Season Preview: 2023 Women’s Soccer

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (August 14, 2023) – The Milligan University women's soccer team enters the 2023 season with a revamped roster with hopes of climbing the ranks of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC).

Visual Preview

The Buffs open their season on Aug. 25 against Eastern Oregon at 2:00 p.m. at Anglin Field.

2022 Season Review: The Buffs finished the 2022 season with a 5-9-4 record and a 4-7-2 mark in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. After a 1-5 start to the conference schedule with one-goal defeats to Union and Montreat, Milligan finished the season 3-2-2 with both defeats coming to nationally ranked opponents. The Buffs downed Johnson (Tenn.) 1-0 on Senior Day to earn a spot in the AAC Tournament.

In the AAC Tournament first round, the Buffs prevailed in penalty kicks at eighth-seeded Point to advance to the conference quarterfinals. The Milligan season ended at No. 18 Truett McConnell, who went on to win the tournament title.

"I think you saw a season that started off rough, learning a new style and getting to know the AAC," said second year head coach John Newbery. "But we really did hit our stride and began to play some wonderful soccer at the end of the year."

The Buffs had five student-athletes collect Academic All-District honors and bid farewell to multi-year starters at every level of the field with the graduation of Ashlen Burch, Alex Thomas, Isabella Cranford, Hannah Chatterton and Lauren Davies.

2023 Preseason Poll: The Buffs were tabbed eighth of 15 teams in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll,

2023 AAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) - Total Voting Points
1. Truett McConnell (13) - 223
2. Reinhardt (1) - 210
3. Tennessee Wesleyan - 192
4. Montreat - 174
5. Brenau - 158
6. Columbia - 140
7. Columbia International - 133
8. Milligan - 123
9. Bryan - 106
10. Pikeville (1) - 94
11. Johnson - 78
12. St. Andrews - 65
13. Union - 55
14. Bluefield - 32
15. Kentucky Christian - 17

Key Returners: The Buffs return several contributors from last fall.

"The returning players have put in a lot of hard work in the spring and summer, and I am excited to see how their efforts push this program forward," said Newbery.

Graduate midfielder Taylor Dawson enters her fifth year in the program with 62 career starts. She notched a goal and two assists last season.

Sophomore forward Kelsey Miller led the Buffs with six goals and 14 points in her debut season. She ranked in the top 20 in the conference in goals and points and added a pair of assists. Miller scored twice in the Buffs' season-opening win over WVU Tech and scored Milligan's lone goal in 1-1 ties against Thomas More and Bryan.

Senior forward Ella Sawa ranks third on the returning roster in points. She had two goals and three assists last year. She scored twice in a 3-3 tie against CIU and posted two assists against WVU.

Junior forward Autumn Daniels scored a game-winning goal in the 77th minute against Point and found the back of the net with a penalty kick against Montreat. Daniels added an assist against Columbia (S.C.).

Senior Makenna Wilkins has started 29 games over the last two seasons at outside back. Junior Emma True made 22 starts along the Milligan backline as an underclassman. She posted a goal and assist in pair of late-season wins over Bluefield and Johnson.

Junior midfielder Shelby Knight's first two collegiate goals were both game winners in October AAC contents against St. Andrews and Johnson.

Junior midfielder Kori Barnhill, junior midfielder McKinna Murr, sophomore midfielder Maraiah Shull and sophomore midfielder Alaina Pemberton all appeared in at least 16 of 18 games last fall. Barnhill and Shull both notched an assist in 2022.

Newcomers: Three transfers and a large class of incoming freshmen give the Buffs a new look for 2023.

Junior goalkeeper Akyla Walcott joins the Buffs from Essex County College (NJCAA). Walcott hails from Trinidad and Tobago and represented her county in the CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championships last year.

The Buffs added sophomore goalkeeper Mia Brown from Glenville State and midfielder Nikki Shirley from Covenant. Brown made seven saves without allowing a goal in 38 minutes of action last fall. Shirley is the daughter of Milligan Athletics Hall of Famer Marty Shirley ('91) and scored a pair of goals for the Scots in 2022.

Coach Newbery welcomes 17 freshmen to the roster, marking Milligan's largest incoming class in recent memory.

"This is one of the largest classes in Milligan women's soccer," said Newbery. "We have a bevy of talent from the local and wider parts of the USA and some international talent. We are young, but I believe the infusion of new talent will not only strengthen our squad but add a fantastic foundation to work with."

Looking at the Schedule: The Buffs have four nonconference games before kicking off AAC play against defending AAC regular season and tournament champions Truett McConnell on Sept. 13.

The Buffs open the season at Anglin Field against Eastern Oregon on Aug. 25. The Mountaineers finished the 2022 season receiving votes in the NAIA national rankings. Milligan travels to Cumberland on Sept. 6. The Phoenix earned a spot in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round last year and fell a game short of the final site, losing to eventual NAIA National Champion Spring Arbor.

Key AAC dates include an Oct. 7 matchup at Reinhardt and an Oct. 21 game against Tennessee Wesleyan.

The AAC Tournament features the top 10 teams in the conference standings and include a play-in first round, quarterfinals, semifinals and title game. Each postseason game is played at the highest remaining seed. The conference has two automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship, with one going to the regular season champion and another to the tournament champion.

Last Word: "This season is one of renewal and rediscovery of what Milligan women's soccer is," said Newbery. "We expect to compete in training and on the pitch as we look to improve from last year's postseason run. The team knows that we have a fight ahead of us and we are prepared to battle for everything.