Our leaders did a great job of organizing & bridging the gap between returning players and new players. On the field, they’ve all been working hard to understand the principles of how we want to play this year and what type of team we want to be. The energy is very good. Each day, the ladies bring intensity to the sessions, and they’ve also done the same for each of the three exhibition matches. As a large and new squad, we are creating and building our culture. It is something we have talked about at length in meetings and constantly comes up throughout each day, whether it’s about training intensity, being supportive, disciplined, or focused on class. We will continue to create the culture our players have committed to being a part of.
— Tritons Head Coach, Luke Sheekey
TRITON WOMEN'S SOCCER
RETURNERS
KAIA SENECAL (Jr.; MF/D) - Senecal has been a staple in the Tritons' lineup for two seasons. Last year, she appeared in all 14 games with 13 starts while scoring a goal against Barry (10/20). She also dished out an assist against St. Thomas (Fla.) (9/11).
AISLING SPILLANE (Jr.; MF) - Another two-year constant in the Eckerd lineup, Spillane started all 14 games last year. She scored three goals on the season against St. Thomas (Fla.) (9/11), Saint Leo (9/14), and Florida Southern (10/12). She also added two assists on the year against Embry-Riddle (9/24) and Barry (10/20).
LARA SANCHEZ-RODRIGUEZ (R-Jr.; D) - Sanchez-Rodriguez made an immediate impact in her first season with Eckerd last year. She aided in the Tritons' five shutouts while starting in all 13 games played. She added an assist against Lynn (10/8).
BROOKE BISKO (Sr.; MF) - Bisko appeared in 13 games with five starts last season. She dished out two assists against Barry (10/20) and Tampa (10/25).
KRYSTAL TORRES (Jr.; MF) - Another two-year starter for Eckerd, Torres played in 11 games with 10 starts last year. She recorded two assists last year against Saint Leo (9/14) and Lynn (10/8).
RETURNERS (cont.)
CADENCE TALBERT (Jr.; GK) - Talbert appeared in eight games with six starts in the net last year. She turned aside 23 shots on the season with a season-high six saves against Nova Southeastern (10/22). She posted a 1-2-3 record on the year with one shutout.
SIERRA HUDSON (Jr.; MF) - Hudson appeared in 11 games with one start last season. She registered two shots, with one on goal.
AVA TRACHTENBERG (Jr.; D) - Trachtenberg missed the 2022 season with an injury but looks to make an impact this year, building on the 11 games played in her rookie campaign.
KENDALL DRUMMOND (Jr.; F) - Drummond has been a staple in the Tritons' starting lineup for two seasons. She played in 14 games with 13 starts last year while scoring four goals, including a 90th-minute goal against Tampa (10/25).
RETURNERS (contd.)
ADORIA SANDERS (Fr.; D) - Sanders played in all 14 games with six starts on the backline last year, aiding to all five shutouts. She scored one goal on the season against Spring Hill (9/4).
ZOE BRASHER (So.; GK) - Brasher produced a solid rookie campaign with seven starts in the net and, a 3-3-1 record and two shutouts. She registered 28 saves on the season, with a career-high of five against Rollins (9/17). She was tabbed the SSC Defensive Player of the Week on September 12.
REAGAN RODRIGUEZ (So.; D) - Rodriguez appeared in 11 games with three starts last season with nearly 300 minutes on the pitch.
GABY MORMAN (So.; MF) - Morman appeared in nine contests off the bench last year.
MORGAN MASSIE (So.; D) - Massie appeared in two games last year, registering two shots with one on goal.
NEWCOMERS
PAULA GALLARDO VILLANUEVA (Jr.; F) - Gallardo Villanueva comes to Eckerd from Illinois Central College, where she was named a NJCAA Division-I Second Team All-American last year. She netted 15 goals and four assists in 2022.
CAMRYN WIESE (Fr.; GK) - Weise prepped at Jackson Liberty High School in Jackson, NJ, where she was the team MVP and captain.
SOPHIA BUTKOVICH (Jr.; D/MF) - Comes to Eckerd from Detroit Mercy, where she appeared in her rookie campaign while recording one assist.
JASMINE GALLO (Fr.; D) - Gallo prepped at Oaklands College and King Harold High School in London, England. She was a WSL Academy League winner and FA Capital Cup winner and played for Arsenal’s Women’s Academy since the age of nine.
EMMA LOU SMITH (Jr.; F) - Smith comes to Eckerd from Central Connecticut State, where she appeared in eight games in her rookie campaign.
ABBY SONNE (So.; D) - Comes to Eckerd after one season at Missouri Southern State, where she appeared in 14 games, starting in 11 as a center back and contributing to two shutouts.
IZZY MOHR (Fr.; F/MF) - Prepped at Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, where she was a two-year captain.
RAKEL HOLMARSDOTTIR (Fr.; D) - Prepped at Commercial College of Iceland.
CAROLINE BUNKER (Jr.; F) - Bunker comes to Eckerd from Lynchburg, where she appeared in six matches in 2020.
ANNY KNIPP (Fr.; D) - Prepped at North Kansas City High School in Kansas City, Missouri, where she was a two-time first-team all-district and two-time all-conference selection.
BRENNA MARRIONE (Fr.; MF) - Prepped at Cabrini High School in Slidell, Louisiana, where she was a four-time all-district honoree and garnered LHSAA All-Academic team honors.
MORGAN WRIGHT (Fr.; D/MF) - Prepped at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida, where she was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. She was a two-time first-team all-conference, two-time second-team all-conference, and four-time all-academic team selection.
JILLIAN DOERGER (Fr.; F/MF) - Droerger was a multisport athlete at Ursuline Academy, playing soccer and running track. She received first-team all-league honors all four years and was a two-time GGCL league champion for the 300M hurdles.
MACY KAY BENNETT (Fr.; D) - Bennett prepped at North Raleigh Christian Academy in North Carolina, where she helped her team to three state final four appearances. She was tabbed to the all-conference and all-region teams in both her junior and senior years while receiving the NRCA Impact Player of the Year in her award junior and senior years.
MADI WINN (Fr.; GK) - Winn prepped at Estero High School in Estero, Florida. Her older sister Casey was a four-year starter in goal at Eckerd, graduating in 2020.
LUKE SHEEKEY '10
Luke Sheekey enters his second season at the helm of the Tritons. Last year, as interim head coach, Sheekey led the program to Eckerd's best finish in the SSC standings since 2017. He guided the team to an undefeated mark at home, the first time since at least 2002 the Tritons have gone undefeated at home. Eckerd produced a 460-minute streak of holding their opponents scoreless, including four straight shutouts. Both marks are the first in program history since at least 1997.
He returned to his alma mater after spending two seasons as an assistant women's soccer coach at UNC Charlotte. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Sheekey served as the head women's soccer coach at Delta State (Miss.) for four years. He led the Statesmen to their first Gulf South Conference tournament in program history in 2019, creating a program record for conference wins.
Sheekey is joined by assistant coaches Shauna Griffin, Jason Navas, and Tyler Moore.
I am excited about this new group and how they will play and compete together. We had a good spring where this year's returners put in a lot of great work. Adding this quality class to that foundation is exciting. So far, they have settled in very well.
— Tritons Head Coach, Luke Sheekey
2023 WOMEN'S SOCCER QUICK LINKS
Eckerd opens the season at home with a match against West Florida on September 1 at 6:00 PM. They continue their five-match home stand through September 10 before hitting the road for a pair of contests at Flagler and Embry-Riddle. EC returns home on September 20 for its Teal Out game against Florida Southern.
Eckerd was selected ninth in the SSC preseason poll. With many new faces joining the team this year to add to the returning roster, the Tritons look to shake up the conference with the regular season ending at Palm Beach Atlantic on October 28th.