CLINTON, S.C. – The 33^rd season of head coach Brian Purcell's tenure as the leader of the Presbyterian College women's soccer program will pull double duty at the beginning and end of the weekend in two separate venues, opening the 2022 campaign on Friday evening with a road trip to Furman before hosting Davidson 48 hours later.

Locking horns with the Paladins – a Furman squad predicted to finish in second place across the Southern Conference – at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, the Blue Hose will turn right around to face Davidson for the third time in the Division I era on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. PC will aim for a measure of revenge against both opponents in short order, looking to snap a three-game losing skid against Furman and avenge a 2-1 setback to the Wildcats one year ago.

Having last ventured into Greenville to scoop up a 2-0 victory in 2017, coach Purcell's unit has since gathered 15 wins over SoCon opposition since joining the D-I ranks. The Paladins boast a powerful group in '22 off the heels of a 12-win trek last fall, taking a W in four of their first five outings while riding a six-game winning streak into the conference tournament's championship bout before taking a 4-2 defeat at the hands of top-seeded Samford.

Junior midfielder Nieva Gaither and defender Miya Poplin were each selected to the SoCon's preseason all-conference team for 18-year head coach Andrew Burr's club. Furman found the back of the net 42 times a season ago, topping the league in both total shots (358) and corner kick chances (134). Gaither finished the year leading all SoCon individuals in shots (77), scoring nine times on six assists behind a trio of game-winning strikes.

After tangling with Furman for the 13^th time in the school's D-I era, the Blue Hose will make their home debut at the close of the weekend against Davidson, battling a Wildcat squad that posted a 4-10-4 record in 2021. Sixth-year head coach Adam Denton will bring in a club picked 14^th by the Atlantic 10, having either lost or tied their last ten matches of the season.

Davidson will visit Martin Stadium on Sunday for the second straight year, meeting a revamped PC group that institutes 12 true freshmen alongside nine upperclassmen. Fifth-year forward Kori Lawrence moved into fourth place in the program's D-I era in points (28), goals (11), shots (85), and shots on goal (42) throughout the '21 stretch, as the Blue Hose return eight players that accumulated at least 800 minutes from last season.

Presbyterian's season-opening bout with Furman tomorrow evening will be broadcasted live via ESPN+. A link to both video and statistics for that matchup can be found below, as well as a live stats link for the team's contest with Davidson on Sunday.

PC vs. Furman live video - https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/6c9dcd89-fb34-47e5-a299-ae42a76952ff
PC vs. Furman live stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=408676
PC vs. Davidson live stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=412744