CLINTON, S.C. – Thursday night will mark the beginning of the 18^th season of Presbyterian College Women's Soccer at the NCAA Division I level, however the first under a brand-new regime. Head coach Matt Smith will submit his PC head coaching debut at 7:00 tomorrow in a visiting capacity against nearby Wofford in Spartanburg.

After unscrewing the lid on the 2024 campaign, the Blue Hose will compete in their first of eight home matches on Sunday, August 18 when College of Charleston comes rolling into town for the first time in 15 years.

Smith inherits a roster with an interesting balance of nine incoming freshmen and 14 upperclassmen, a veteran who has been apart of 80 victories as a head coach and 175 overall.

He was accepted as Presbyterian's second-ever head coach in December after assistant appointments at Baylor and Kansas State, aiding back-to-back Elite Eight programs in Waco and winning a combined 65 games in seven seasons at the "Power 4" level.

Prior to that, Smith served an exceptional seven-year tenure as the head coach at Division II Limestone in Gaffney, going 80-38-10 with two league tournament titles, a pair of NCAA Tournament tickets, and a selection as the 2016 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.

Smith's return to Clinton – where he began his coaching career from 2005-09 – brings high enthusiasm with a schedule that entails the first three opponents from the state of South Carolina.

Thursday's affair with the Terriers will be streamed live on ESPN+, as the Blue Hose open the book on an exciting new era.

 
GAMEDAY INFO – THURSDAY, AUGUST 15
PC vs. Wofford – 7:00 PM
WHERE: Snyder Field (Spartanburg, S.C.)
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: SideArm

 
GAMEDAY INFO – SUNDAY, AUGUST 18
PC vs. College of Charleston – 2:00 PM
WHERE: Martin Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – WOFFORD

- Non-conference adversaries located just half-an-hour apart, Presby will face Wofford for the 12^th time tomorrow night and the first instance since 2019. PC's last victory over the Terriers occurred the year prior via a 3-1 difference (also happening on the road).

- While the two sides are regular combatants, this will be just the second time in history that the PC/Wofford matchup will begin a season, with the other occurrence happening exactly a decade ago.

- Head coach Elissa Post will enter her second season with the Terriers after obtaining five wins last fall, chosen to finish in 8^th-place in the Southern Conference after being booted out in the SoCon quarterfinals last October in a 5-0 shellacking against Western Carolina.

- Five of Wofford's first six meetings will be on their home turf, winners of nine bouts two years ago and with all but one of their W's last year happening in Spartanburg.

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

- It was a rough ride for C-of-C in the 2023 season, winning just two contests (over Hampton and Campbell) and closing the semester with seven straight loss-or-tie finishes and only two total goals in the last 596 minutes that they played.

- The Cougars accomplished more than one goal just twice out of 17 matches, with head coach Christian Michner looking to turn over a new leaf in his 15^th season with the program.

- The Colonial Athletic Association predicted College of Charleston as the second-to-last squad in their preseason poll. They'll likewise start off their season on Thursday (while the Blue Hose battle Wofford), hosting South Carolina State at their home site in Mount Pleasant.

- Each of the last six non-conference duels has ended in either a loss or tie for the Cougars dating back to 2022, going head-to-head with PC for the first time since 2017 and the fifth time since the Scotsmen joined the D-I ranks.

 
SMITH TAKES OVER
 
- Smith signed the dotted line to become Presbyterian's new man-in-charge back on December 27 following Brian Purcell's retirement, holding 14 postseason appearances, three conference tournament crowns, and while at Baylor, two consecutive trips to the National Quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tourney.

- He was part of the 2018 United Soccer Coaches' Association Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year after helping deliver the Bears to a couple of Elite Eights in succession, later going on to aid Kansas State to their first-ever Big 12 Tournament berth.

- Smith still holds the distinction as Limestone's all-time winningest coach (80 wins), bringing the Saints 10 victories or better in five of his seven seasons there.

- As his only other head coaching gig prior to Presby, Smith earned a win in nearly 70 percent of his bouts over a seven-year period, coaching four All-Americans, 38 All-Conference recipients, and 19 All-Southeast Region players over his lucrative tenure in Gaffney.

- He follows in Purcell's footsteps to take over the PC Women's Soccer program, bidding to return to the Big South Tournament for the first time since 2019. Before that can be pursued, however, the Blue Hose have their sights set on Wofford and C-of-C as a new season rears its head.

 
PALMETTO PROWESS
 
- Throughout his time at both PC and Limestone, Smith has been apart of 40 wins against schools from the state of South Carolina. This includes a 1-0 triumph over Wofford in 2009, a clash that was decided with a 79^th-minute strike.

- Smith has defeated 13 different squads from the Palmetto State, besting an in-state club 29 times as a head coach. Below is a full list of Smith's South Carolina victims (11 of which happened during his assistantship at Presbyterian which kickstarted his coaching career).
 
- Anderson (once, 2011)
- Charleston Southern (once, 2008)
- The Citadel (twice, 2007 & 2009)
- Coker (four times: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015)
- Converse (eight times: 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
- Erskine (eight times: 2006, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
- Francis Marion (once, 2008)
- Newberry (once, 2010)
- North Greenville (six times: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 (2x), 2016)
- South Carolina State (once, 2009)
- Southern Wesleyan (five times: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (2x))
- USC Upstate (once, 2005)
- Wofford (once, 2009)