Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel soccer team continued to make history in the 2009 season as they finished 10th in the Southern Conference, the highest finish by any women's soccer team at The Citadel. For his program-changing successes, head coach Bob Winch was voted the 2009 SoCon Women's Soccer Coach of the Year.

Bulldog Highlights
The Bulldogs claimed a 5-12-2, 2-6-2 SoCon record. This marks only the second time in program history that The Citadel has earned five wins, the most won by any Bulldog soccer team.

Sophomore forward Amy Loughran led the Bulldogs this season with eight goals, four assists, 20 points and 40 shots while sophomore goalkeeper Whitney Nave created a season-high of 92 saves and set the season/career school record for goals against average (1.41).

Nicole Martinoli clinched the number one spot in points per game when she collected 10 points against Alabama State and she also tied former Bulldogs Kelly Pesterfield, Julie Crawford and Miriam Crawford in goals per game when she scored four against the Hornets. Shanna Couch added her name to the record books when she assisted three goals against Alabama State allowing her to tie Debbie White in assists per game.

Senior Kristine Devine became the only Citadel women's soccer player to earn the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region honor.

The 2009 team is now first all-time in assists per season and goals against average per season. The Bulldogs tallied 29 assists while Nave and Laura Serafino together recorded 1.44 goals against average.

Game-by-game
The Citadel opened their season at home as they hosted Alabama State on Aug. 30. The Bulldogs set new records as they shutout the hornets, 14-0. Martinoli guided The Citadel on the field earning her first four career goals and adding two assists and six shots. She tallied the first goal within the first three minutes of the game. Then 30 seconds later, senior Nikki Mares, assisted by Loughran, scored the second goal. The Bulldogs were unstoppable as they scored five more goals and Angela Foyt scored her first career goal to close out the first half, 8-0.

In the second half, The Citadel reduced their players down to eight, including the goalie, but still remained dominant. Mares scored back-to-back goals while Dominic Snyder and Miranda Johnson picked up their first career goals. This left Martinoli and Loughran to clinch the school record in goals per game (14), shots per game (42), assists per game (16) and points per game (44). The Bulldogs outshot the Hornets, 42-2.

Next, The Citadel traveled to Orangeburg, S.C. to battle S.C. State on Sept. 1. The Bulldogs added to their undefeated record against S.C. State as they won, 4-2. This win marked the first time in history that the Bulldogs started the season, 2-0. Devine and Nikkita Persaud scored one goal each while Loughran scored two goals.

The Citadel suffered their first loss of the season at Gardner-Webb on Sept. 5. The Bulldogs lost, 3-0, with Nave recording two saves. The Bulldogs were hoping to bounce back when they hosted inner-city rival Charleston Southern on Sept. 9. It was a competitive match for both teams. The Buccaneers led into halftime, 1-0, but The Citadel would soon jump back into the game. Senior Dianna Martin took the first Bulldog shot with 33 minutes on the clock to tie, 1-1. However, Charleston Southern was able to break through The Citadel defense scoring five minutes later to take the win. The Bulldogs fell, 2-1.

The Citadel continued to battle Big South opponents on Sept. 11. The Presbyterian Blue Hose hosted the Bulldogs in Clinton, S.C. In the first half, The Citadel took control offensively; outshooting the Blue Hose, 4-3, but neither team could connect with the net. In the second half, Presbyterian tallied a goal in the 56th minute to earn the 1-0 victory.

The Bulldogs remained on the road when they traveled up the coast to Conway, S.C. on Sept. 16 to rally against Big South's back-to-back regular season champions, Coastal Carolina. Within the first eight minutes of the game, Martin assisted a goal to Loughran to lead into halftime, 1-0. The Chanticleers' defense held the Bulldogs as they were only able to shoot four times in the second half. Coastal Carolina took 11 shots but was unsuccessful. The Citadel earned their first victory over a Big South opponent in history.

With a big win on The Citadel's shoulders, the Bulldogs were looking forward to creating a winning series against first-time opponents, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the North Florida Ospreys, in the UNF Hampton Inn Ponte Vedra Showcase. On Sept. 18 in Jacksonville, Fla., the Bulldogs dropped, 2-1, to the Eagles. All scoring was done in the first half as Nikki Mares shot the first goal right over the goalie's head with 30 minutes on the clock. However, the Eagles took control of the game, scoring two goals for the win. The Bulldogs closed out non-conference play on Sept. 20. The Citadel fought hard but lost, 4-2, to the Ospreys. Mares was responsible for both goals while Johnson picked up an assist.

The Bulldogs opened SoCon play at home against Samford on Sept. 25. The first 45 minutes was a defensive match as both teams could not score. However, in the second half The Citadel held Samford to one shot. That one shot was for a goal with 10 minutes left on the clock. The Bulldogs suffered a disappointing, 1-0 loss.

Chattanooga made their way to WLI Field on Sept. 27. The Citadel made history again as they defeated the Mocs, 1-0, for the first time in history. This win also marked the best start in conference play and only the second SoCon win in program history. Both teams defended well in the first half to leave the halftime score at 0-0. After 82 minutes of play, Martinoli dribbled about halfway to the goal and shot for a goal. Nave earned her second shutout of the season while Martinoli tallied her sixth goal.

The next three matches were on the road at Furman, Wofford and Georgia Southern. On Oct. 2, the Paladins shutout the Bulldogs, 2-0, while the Terriers defeated The Citadel, 4-0, on Oct. 4.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, the Bulldogs rewrote history once again in Statesboro, Ga. For the second straight year, The Citadel downed Georgia Southern, 2-1, picking up the first SoCon road win in program history (The Bulldogs defeated the Eagles, 2-1, in 2008 to win the first SoCon game ever). Leah Hawkins threw in the ball from the sideline to Loughran and she drove the ball for a goal with 28:55 on the clock in the first half. The Citadel continued to put the pressure on Georgia Southern as Persaud assisted the second goal to Loughran, taking the 2-0 lead to the sideline. In the second half, the Eagles were able to score but the Bulldogs walked away with another SoCon win.

The Citadel returned home to host Davidson on Oct. 10 at WLI Field. It was a good defensive match but the Wildcats took the 1-0 win. A few games later, Davidson claimed the SoCon title in Greensboro, N.C.

The upcoming road games would soon become historical for the Bulldogs. The Citadel traveled to Boone, N.C. to take on Appalachian State. The Bulldogs earned their first 2OT 0-0 tie in program history. Persaud led The Citadel on the field with four shots on goal while Nave tallied eight saves. Then the Bulldogs turned around and earned another 2OT 0-0 tie against Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C. This is the first time in program history that The Citadel claimed back-to-back shutout ties. Persaud was the leader once again with four shots, three on goal, while Nave had four saves.

The end of the season did not go as The Citadel would have liked but the Bulldogs continued to have impressive performances. The Citadel wrapped up the 2009 season at home in Charleston. The Bulldogs hosted Elon on Oct. 23 and the Phoenix slipped by with the 2-1 win. Loughran was the lone Bulldog to score and Nave finished with seven saves.

The Citadel suffered a disappointing loss to SoCon regular season champions UNC Greensboro on Oct. 25. The halftime score was 0-0 but things would change in the second half. The Spartans led, 2-0, for most of the second half. UNC Greensboro received a penalty, setting up a penalty kick for the Bulldogs. Martinoli was the chosen Dog to take the shot and she was successful, making the score 2-1. The Citadel had other opportunities to score but could not connect with the net.

The Bulldogs hoped to defeat SoCon inner city-rival College of Charleston on Oct. 28. An early goal in the 23rd minute of the game allowed the Cougars to pick up the 1-0 win to conclude the 2009 season.

The Citadel will return 11 starters to the 2010 team while Winch and his staff will seek to replace three seniors who will graduate in May 2010. Devine will leave The Citadel with a degree in health and wellness. She finished her Bulldog career with 76 games played, one goal, four assists, six points and 18 shot. Mares totaled 37 games played, nine goals, three assists, 21 points, 43 shots and two game-winning goals in her short career at The Citadel. She will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in sport management. Martin will join the others in May when she graduates with a degree in biology. In 2009, Martin had her best season with two goals and four assists, bringing her career total to 74 games played, five goals, seven assists, 17 points and 44 shots.

Winch's Thoughts on the 2009 Season
"It was a very competitive season for us," said Winch. "The girls really bought in and gave themselves a chance to win every time out. It is certainly an honor to work in this league as I feel the coaches are outstanding."

For more information on Bulldog Soccer, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.