Red Raiders Soccer Set to Kick Off Season Against Troy
It is football time in Texas, folks! Well, not that football, better known as American football. Fútbol, better known as soccer in the United States, is officially getting started at the college level.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will start their season off on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Central against the Troy Trojans at the John Walker Soccer Complex in Lubbock, Texas.
They enter the season with high expectations, predicted to finish fourth in the preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll, coming in behind the TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, and West Virginia Mountaineers.
While competing for a Big 12 crown won't be easy for the Red Raiders, with both the Horned Frogs and Longhorns poised to remain dangerous, they must do so despite losing their leading scorer from last season.
Kristen Davis led the team in goals last season, and while losing her will be tough to overcome, the Red Raiders do return talent across the board, including Ashleigh Williams. Williams was second on the team last season in goals, giving the Red Raiders an offensive threat in 2022.
Sophomore Mary Blackburn, the Red Raiders' lone Preseason All-Big 12 Team member, returns after an impressive freshman season. She led the team with nine assists which earned her a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and will look to replicate that while setting up Williams all season long.
Between the sticks for the Red Raiders will be goalie Madison White, who was a brick wall in goal last season. White did not miss a single minute of action in Texas Tech's 20 games last season as she recorded 51 saves with a 0.92 Goals Against Average and 0.729 save percentage.
Also leading the charge for the Red Raiders this season will be captains Charlotte Teeter and Hannah Anderson. The experience from last season will be instrumental for a Texas Tech team that is welcoming an infusion of youth, with 10 freshmen set to join the roster in 2022.
Winning the Big 12 will be a tough battle for the Red Raiders, especially with the teams at the top of the table. However, with the talent, they return and the infusion of freshman talent, they could be a dark horse contender to make some noise within the conference this season.
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.