* Story by Alex Trevino
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College women's soccer team opens the 2021 fall season at home vs. Ohio Wesleyan Wednesday. First touch at Williams Stadium is at 7 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Ohio Wesleyan. The Fightin' Quakers finished the 2021 spring season with a 5-4-2 record, won an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament home game and were within one game of the conference final. The Bishops did not play during the 2021 season.
The Coaches: Steve Spirk returns to coach his 30th year for the Wilmington women's soccer team. Spirk has led the Quakers to six NCAA Division III Tournament appearances including five berths in the regional semifinal ("Sweet 16") round. Six Wilmington teams have claimed regular season conference titles under Spirk's tutelage including three OAC titles in a span of four years from 2000-03. Pat Ferguson is in his first year coaching the Bishops, he spent the previous 16 years at Wright State University
The Players: Wilmington is returning goalkeeper Lauren Galloway. The junior had 80 saves to lead the OAC. The Quakers are returning Abby Spirk who made Second Team All-OAC, as well as Lauren Galloway and Mackenzie Weaver who made Honorable Mention All-OAC . Julia Dickman and Hannah Baughman are the leading scorers returning for OWU with three goals each.
Series History: Wilmington is 4-5-1 against OWU in their past 10 matchups, two of which were in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the contest will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: Wilmington will be going to Mount St. Joseph University this weekend playing MSJ on Saturday, first touch at 7:30.
