PHILADELPHIA—After improving its record every year for the last five seasons and notching a program-best 17-5-1 finish in 2012, La Salle women's soccer will look to defend its Atlantic 10 title and advance to the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year during its 2013 campaign.
 
The Explorers return six starters including 2012 Atlantic 10 Defender of the Year Courtney Niemiec, 2011 All-Americans Renee Washington and Kelsey Haycook, A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jourdan McVicker and senior captain Ashley Chilcoat.
 
Despite earning an at-large birth in 2011 and an automatic bid in 2012 as conference champions, the Explorers have yet to post a win in the NCAA tournament—a hurdle the team hopes to surpass in the upcoming year.
 
"We're very fortunate that we have very good leadership right now with Renee, [Courtney Niemiec], Jourdan and Ashley," head coach Paul Royal said. "Last year we accomplished the Atlantic 10 tournament, but the girls were disappointed because they really wanted to get to that next level.  And that's where our goals are now. Our long term goals are how far we can get in the NCAA tournament."
 
La Salle has remained undefeated in Atlantic 10 regular season competition for the last two seasons and has not lost a conference match since October 29, 2010. Joining the squad this year are six freshmen, who, according to Royal, have the ability to make an immediate impact.
 
"We have a couple freshmen really competing to be impact players, which is tough for a team with this much depth,"  he said. "We have five, six or seven really special players that can score goals. We also have an incredible defense. We pretty much have two teams that could compete in the A-10 right now."
 
Even with La Salle's heavy artillery, the road to the postseason will not be an easy one with opponents like Villanova, Connecticut, Princeton and Penn State and the docket. The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title a season ago and fell to North Carolina in the College Cup Final.
 
"This is one of the most competitive schedules I've ever been part of," Royal said. "But I think our team is ready and we're ready to make La Salle proud and get to that next level."
 
In total the Explorers will face three squads that competed in the 2012 NCAA tournament. But first, La Salle must get past Old Dominion and James Madison University in their season-opening tournament in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
 
"We've really been pushing each other each practice to prepare for the first game this upcoming weekend so that when we do get in the game we're ready to play," Washington said. "We're going to have two great games against great competition."
 
La Salle opens the season against Old Dominion on Friday, August 23, at 5 p.m.