A Well-Stocked Cupboard Sometimes in sports, terms like “rebuilding year” or “restocking the cupboard” apply. But that will not be a problem for the 2015 edition of the Towson women’s soccer team. A year removed from the team’s first-ever trip to the Colonial Ath- letic Association (CAA) postseason, the standard of excellence has been raised. Despite seeing five student-athletes exhaust their eligibility and a dozen new faces added to the roster, Tow- son is poised to return to the CAA Tournament and advance. Of the 21 Kelsey Ritter (L) and Nat Pinkney (R) Tigers that saw time in Towson’s CAA First Round game against Hofstra, 16 return to the team this season, bringing the knowledge needed to navigate the grinding CAA regular season and beyond. Experience will not be lacking on the Towson side this season, with 16 returning players combin- ing for over 200 appearances in 2014, including eight seeing time in all 19 games. One of the biggest changes for Towson, which went 6-9-4 overall last season, will be in its goal- keeper spot. The Tigers saw Erin Quinn graduate, but that particular shelf of the cupboard is not bare as Taylor Sebolao returns for her junior campaign. The third-year Tiger saw time in three games last year while backing up Quinn, whose eight shutouts are tied for second-most in a sin- gle season at Towson. “The battle started last year,” said head coach Greg Paynter, who kicks off his ninth season with Towson. “We’ve known Erin was going to graduate and finish her playing career so we were pre- pared for that.” Sebolao will have competition between the pipes as sophomore Emma Burnett, junior transfer Deanna Ballard and rookie Megan Collins will push the top returner every day. “We had recruited Taylor Sebolao and Emma Burnett and they did a good job developing last spring,” Paynter said of his keeper corps. “We’re excited to see where they are and we brought in some goalkeepers to give us some competitive depth.” No matter which keeper steps in for the Tigers, she will have an experienced defense in front of her, anchored by Vasthy Delgado, a Preseason All-CAA selection. Three-year starter Nikki Nicho- las, the pair combining for over 100 appearances, will join Delgado along the backline. “Certainly having Vasthy, a preseason All-CAA pick, along with Nikki Nicholas, who has started as 1 The Coaches 2 Head Coach Greg Paynter 10th Season | Virginia Tech 1995 In his eighth season at the helm, Greg Paynter coached the Tigers into their first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament berth since joining the conference in 2002. The Tigers recorded eight shutouts - the most since 1997 - and went 3-0-2 in their final five matches, a mark that ranks as the program’s longest unbeaten streak in its 22-year history. He guided the 2013 Tigers to the biggest single-season turnaround in program history, from one win in 2012 to eight in 2013. Paynter coached a Tiger defense that allowed the fewest CAA goals since 2003. Towson won back-to-back road games in the same weekend for the first time since 1999. Emily Banes became the program’s leading career goal (30) and points (77) scorer and set single-season records for goals (15) and points (36) under Paynter’s tutelage. In 2011, Towson posted a 9-10 record, including its first win over CAA rival Hofstra since 1997 and the Tigers’ first victory over cross-town rival Loyola (Md.). Paynter’s squad continued to improve offensively as well, totaling 31 goals for the year. The Tigers compiled a 6-11-3 record in 2010, which included a 1-0 victory over the University of Pennsylvania, which earned a berth in the NCAA Tourna- ment. The Tigers have faced some of the nation’s top competition over the last five seasons and have continued to show improvement during that stretch. After a 4-14-1 record in 2008, the Tigers posted a 7-11-2 mark in 2009, including a 3-7-1 CAA record. In his first season with the Tigers, Paynter led the team to a 9-8-1 record in 2007, which included a 6-1 non-conference record. The Tigers also produced one of the highest-scoring offenses in the pro- gram’s 17-year history, scoring 28 goals in 18 games. A 1995 graduate of Virgin- ia Tech, Paynter arrived at Towson following eight seasons at CAA rival James Madison. He was an assis- tant coach for Coach Dave Lombardo, including one year as the Associate Head Coach. Paynter joined Lombardo’s coaching staff at JMU in 1999. During his tenure as Lombardo’s assistant coach, he helped the Dukes post six winning seasons and an overall record of 89-70-15. 3 While he coached at James Madison, the Dukes Paynter’s Coaching History won the 2002 Colonial Athletic Association champi- Year Overall CAA Postseason onship and finished as CAA runners-up twice. JMU 2007 9-8-1 3-7-1 n/a also qualified for the NCAA Division I Tournament 2008 4-14-1 1-9-1 n/a three times. 2009 7-11-2 3-7-1 n/a 2010 6-11-3 2-8-1 n/a In 1999, James Madison earned an NCAA Tourna- 2011 9-10-0 4-5-0 n/a ment at-large berth and advanced to the round of 2012 1-15-2 1-8-1 n/a 32. After a 1-0 victory over Penn in the first round, 2013 8-10-1 2-6-0 n/a the Dukes dropped a 1-0 verdict to Virginia in the 2014 6-9-4 3-4-2 CAA Quarters second round. JMU finished the 1999 season with 2015 7-8-4 1-6-2 n/a a 14-7-1 record. Total 57-96-18 20-60-9 In 2002, the Dukes won the CAA championship with a 2-0 win over George Mason University. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament and edged Charlotte in the first round, 1-0, advancing to the round of 32.A 1-0 loss to Richmond ended their season with a 13-8-3 record. A native of Chantilly, Va., Paynter primarily served as JMU’s Recruiting Coordinator and assisted Coach Lombardo in all aspects of the program. He holds an advanced national diploma from the Na- tional Soccer Coaches Association of America. Paynter began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach with the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team. He spent the 1995 and 1996 seasons working with the Hokies. After three years as an elemen- tary school teacher in Rockingham County, Va., he joined the JMU coaching staff in 1999. In addition to his experience as a coach with the Olympic Developmental program, Paynter has been a coach at the club level for youth soccer and also served as the boys’ soccer coach at Broadway High School for one year. While at Towson, Paynter has worked with the Baltimore Bays U-16 club team, which won the Mary- land State Cup championship in 2011. Coach Paynter earned his bachelor’s degree in liber- al arts and sciences from Virginia Tech in 1995 and hismaster’s degree in edu- cation from James Madison in 1998. Coach Paynter is the fa- ther of two sons, Tripp and Baxter. 4 Assistant Coach Mike Eckberg 3rd Season | Luther College 2007 In his first season with Towson women’s soccer in 2014, Mike Eckberg was part of a history-mak- ing squad. The Tigers went 3-0-2 in their final five matches to earn their first Colonial Athletic Associa- tion (CAA) Tournament bid. Eckberg came to Towson in summer 2014 after one year as a volunteer assistant at Penn State. While at Penn State, the Nittany Lions’ squad posted a 15-7-1 record in 2013, reaching the Big Ten tournament semifinals and the second round of the NCAA tournament. Eckberg assisted in the player development of one National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) All-American and five NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region selections. “I am thrilled to be joining the Tiger family and would like to thank Greg Paynter for this opportunity!” said Eckberg. “I am really looking forward to working with the student-athletes at Towson University and helping them to continue their success on and off the field.” Eckberg went to State College after spending the 2013 offseason as the recruiting coordinator for Southwest Minnesota State University. Prior to Southwest, he spent the 2012 season as an assistant with University of Wisconsin River Falls, finishing with a record of 9-8-3 and making it to the second round of the conference playoffs, a significant improvement from a 6-13 finish in 2011. He has worked with the Minnesota Olympic Development Program for two years and Bloomington Youth Soccer Club for six. In 2013, his U13 boy’s team qualified for the MYSA State Tournament and secured a spot within the six team state premier league. Eckberg played soccer at Luther College (IA) and was a captain his senior year. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in business management and Spanish in May of 2007. He is a mem- ber of the NSCAA and holds NSCAA National and Goal- keeping level III di- plomas and a USSF B License. 5 Assistant Coach Autumn Hayes 2nd Season | Southwest Minnesota State 2014 Following an outstanding playing career at South- west Minnesota State University, Autumn Hayes was named as an assistant coach in May 2015 and will begin her first year with the Tiger program in the fall.