SURPRISE, ARIZ. - The OUAZ women's soccer program has had more success than a lot of two-year programs could even imagine. They have won 23 games and made the NCCAA Championship Tournament twice. The team is looking to build on those accolades when they open the 2019 season on Saturday against Park (Ariz.), but they will have to do it with a lot of new talent.

"We have 11 new freshmen, we have 15 incoming as it is," OUAZ head coach Skelly Kellar said. "We have 15 girls that were on the team last year, so the biggest thing is the comradery between the two groups, but also getting the young girls to gain experience as fast as they can."

The Spirt will have to replace their leading goal scorer and their top three goalkeepers, but there are returners that can help bridge the gap. Sophomore midfielder Paige Murray-Hernandez was second on the team in goals last season with six, and will play an important role in picking up where OUAZ left off.

"Paige is an amazing kid," Kellar said. "She works hard, she has this very natural eye for the game. As a freshman, I thought she had a really good year, so we've been challenging her to attack more."

Sophomore goalkeeper Krysten Caballero has not allowed a goal in her 90 minutes of collegiate experience, but is going to see a lot more action as she takes over the net. Despite the limited game experience, Kellar is excited for what is ahead of her.

"Krysten has had a really good preseason," Kellar said. "She's tall, she's lanky, so she covers a lot of the goal. A lot of the shots that are on frame, she's done a really good job of managing to get a hand on (the ball)."

"It's going to be one of those things where she has to learn on the job, and so far she has done a really good job of that."

THIS WEEK FOR WOMEN'S SOCCER
The program will open its third season in history when the Spirit host Park University (Ariz.) at Spirit Field on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 5:30.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Live video of both games will be available on the OUAZ Game Central portal and the NAIA Network for $7.95. The NAIA Network is available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV devices. Live stats will also be available through Game Central at portal.stretchinternet.com/ottawaaz.

AGAINST THE OPPOSITION
This is the first matchup between the Spirit and the Buccaneers, as Park is entering its first season as a program.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"Our very first game, we beat ACU 1-0. They pretty much dominated us, but at the same time we ended up getting the result. We want to make sure that we put our chances away so we can get rolling, get our season off to the right start and go from there." – Kellar, when reflecting about OUAZ's first game in program history, and facing Park in the Buccaneers' first game in program history.

SPIRIT NOTES
The women's program is looking to build off of their second strong season which saw them win 13 games, three more than its first season in 2017.

The Spirit went 2-1 in their second appearance at the NCCAA National Championship, just one win away from the championship game.

Three of the top four goal scorers return for the Spirit, who scored 55 goals and finished 2018 with a plus-33 goal differential.

Paige Murray-Hernandez is the leading returner in goals (6) and points (20) from last season. She finished second on the team in both categories.

Keana Barrow is the lead returning assist woman, where she had six helpers to go along with two goals. She finished fifth on the team with ten total points.

UP NEXT
The Spirit will play their second game of its three game homestand on Thursday, August 22 when they take on the University of the Southwest Mustangs. First touch is scheduled for 5:30pm at Spirit Field.