DELAND, Fla. – Stetson women's soccer will take flight, landing in Kentucky for a pair of matches in the Bluegrass State, first facing Bellarmine Thursday, then ending with Eastern Kentucky on Sunday. Both matches will live stream on ESPN+, links in this article and on the schedule page.
 
"We love challenges and how we train is anyone, anywhere, anytime," head coach Chris Bergmann said "For us, it's another game and it's about executing our game plan, which we have been working very hard on. The team is ready and has great energy."
 
Of some concern to all Stetson Athletics is the reaction from Hurricane Ian. While most coaches have indicated some positives, recovery from injury and time for rest, there has been some negatives highlighted by a more compact schedule with games added on the back end to make up for postponements.
 
"When you have real-life experience, such as going through a hurricane, you always pause and reflect on what's important," Bergmann said in regard to Ian "For us, it's always refined to what is important to us, I believe that it made us stronger as a team, it created opportunities to support each other in different ways and to remember what really matters. At the end of the day, we're a stronger team because we went through this together."
 
While on paper the Knights have struggled this season in an overall record, it has not been on the defensive side of the pitch. Bellarmine had allowed six goals in 11 games, until Lipscomb, the ASUN's most potent offense, put three in against them last Sunday. BU goalkeeper Elyssa Francis ranks second in the ASUN for goals-against average and save percentage but is seventh in saves. For the Hatters that means the backline is very difficult to break down and create shots. Set pieces from free kicks and corner kicks could be crucial in the match. On the opposite end, the Knights have the fewest shots, goals and assists in the conference.
 
Eastern Kentucky brings a big challenge from the top of the table. In the standings, EKU sits one point above Stetson at fourth place in the ASUN with one extra game played. The Colonels have been in top form as they have taken a result in seven of their last eight contests, the lone defeat coming from Lipscomb last Thursday. Eight players have netted a goal for Eastern Kentucky, paced by five from Maddy Lemery. Gretta Gunn and Myla Sharpless have five of the teams' eight assists. EKU goalkeeper Lauren Seedlock ranks second in the ASUN in saves [55] and wins [6].

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.