There will be a lot of familiar faces on the pitch at Stetson's Athletic Training Center this fall when the Hatters' women's soccer team takes the field for the first time.
 
Coach Chris Bergmann enters his fourth season as the Hatters' head coach with a roster that includes 21 players from the 2021 squad that doubled the program's win total from the previous two seasons combined.
 
While still a relatively young squad, the Hatters have just three seniors on the roster along with eight returning juniors and a junior transfer, Stetson is poised to make a run at earning a spot in the ASUN tournament this fall in an even more challenging 14-team league.
 
Before getting to the 11 ASUN games on the 2022 schedule, the Hatters will face a tough slate of eight non-conference games in August and early September designed to get the squad ready for the league race.
 
"This will be a great schedule to test our resolve and prepare us for conference play," Bergmann said. "We have a great group of returners who understand the focus needed to be successful. Our incoming players add depth and a strong competitive spirit and have instantly made the program better."
 
Stetson will play a pair of exhibition games – one at South Florida on August 10 and the other at home against Georgia State on August 13 – before opening the regular season at home on August 18 against South Carolina State. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.
 
Stetson will then play host to Florida on Sunday, August 21, at 6 p.m. That game has been designated as Youth Day and will include group ticket pricing for youth teams and other fun activities. Florida comes into the 2022 season off a 4-12-4 record last year and with their second new head coach in as many years.
 
The Hatters will close out a three-game season-opening home-stand on August 25 when they face an always tough FIU team.
 
Stetson is scheduled to play the first of two non-conference road games on August 28 at Mercer. That will be followed by a home match on September 1 against Texas-San Antonio. It will be the first time Stetson and UTSA have ever played. The Roadrunners, from Conference USA, posted a 10-5-4 record last year.
 
The Hatters will travel to Montgomery, Ala., for a September 4 game at Alabama State.
 
The final two non-conference games will both be at home. The Hatters will host The Citadel on September 8 at 7 p.m. and Coastal Carolina on September 11 at 6 p.m. Stetson will be playing the Chanticleers for the first time since 2007. The programs played to a draw in their only previous meeting. Coastal posted a 6-9-2 record last fall.
 
The Hatters will jump right in to the deep end of the pool in league play with a road trip the weekend of September 15 that will include a stop in Virginia to face the always talented Liberty Flames followed by a trip to Charlotte, NC., to play ASUN newcomer Queens University. The Royals posted a 16-5-1 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II championship last year.
 
"We love competing in the ASUN," Bergmann said. "It is a very competitive conference and we can't wait to start. We believe we learned a ton from last year and will use that knowledge as a catalyst to attack each match and to get the best result."
 
League play continues with a three-game home-stand against Florida rivals Jacksonville (Sept. 22), North Florida (Sept. 25) and FGCU (Oct. 1). The JU game has been designated as the Mental Health Awareness game as the Hatters, and other collegiate teams around the country, work to bring attention and understanding to the battle against depression and mental illness that has resulted in the tragic deaths of collegiate student-athletes in recent years.
 
Following those three-games against long-time rivals, the Hatters will go back on the road for games at Bellarmine (Oct. 6) and Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 9).
 
The final home stand of the year will open on October 13 against another ASUN newcomer, Austin Peay, which posted a 4-10-3 record last fall in the Ohio Valley Conference. The regular season home finale will be against defending ASUN champion Lipscomb on Oct. 16. The Bisons have won three of the last four ASUN titles and posted a 15-5-1 record last year. The Hatters have not squared off against Lipscomb since 2019 but lead the all-time series 7-5-3.
 
Stetson will close out the regular season Oct. 21 on the road against a Kennesaw State team that advanced to the ASUN title game last fall and finished with a 9-8-2 mark.
 
The ASUN championship tournament, which will be an eight team, single-elimination, event, will include quarterfinal and semifinal matches on October 27 and 30 on the home fields of the top two seeded teams. The championship match is scheduled for November 4 on the home field of the highest remaining team.
 
Admission to the Hatters' home games at the ATC are just $5 each. All regular season home games will be broadcast live on Stetson's HatterVision YouTube Channel.
 
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.