CLINTON, S.C. – Anchored by an astounding audition from true freshman keeper Febe Dombrecht in her first match at the NCAA level, the Presbyterian College women's soccer team dueled The Citadel to a scoreless draw on Thursday evening inside Martin Stadium.

Dombrecht – a native of Belgium – stopped 10 Citadel shots from hitting the net as PC and head coach Matt Smith started the new 2025 season with a highly-entertaining back-and-forth.

Combatting 90-degree temperatures for most of the contest, PC served up numerous offensive sequences that came merely inches from breaking the nil-nil tie. Both teams combined for 31 shots in the season-opener, but none fell through for either side.

The Blue Hose will make a quick 90-minute drive to South Carolina State on Sunday night for their second effort of the young year, awaiting a five-game homestand that sits after the Orangeburg excursion.


 
FINAL SCORE – Presbyterian, 0 – The Citadel, 0
RECORDS – Presbyterian (0-0-1), The Citadel (0-0-1)
LOCATION – Martin Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)


 
DOMBRECHT THE DEFIANT
 
- In her inaugural American match after coming to Clinton from across the pond, Dombrecht's 10 saves are the second-most in a single match by any PC freshman since the school made the jump to the Division I ranks in the late 2000's.

- She hindered eight attempts in the last 45 minutes alone, grabbing four saves between 58:12 and 63:50 and saving The Citadel's final on-goal try with just under eight minutes remaining.

- The only rookie stopper in the PC annals to post a better single-match save count than Dombrecht's debut was Alyssa Leaman in 2016 versus Gardner-Webb.


 
SMITH'S SENTIMENTS
 
"I'm really excited about what this group can become, and tonight they showed how close they are to putting everything together. We didn't score, but we controlled the tempo very well for the majority of the match and I thought we defended to a high level when the ball was on the other end."

"We played a solid team tonight, and Febe was really strong for us. Her ability to manage a game and answer the bell is why we think she's very wise beyond her years. She certainly didn't look like a freshman tonight."

"Defending always comes first, and that feeds the offense because it needs to be creative. The whole process takes time, but we only plan on getting better with each game and seeing where this experienced bunch will lead us."