With just two weeks until the University of North Florida Ospreys open the 2023 regular season, women’s soccer head coach Eric Faulconer is looking forward to the fresh slate that it will provide for his team.
The Ospreys showed signs of true potential during 2022’s campaign, but posted an overall record of 4-7-5. While 2023 offers a chance for improvement, one look at the schedule shows that it won’t be easy.
Non-conference highlights include an exhibition match against the Florida Gators on August 12 and a date hosting the Florida State Seminoles, who have been one of the nation’s best programs in recent years, on September 7.
The full schedule can be seen below.
Does anything in the second column stand out? Perhaps it’s the four road matches in a row. A stretch like this, especially during conference play, isn’t ideal. While Faulconer wishes it didn’t have to be this way, he does believe his squad has what it takes to come out stronger on the other side.
“We’ve always been pretty good on the road as a program so we’ll be ready,” Faulconer said. “I think it’s gonna be a very important stretch for us and I think at the end of the season, how we do over that stretch is probably going to have a huge bearing on how our season goes.”
One obvious cause for concern from the 2022 season was the lack of scoring. Over the course of 16 games, the Ospreys found the back of the net just nine times. This included a five-match scoring drought to close out the schedule. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging its existence, which is something Faulconer and staff set about to fix this offseason.
“One thing we felt like we needed to do through recruiting was to add some attacking pieces, which we did through the transfer portal,” Faulconer said. “[These are] some proven goal scorers that have scored in college or were very good goal scorers at the club level.”
In addition to these new players, Faulconer believes that last year’s players have also improved, evidenced by UNF’s nine goals in four preseason games, matching 2022’s total in a quarter of the outings.
One of these players that the Ospreys are expecting to make a significant leap is sophomore midfielder Chloe Lynch, who showed great potential down the stretch in her freshman campaign.
“We were really optimistic about her coming here,” Faulconer said. “She had a great spring season and came on strong at the end of last year…I think she’s gonna make a huge jump.”
It wouldn’t be a UNF season preview without mentioning the Ospreys’ arch rivals, the Jacksonville University Dolphins. This year’s River City Rumble match takes place across town on October 21 to close out the season. While this presents plenty of excitement, the Ospreys are set on avenging last year’s 1-0 loss, which UNF largely dominated.
“There’s an added element to it,” Faulconer said. “You can’t just outshoot someone and not score…the scoreboard is all that matters.”
Lastly, the season’s start couldn’t come at a better time. With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, women’s soccer has received plenty of buzz. While this is vastly different soccer in the ASUN Conference, Faulconer believes that this hype can carry over into the college game.
“There’s plenty of excitement and it’s fresh in everybody’s mind,” Faulconer said. “We want to help grow the game as well and I think our schedule will help do that.”
While there’s no surefire way to predict what’s next, the Ospreys are poised to improve on last year and turn potential into proven success. If the defense stays strong and the offensive attack comes to life, UNF could make some noise in the ASUN this season.
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