University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Soccer Adds Seven For Fall
02/11/2015 | Women's Soccer
Coming off its second-highest scoring season average in 19 years of women's soccer history, the Richmond Spiders announce the addition of six new players committed to join the squad in the fall of 2015.
Richmond has added a goalkeeper, a defender, three midfielders and two forwards for the upcoming season. These players will add skill and depth to the team that returns nine starters from 2014 and expects to compete for the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Keeper Jess Stanfill (Fitzgerald, Georgia), defender Mackenzie Cox (Stafford, Virginia), midfielders Bailey Christian (Williamsburg, Virginia), Keaira Clark (Potomac, Maryland), Ashley Gross (Hudson, Wisconsin) and forwards Melanie Lippert (Prince Frederick, Maryland) and Ella Stout (Minneapolis, Minnesota) are slated to join the team for fall camp in a few months.
"This is a very talented and accomplished group,” said Richmond head coach Peter Albright. “We are really looking forward to integrating them into a strong and deep team of returners. The competition should make everyone better."
The UR soccer Web page will have more detailed profiles of the players in the coming weeks.
The 2014 edition of Richmond started six first-year players in the regular lineup and return a pair of All-Atlantic 10 Conference forwards, a pair of A-10 All-Rookie selections and the 2014 Rookie of the Year.
All but two of the 36 goals Richmond scored last year were from players returning to the roster this coming fall.
The Spiders set the program mark for assists in a season and led the league with 46 helpers. The team recorded 120 points, tops in the league this season. Junior Shannon Colligan was second in the league in assists, while redshirt freshman Meaghan Carrigan was tied for third with 14 goals, third-most in program history for a single season, and the second-most of any freshman in the country. Junior Ashley Riefner was the only player in the league with nine goals and nine assists in a season.
Defensively, the Spiders posted shutouts in three consecutive games during the season, the 10th time in program history a streak of three or more games was recorded. UR did not allow a ball through the net in a span of 336:06 in that stretch. Six times during the season, a Spider captured either a Player of Rookie of the Week honor by the league.
Richmond will open up the 2015 season at home against Campbell on August 21 at 7 p.m.
