Opponent:
Salem vs. Southern Virginia | October 31| 6 p.m. | Buena Vista, Va. | 2023 USA South Conference Tournament | Knight Stadium

SALEM MAKES SIXTH APPEARANCE IN USA SOUTH CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Spirits have now clinched a spot in the league tournament in back-to-back seasons under the direction of head coach Robin Ramirez, giving Salem six appearances in the USA South Conference Tournament since joining the league in 2016. Salem will face first-seeded Southern Virginia in the opening match of the tournament.

USA SOUTH CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Tuesday's match marks the third true road match in program history for the Spirits. Salem has played all but two matches—which came against Maryville (2019) and Methodist (2022)—at either home or a neutral site in program history. Both of those road matches resulted setbacks for Salem by scores of 2-1 (at Maryville) and 5-2 (at Methodist).

The last Salem victory in a USA South Conference Tournament came against Piedmont in 2019, where the Spirits emerged 2-0 on November 2nd.

ALL-TIME HISTORY AT USA SOUTH CONFERENCE

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPIRITS
Despite a 4-1 setback to Greensboro on Senior Day at Salem, which honored the contributions of Layla Locklear and Isabel Scott, the Spirits clinched the eighth-place spot in the USA South Conference Tournament with a Mary Baldwin victory (2-1) over N.C. Wesleyan.

Salem's 2023 Senior Day contest was highlighted by a goal from sophomore Darilyn Nieto, who drove home a pass from Locklear in the 69th-minute.

Greensboro scored two goals in the opening frame, receiving a strike from Svea Eckstrand in the 23rd-minute, assuming the 1-0 advantage. Maci Hulver stretched the margin to 2-0 for The Pride in the 37th-minute, following a pass from teammate Ella Ramsey.

The Pride received their third goal from Amery Skinner, who stretched the margin to 3-0 in the 57th-minute on an unassisted goal. After Nieto found the back of the net for Salem in the 69th frame, Eckstrand recorded her second goal of the afternoon six minutes later to make for the 4-1 final.

Mireya Sanchez manned the net for Salem, making 18 saves along the way, while her counterpart, Sofia Pagnamenta tallied two saves for Greensboro.

Greensboro attempted 41 shots (22 shots on goal) in the match, with Ramsey attempting a team-best eight shots (three shots on goal). Salem had 10 shots over the course of the afternoon, six coming off the foot of Nieto.

FIFTH HAT TRICK PLACES NIETO FIRST ALL-TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Sophomore Darilyn Nieto is one of five Spirits to notch multiple hat tricks in program history. On Wednesday evening, in a 3-1 victory over N.C. Wesleyan, Nieto broke a tie with Sawyer Ferguson for the most hat tricks in Salem history—five. Ferguson became the all-time leader in hat tricks after recording two in the 2014 season against Oglethorpe (Sept. 28) and Pine Manor (Nov. 2).
Nieto, who has three in the 2023 campaign, is the first Spirit to ever notch three hat tricks in a single season.

NIETO'S 16 GOALS ARE SECOND-MOST IN A SINGLE-SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY
On Saturday afternoon in Salem's regular season home finale against Greensboro, Darilyn Nieto drove home a pass from Layla Locklear in the 69th-minute.
That goal by Nieto moved her total on the season to 16, which is second-most in a single-season in program history and three off the pace established by Sawyer Ferguson in 2012. Nieto did break a four-way tie with Alexi Saganich (2010), Tarryn Bundy (2013) and Tarryn Johnson (2014), who scored 15 goals each during a single season in their time as Spirits.

The goal against The Pride also gave Nieto her 30th career collegiate goal, tying her alongside Bundy in that category. Next on the Salem all-time goal scoring list is Brooke Bukas, who has 38 to her credit from 2014-17.

ALL-TIME GOALS IN PROGRAM HISTORY 

DOUBLE-DIGIT SAVES FOR DOUTRICH AND SANCEZ
Both Salem goalkeepers, Marissa Doutrich and Mireya Sanchez, have tallied four double-digit save performances in 2023.

After converting 22 saves in a setback to William Peace on October 14th, Salem first-year netminder Marissa Doutrich not only equaled her own program single-match record, but she also tied Hannah Wagner for the most single-season double-digit save outings in program history with four.

Doutrich posted four double-digit save outings during an 18-day stretch from September 27th through October 14th, beginning with a program record 22-save outing against Southern Virginia.

The York, Pennsylvania, native emerged with 18 saves in a setback to Brevard (Oct. 3) and 16 stops in a 1-1 tie versus Meredith four days later. She bookended her previous 22-save outing against the Knights by converting 22 in a clash with William Peace on October 14th.

Sanchez, equaled both Doutrich and Wagner with a pair of double-digit save performances this week. She notched 16 saves in a 3-1 win over N.C. Wesleyan, which came after a 19-save outing against Methodist (Sept. 30) and a 13-save performance versus Mary Baldwin (Oct. 16).

Sanchez tied Wagner and Doutrich for most single-season double-digit saves (four) with an 18-save outing versus Greensboro in Salem's regular season finale.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
Salem has faced off against Southern Virginia on five occasions entering Tuesday's contest.

The Spirits took the first two games of the series, both by 2-0 scores, on September 10, 2016 and September 12, 2017. However, the Knights have since responded with two victories of their own, in both the 2021 (5-4) and 2022 (4-2) campaigns.

Last outing vs. Knights (Sept. 27, 2023): Salem goalkeeper Marissa Doutrich etched her name in the Salem soccer record book with a 22-save performance in a 5-0 setback against USA South Conference rival Southern Virginia in Buena Vista, Va.

Doutrich topped the previous single-match high by seven, which was originally set by Jazmine Bridgeman on October 10, 2009 versus Maryville. Both Taylor Barcom (Covenant / Oct. 18, 2011) and Richi Hutchins (Lynchburg / Oct. 12, 2014) equaled the mark by Bridgeman over the course of the next five years.

Salem, which tallied 23 saves as a unit, had 10 saves in the first half and 13 more in the second frame.

The Knights kept their perfect league mark intact after attempting 51 shots, including 28 shots on goal, in the victory. Southern Virginia had 12 players attempt at least two shots over the course of the match, including Makinna Winterton, who finished with six shots, four shots on goal and three goals.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. Southern Virginia