CLEVELAND, Mississippi – The Delta State University women's soccer team is scheduled to being its 2017 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 31 when it travels to Dallas to face Texas A&M International, before finishing the weekend with another non-conference test against St. Mary's (Texas) on Saturday, Sept. 2. Both matches will be played at the Richland College Soccer Complex, and are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES: 

• DSU will be facing both teams for the first time in program history.

SEASON OPENERS:

• The Lady Statesmen are 5-8 all-time in season openers.

INSIDE THE OPPONENTS:

• Head coach Felipe Arias, who is in his second season at Texas A&M International, returns 11 players from his 2016 team that finished 1-16-1. Among the returnees is forward Cio Bargallo, who was Third Team All-Conference after scoring six goals in 2016.
• The Dustdevils were picked to finish last (eighth) in the Heartland Conference.
• St. Mary's, also of the Heartland Conference, was picked to finish sixth in the league after finishing 8-6-4 last season. Preseason All-Conference selections Alexia Maldonado and Heather Dawson will look to lead the Rattlers. Maldonado led the team with seven goals, while Dawson had five goals and two assists for 17th year head coach Corwyn Ritch.

2016 AT A GLANCE: DSU tied its second best win total in program history, as Luke Sheekey guided the team to a 6-11 mark. The Lady Statesmen also scored 32 goals, which ranked third in school history.
 
RETURNING PLAYERS: Delta State returns 14 who saw playing time in 2016. The Lady Statesmen return 40 percent of their goal scoring output, and 51 percent of their assists. Katie Swaine leads all returning offensive players with five goals and four assists. Anoucke Bass also returns, after leading the team with five assists in her debut campaign. Captain Lakyn Cryder will be relied upon to anchor the midfield, while Maggie Amos (17 games, 16 starts) and Shannon Thomas (11 games, one start) return to lead the defense. Ella Hunkin (five games, four starts) is the lone returning goalkeeper for the Lady Statesmen.
 
Cryder has appeared in 47 career contests, scoring six goals, while contributing five assists.

NEWCOMERS: 11 newcomers fill coach Luke Sheekey's roster, including goalkeeper Heather Travis and defender Tasha Toms. Travis and Toms were tabbed Top Newcomers by the Gulf South Conference. Cat Buckley and Jasmine McGill have seen early action up top in DSU's three exhibition contests, while Ana Branch has been a solid presence in goal. Chelsie Hurren, who was with the team but did not see action last season, will help anchor the Lady Statesmen defense.