EDINBORO, Pa. – The Edinboro women's soccer team will open its 2014 season on Thursday, September 4, hosting PSAC and local rival Gannon. The match gets underway at 6 p.m. at Sox Harrison Stadium. Edinboro looks to snap a winless streak that dates back to 2006 against the Lady Knights. The Fighting Scots are 0-3-3 against Gannon since then.

Head coach Gary Kagiavas' squad enters the season with high hopes after finishing with a 12-6-2 record a year ago. It marked the fourth straight year the Fighting Scots had reached double figures in wins, and was also the fourth consecutive season Edinboro qualified for the PSAC playoffs. Edinboro would go on to earn a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third straight year.

Kagiavas, the only coach Edinboro has ever had and now in his 19th season, welcomes back a veteran team that returns ten starters and has no fewer than six seniors expected to play key roles. That includes three returning All-PSAC and NSCAA All-Atlantic region performers.

Leading the way is Liz Debo. The forward has led Edinboro in scoring the last two years and enters her final campaign ranked fourth in career goals (32) and seventh in career points (70). She was a first team All-PSAC and All-Region choice after finishing with 11 goals and 2 assists for 24 points.

Midfielder Becca Costello also earned first team honors for both the PSAC and Atlantic Region. She finished as the second-leading scorer with 7 goals and 4 assists for 18 points, leaving her 12th in career assists (11) and 13th in career scoring (35 points).

Lauralee Clements was the third Fighting Scot to earn first team All-PSAC accolades, and was a second team All-Region pick. The defender keyed a strong defense which allowed just 19 goals, while adding 3 goals and 3 assists.

Senior Meghan Kelly is expected to once again be in goal. She holds many of Edinboro's goalkeeping records, including career victories with 31. She is tied for first in career shutouts with 17. Kelly had a 0.91 goals against average in 2013, the fourth-lowest season total, and broke her own record for shutouts with seven.

Gannon finished with a 10-8-1 record a year ago, qualifying for the PSAC Tournament as the seventh seed while Edinboro was the fourth seed. The Lady Knights are under the direction of Colin Petersen, like Kagiavas a former standout for the Knights. Now in his 13th season as the head women's soccer coach, he holds the school record with 91 wins.

The Lady Knights are led by Mani Brueckner, the 2012 and 2013 PSAC Women's Soccer Athlete of the Year. The junior forward enters the 2014 campaign as the program's all-time career assist leader (26), third in career points (64) and sixth in career goals (19). She was also the Daktronics Atlantic Region Player of the Year after leading the PSAC with 33 points on 10 goals and 13 assists.

Gannon holds 10-6-3 advantage in the all-time series with Edinboro. The two teams battled to a 1-1 tie a year ago, with Allyson Overly scoring off a feed from Debo for Edinboro's goal at the 14:16 mark. Brueckner assisted on the Gannon goal, as Michelle Genetin scored at 53:12.

Following Thursday's season opener, the Fighting Scots face their other local rival on Saturday, September 6, making the short trip to Erie to face Mercyhurst.