CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern is three days from kickoff as the Buccaneers women's soccer team continues preparations for the 2016 season under the leadership of head coach Eric Terrill. The Bucs open the season on Friday afternoon at Elon with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Buccaneers enter their 22nd season under the helm of Terrill and look to build off of a strong preseason schedule that saw CSU take on both South Carolina State and Coastal Carolina.

"Overall, the preseason was very good," Terrill said. "I think you're always trying to find the right ingredients to have a good preseason; both for getting things done and for making sure we were accomplishing the things we needed to do to get ready for the upcoming year. We had a lot of success in both games."

CSU returns a veteran squad to the pitch as the Bucs welcome back 22 letter-winners including 2015 All-Conference selections Anna Sells and Erica Gazzani. The Bucs also return seven seniors to the pitch with Chandler Wingreen, Nikki Schoning, Kelsey Fitzhugh, Jordan Haughton-James and Emily Moore joining Sells and Gazzani in a deep class.

Other key returners include All-Freshman goalkeeper Alyssa Dellacqua and All-Tournament selection McKenzie Davis, as well as 2015 starters Lydia Frierson, Emilie Gilbert, Sidney Doherty, Kelly Hinkle, Grace Clark and Taylor Francis.

The Buccaneers will host 11 matches on the friendly pitch of the CSU Soccer Field this fall. Highlighting the home schedule is CSU's annual Nike Challenge matches against Long Island, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Vermont. CSU will also host Big South opponents UNC Asheville, Campbell, Liberty and High Point.

Forwards
Anna Sells and Erica Gazzani lead a talented position group atop the CSU lineup as the senior forwards return for their final season with the Bucs. Sells has tallied 23 career goals in the CSU Blue and Gold and currently sits 11th all-time in the CSU record books in the category. Gazzani finished second on the Bucs with four goals in 2015 and was among the Big South leaders with three game-winning goals.

The duo will be joined by junior Ally Gerthoffer and sophomores Jordan Newman and Addie Bokelman. Newman has returned strong after missing out on the 2015 season due to injury and looked sharp atop the CSU lineup in the preseason. Gerthoffer has improved every season and earned key minutes in the 2016 preseason, while Bokelman returns to provide depth for the Bucs up top.

 "Anna has taken a huge load over the last couple of years," Terrill commented. "Really, for us to have success, we need to have two or three players who can step up and take the pressure off of her. That's what we've been building toward this year. Erica (Gazzani) has come out of the midfield and acclimatized to that position well. Jordan (Newman) is going to make a huge impact for us this year and adds an element as both a distributor and finisher that we haven't had. Ally (Gerthoffer) and Addie (Bokelman) both give us speed and athleticism and help provide a balance from the other three players who are more physical."

Midfielders
Lydia Frierson, Kelly Hinkle and McKenzie Davis all return to the Bucs' midfield as CSU boast a deep position group for the 2016 season.

Frierson, one of three CSU 2016 captains, tied for the Bucs' lead with three assists last season. Hinkle has provided an offensive presence in the preseason with the junior midfielder finding the back of the net in both scrimmages. McKenzie Davis has built off her strong play at the end of the 2016 season that saw her earn Big South All-Tournament honors.

Seniors Kelsey Fitzhugh and Emily Moore, sophomores Sydney Doherty, Anna Menendez and Peyton Motley, and freshman Allie Crossland join the trio and will all see playing time in the middle of Terrill's lineup.

Fitzhugh returns after injury cut short her 2015 campaign, while Moore progressed into one of CSU's top defensive midfielders over the past three seasons. Doherty provides an offensive presence in the midfield after finishing the 2015 season third on the team with three goals scored. Menendez, Crossland and Motley will also battle for playing time amidst the CSU lineup and saw key minutes in the 2016 preseason.

"I think through the preseason we got a lot of good information from our midfield," Terrill said. "We have a good combination of players that we think can play there. McKenzie (Davis) was very consistent for us last season and will be our linchpin in the middle. Sidney (Doherty) can line up and create different looks all over the field and has done a great job this preseason. Kelsey (Fitzhugh) and Emily (Moore) are both going to be in our rotation in the middle and Peyton (Motley) will push for playing time as well."

"Outside, Kelly (Hinkle) and Lydia (Frierson) were both phenomenal in the preseason," Terrill continued. "They're going to continue to lead us outside this season. Anna (Menendez), Addie (Bokelman) and Allie (Crossland) will all get time in those spots as well."

Defenders
Nikki Schoning returns to captain an experienced backline that returns three starters to the fold. CSU's minutes leader for each of the past two seasons, Schoning will be again be joined by sophomores Taylor Francis and Grace Clark on the backline as the trio return after helping head up a defense that allowed 1.30 goals per game.

Sophomore Emilie Gilbert makes the transition from midfielder to defense in the 2016 season, while seniors Jordan Haughton-James and Chandler Wingreen, and freshmen Sierra Agee and Jazzin Clark will all see playing time on the backline.

"Right now our defenders are set," Terrill said. "Nikki (Schoning), Grace (Clark), Taylor (Francis) and Emilie (Gilbert) all had a great preseason. They're all really talented and defensively it's a really good group."

"Allie (Crossland) will play in a variety of positions in both the midfield and back, while Kelsey (Fitzhugh) might shift to outside back as well. Chandler (Wingree) and Sierra (Agee) are working to come back into the mix for the season and Jazzin (Clark) can line up all over the field for us. It's a good lineup and we're excited on what they can do."

Goalkeepers
Dellacqua, junior Liz Amanda Brown and sophomore Jazmin Gonzalez all return to patrol the goal box for CSU in the 2016 season. The trio combined for five shutouts and led the Big South with 118 total saves on the year.

Dellacqua paced the trio with 12 appearances and 11 starts between the pipes, leading the Big South with 82 saves on the season and three shutouts. Brown led the Bucs with a 0.95 goals against average. Gonzalez was in goal for CSU's first shutout of the 2015 season, a 3-0 win over Stetson.

"All three goalkeepers are really talented," Terrill said. "They all bring their strengths to the table and all three could start in the Big South. We're blessed to have three players who can make an impact."

"They all bring a lot of strength to the field; it's going to come down to the details," Terrill continued. "It will all come down to who is healthiest and continues to grow both in strength and tactically. We're going to see all of the keepers throughout the regular season, and then in conference it will get a bit tighter. We're going to give everyone a chance to earn the starting conference spot."