The Hatters have at least one key senior to lead the way from each position on the field. Andrea Garavaglia is a three-year starter who has lived up to the outstanding goaltending tradition established by her predecessors. Co-captain and two-year starter Kristen Higel will act as anchor of the back line, and Stetson's "Dynamic Duo" of Tessa Gavilsky and Katie Bitetto will roam the midfield and forward lines. Gavilsky, a co-captain, is the reigning two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year and scoring champ. Bitetto led the league in 2009 and set a school record in the process with 11 assists.

Last season Stetson reached double digits in victories (11-7-2) for the fourth time in school history, finished one point out of first place in the regular season (6-2-2), and reached the semifinals of the A-Sun tournament. This season it will look to take the next step.

"Anything short of the A-Sun tournament final will be considered a failure. I am very disappointed we did not get to the championship game last year", said Stetson head coach Julie Orlowski.

"I realize that is a lofty goal and high expectations to place on the team this time of year, but that speaks to the quality of our individuals and the standard we set going in",  she added.

Forwards

The biggest contributor heading into the season is clearly Tessa Gavilsky (Granite City, Ill.). She is the first Hatter ever to have earned A-Sun Player of the Year honors, and she has done it twice in a row. Gavilsky led the conference in scoring the past two seasons and along the way became Stetson's all-time leader with 74 career points. She will alternate between the forward and midfield positions in 2010 depending on the formation run by Coach Orlowski.

Teaming with Gavilsky to form the most marked pair in the A-Sun will be fellow senior Katie Bitetto (Jacksonville, Fla.). Last season Bitetto used years of solid work ethic and athleticism to her advantage and turned herself into one of the top scoring threats in college soccer. She finished the season 12th in the nation in assists per game (0.55), and added five goals for 21 total points. She can set 'em up, and she can put 'em in the back of the net.

While opponents are busy keeping an eye on Gavilsky and Bitetto the Hatters will hit them with another talented pair of forwards. Senior Natalie Simon (Lauderhill, Fla.) and junior Courtney Jenista (Pensacola, Fla.). Simon scored a career-high three goals last season to go along with an assist. Whether it is down the sideline or up the middle, she can run the field with the best. Jenista finished last season 4th on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for eight points. She has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Also seeing substantial time up front this season and providing depth will be a trio of talented freshmen. High School All-American Alyssa Welsh (Edison, NJ) is a versatile player who broke the New Jersey state scoring record, Kaitlyn Jones (DeLand, Fla.) is a local product out of DeLand High School who can get herself into goal scoring situations, and Sarah Mathews (Palmetto, Fla.) is a very good, hard working player on either flank.   

Rounding out the Hatter attack will be junior Sarah Rodriguez (Deltona, Fla.). She is a talented and versatile player who can and will be used to fill every spot on the front line, as well as the midfield. She creates a great deal of energy on the field. Rodriguez' first collegiate touch was a goal against USF her freshman season.

Midfielders

Looking at the Stetson midfield for 2010 is admittedly another excuse to mention Tessa Gavilsky. Did you hear she is the two-time defending Player of the Year? Some may not know that the A-Sun's Top-Gun can also get back, control the midfield and play some defense.

One of those projected to start alongside Gavilsky is a surprise, and the other is a sophomore who played in 19 games last season. Junior Alexis Hermosa (Orlando, Fla.) has been a stalwart member of the Hatter back line for two seasons and was named all-freshman at that position in 2008. This season she is likely to make the move to midfield so that the team can take advantage of her considerable offensive skills. Kassandra Hartwick (Granite City, Ill.) had a strong freshman season in 2009 scoring two goals and patrolling the midfield like a veteran. She has earned a starting role, yet will be challenged.

Also likely to see playing time in the midfield will be two juniors who played high school soccer together, a sophomore that returns to the team after a one-year abscence, and a pair of newcomers. Samantha Snyder (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and Jennifer Rinaberger (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) have taken their games from Nease High School to Stetson and both appear ready to become major contributors. Snyder played in 14 games with seven starts last season. She picked up one assist in 399 minutes on the field. Rinaberger is a hard working player who looked good in the spring and has earned a chance to see more time on the field. She appeared in two games last year. Mary Salfer-Hobbs was a member of the Hatters as a freshman in 2008 and rejoins the team this season. She had a solid spring season and will battle for playing time in the back, as well as at the midfield in 2010.

Freshmen Chelsea Cabarcas (College Point, NY) and Shanna Krysalka (Ocala, Fla.) are two young players who can challenge for playing time this season and are sure to become major players in the coming years. Cabarcas has spent some time with the Colombian national team. She is a dynamic player who will add creativity to the attack. Krysalka is a hard worker with a bright future at Stetson.

Defenders

The big question on the back line this season is who will replace long-time starter Elise Ketcham who graduated last spring, A-Sun All-Freshman Team member Christina Cromwell was lost to a career-ending injury, and Hermosa who is likely moving forward into the midfield?

The 4th spot will continue to be manned by senior Kristen Higel (St. Augustine, Fla.) who started 19 games for the Hatters in 2009 and 11 in 2008. Higel is a smart, experienced player and a strong presence in front of the goal.

The first replacement will come from a switch. While Hermosa moves to the midfield, junior Crossley Simmons will make the move to defender. Simmons has been a consistent starter for the Hatters since her freshman season when she finished second in goals scored with three. Although she can provide offense when needed, her real strength is her power and ability to intimidate on the defensive end. She will be an excellent addition to the back row.

There are three freshmen who will be the primary candidates to battle with Jenny Agranoff (Cape Coral, Fla.) for the final two defensive positions. Agranoff, a redshirt senior, has four years of experience and has been working hard for her chance to start on the back line. Freshmen Jennifer Raneri (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Virginia Davis (Deltona, Fla.) and Ciarra Britt (Jacksonville, NC) are all quite talented and will be in the mix all season. The wildcard in this scenario is Britt who is the reigning Volusia County Player of the Year. She can play both the forward and defender positions and will certainly settle in one of those spots as the season progresses.

Local standouts Junior Samantha Jones and sophomore Kristen Mueller out of DeLand will also be in the mix for playing time on the back line. Jones has worked hard to get herself healthy after some issues last season. She could play herself into some substantial minutes as a defender or as a midfielder. Mueller saw time in two games last season as a freshman and has the talent to become a regular contributor to the cause. 

The final defensive specialist on the roster is senior Lindsay Jowers (Port Orange, Fla.). As the season approached it became apparent that Jowers would not be able to play in her final campaign and is now listed as a medical retirement. Speaking to her incredible will and the respect given to her by her teammates she was still voted unanimously as one of the team captains. She will lead and support the squad from the sidelines in 2010.

Goalkeepers

The Hatters have five goalkeepers on the roster this season including three seniors. One of those seniors has started between the posts for three seasons and is well prepared to lead the team and anchor the defense again in 2010. Andrea Garavaglia (Webster Groves, Mo.) has already established herself as one of the best stoppers all-time for a program rich in keeper tradition. She enters the season 2nd all-time in goals against average (1.41), 2nd in shutouts (14), and 4th in saves with 240. Last season she had a career-best G.A.A. of 1.26 and equaled her career-high of seven shutouts.

Although all four remaining keepers are talented enough to take over the position if necessary, the competition for the #1 backup position is between senior Caitlin Peterson (Ocala, Fla.) and sophomore Laura Seletos (New Port Richey, Fla.). Peterson has held the support role for three seasons and has performed well whenever called upon. She played in two games as a freshman and two more as a sophomore. She is an outstanding student who spent this past spring semester studying overseas in Kenya. In Peterson's absence Seletos seized the opportunity to begin her accent as the heir apparent to Garavaglia. She will look to gain as much experience as she can this season in preparation for a likely starting role beginning in 2011. 

Senior Rachel Allen (Lake Worth, Fla.) and freshman Amber James (Umatilla, Fla.) round out the Hatter roster in 2010. Allen is a player who inspires her teammates every day. For three years she has proven herself a leader and provided an example by working hard in practice day in and day out. James is a player that Hatters fans will want to keep an eye on. The Lake County Athlete of the Year is a very talented athlete with tremendous potential. Although she comes from a smaller high school program, she should certainly challenge for playing time after establishing herself at this level.

After a strong season and coming up just shy of the A-Sun championship game last season, the Hatters are looking to take the next step in 2010.

"We lost some very good players to graduation after last year. Players like Emily Yero, Elise Ketcham, Heather Berg and Emily Ware are hard to replace. We built our program around Yero, Elise was a four-year starter on defense, Bergy was a big time scorer, and Emily did some great things for us off the bench", said Orlowski.

"This new group of seniors represents one of the most successful four-year classes we have ever had here. They have what it takes and they deserve to go out with a ring", she added.

Once again this season Coach Orlowski has proven that Stetson is not one to shy away from tough opponents. In addition to its always-difficult Atlantic Sun schedule Stetson will be taking on a challenging non-conference slate. At home the Hatters will face Florida Atlantic (8/20), Miami (8/22), Embry-Riddle (8/26) and Virginia Commonwealth (9/3). On the road they will challenge Florida State (8/29), USF (9/5), Southeast Missouri State (9/10) and Arkansas-Little Rock (9/12).