Opponent: Salem at Hollins | September 1 | at Hollins, Va. | 4 p.m.

SPIRITS OPEN 2023 REGULAR SEASON
The Salem soccer program begins its 15th year of NCAA Division III play on Friday afternoon when the team treks to Hollins for a non-conference clash at 4 p.m.

Over the course of the 15-year history of the program, Salem is 172-81-12 overall, boasting a 71-41-8 mark on the road.

RAMIREZ RETURNS "HOME" TO FACE HOLLINS
Salem head coach Robin Ramirez will pit himself against his former Hollins unit for the first time as the Spirits leader.

Ramirez left Hollins and assumed the head coaching role at Salem after serving in the same capacity in the Commonwealth of Virginia for six seasons (2014-21).

Ramirez, who became the third coach in Salem's program history after Jay Callahan and Octavia Saunders, piloted Hollins to four wins and 4.50 goals against average in 2019, the lowest since the 2013 campaign. His Hollins units earned Team Ethics Award of Merit on three occasions including 2016 (Silver), 2017 (Gold) and 2018 (Silver), along with being named as United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award recipients in 2018 and 2019.

SALEM ALL-TIME IN OPENERS, ROAD OPENERS
The Spirits are 12-2 all-time in season openers, brandishing a 7-2 mark on the road in openers since the program's inception in 2008. Salem's seven road wins in the last 13 seasons have come against Bob Jones (2019), Hollins (2008, 2010), N.C. Wesleyan (2013), Washington Adventist (2014), Warren Wilson (2021) and Regent, which came to open the 2022 campaign.

The 2023 opener marks the fifth straight that Salem has opened on the road. The Spirits began its most recent stretch of road openers in 2018 at Salisbury and followed with a match at Bob Jones in 2019. After a COVID-19 cancellation of the season in 2020, Salem kicked off the 2021 campaign at Warren Wilson. Last season's first match took place at Regent. The only other time that the Spirits began consecutive seasons on the road came in 2010 and 2011 when they faced Hollins and Meredith, respectively.

Salem has pitched five shutouts in season-opening contests in program history. The Spirits notched their first-ever shutout in a season opener in 2013, posting a 3-0 victory at N.C. Wesleyan. That trend continued in 2014 when Salem earned a decisive 12-0 win at Washington Adventist on August 31st.

The third season-opening shutout for Salem came in 2017 with a 5-0 victory against Blackburn at the Mount St. Joseph Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ramirez's unit have been responsible for the most recent season-opening shutouts with a pair of 9-0 victories against Warren Wilson (Sept. 1, 2021) and Regent (Sept. 3, 2022).

LOOKING BACK ON THE 2022 OPENING MATCH
The Salem soccer team picked up its seventh season-opening win in program history on Saturday, September 3, 2022, when the Spirits claimed at 9-0 victory over Regent in Norfolk, Va. The duo of Ashley Linden and Darilyn Nieto notched two goals each for the Spirits, becoming the 16th set of teammates to score multiple goals for the Salem in a match in program history and first since Sept. 1, 2021.

Salem received one goal each from Nathaly Berrezueta, Layla Locklear, Cristina Battistini, Olivia Nivens and Alyson Gammons scored one goal each. Salem senior goalkeeper Jordan Tomberlin anchored the defensive attack by making two saves, while her teammates limited Regent to two shots, both on goal.

SPIRITS HEADING INTO 2023 CAMPAIGN
The Salem soccer team was selected eighth in the 2023 USA South Conference Preseason Polls, released by the league office on Wednesday, August 23rd. Defending league champion Methodist, who garnered seven first-place votes, sits atop the polls, which were conducted by the leagues' head coaches.

The 2023 season begins with a four-match road stretch for the Spirits, including a preseason clash at Ferrum on August 26th. The regular season kicks off at Hollins on September 1st and is followed by clashes at St. Andrews (Sept. 6) and Randolph (Sept. 9) before the Spirits make their first appearance at Varsity Field against Agnes Scott on Friday, September 15th at 4 p.m.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN FOR 2023
Salem head coach Robin Ramirez's roster consists of two seniors, Isabel Scott and Layla Locklear, along with four sophomores. The sophomore class consists of Nathaly Berrezueta, Darilyn Nieto, Serenity Powell and Mireya Sanchez.

Ramirez also restocked the cupboard for the Spirits with seven newcomers, who include: Taylor Gable, Sky Sykes, Giselle Ramos, Jasmine Solorzano, Marabeth Huffman, Caitlin Clements and Marissa Doutrich.

Scott has been a fixture in the Salem defense, starting all 36 contests that she has played, posting one goal and two assists over the course of her career. Scott has attempted 10 shots (eight shots on goal) and has been issued with one yellow card.

Locklear has provided the Salem offense with four goals, four assists and 12 points in 33 contests. The Pembroke, N.C., native has attempted 24 shots (11 shots on goal) and converted one penalty kick.

Nieto left her indelible mark on the program after a stellar first season, capped off by winning the 2022 USA South Rookie of the Year. Nieto, the program's first-ever Rookie of the Year winner, led all Salem players in goals (14), points (30), shots (102), shots on goal (67) and game-winning goals (three) during her first season on the pitch.

LOOKING AT THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH HOLLINS
Salem owns a 5-0 mark in the all-time head-to-head series with Hollins, which dates back to the first-ever meeting, which came on August 30, 2008. The Spirits have outscored Hollins 30-5 in the series, earning a 10-0 victory in the most recent clash, which took place on September 6, 2015.

Two of those matches took place at Hollins, two have come at Salem and the last meeting in 2015 took place at the Meredith College Classic in Raleigh, N.C.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. HOLLINS

HOLLINS HEADING INTO 2023
Hollins is currently on a 28-match losing streak that dates back to October 26, 2019, which came with a 9-0 setback to Randolph-Macon on October 26, 2019. After missing the 2021 season due to COVID-19, Hollins suffered 12 setbacks in 2021 and 13 losses in 2022.

Hollins has four seniors on the 2023 roster, including Cat Bussani, Sophia Ciatti, Cady Gardiner-Parks and Tate Hurley.

The tandem of Anna Starman and Isabella Workman are the top returning goal scorers for Hollins, scoring two apiece a season ago. Teammate Cat Bussani returns for her senior year in net, converting a team-high 82 saves last season.