two years to prepare for the 2021 season, the two have had plenty of time to continue to develop their chemistry and become the mainstay for the Bald Eagles' offensive schematic. Sprinkling in the addition of underclassmen in the wings, The Haven is poised to make noise on the offensive side of the ball.
 
Defensively, The Haven returns a fixture on the back line in senior Taylor Moritz (Harleysville, Pa./Soudertown Area High). Moritz has 33 career starts for LHU and led the team in minutes played in 2019. As the most experienced veteran on the defensive side of the ball, Lock Haven will surely turn to Moritz to assure the ball stays up field.
 
Underclassmen will occupy the net for the Bald Eagles this year, as true-freshman Kylie Auman (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley Area) and Ghana Cornelius (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) are the only goalkeepers listed on the roster this year. Despite that, they will rely heavily on the defense to alleviate pressure and on each other to develop the skillset to fend off some of the nation's best scorers in PSAC play.
 
The Bald Eagles will be bolstered by the 2021 recruiting class which features nine talented new freshmen, and an incredible 22 student-athletes from the 2020 class, who are eager to make their first starts in LHU uniforms.
 
Lock Haven will open the 2021 season at home on Thursday, September 2 when the Bald Eagles host Pitt-Johnstown at 2:30 p.m. The Bald Eagles won the last matchup between the teams, 2-0, back in 2018, getting a goal from Swartz, who was a freshman at the time. After a September 4 matchup at California (Pa.), LHU then kicks off PSAC East Division play when The Haven travels to Shippensburg on September 11.
 
Looking ahead, LHU's schedule features nine home games and a total of 18 games before the PSAC tournament begins on November 9. Lock Haven will have to improve on their current PSAC ranking and finish amongst the top four in the East Division to qualify for the tournament, a task that the team is more than capable of accomplishing.