I think that along with any team I have coached, you will see intensity and hard work at the forefront of all that we do. We want to attack teams and score goals with our speed and skill, while being disciplined in our approach to defending. I believe that you will enjoy watching this group entertain on the field and fight for wins in the best Division II conference in the country.
— Tritons Head Coach, Luke Sheekey
TRITON WOMEN'S SOCCER
RETURNERS
Cadence Talbert (Sr.; GK) - Talbert started all 19 games on the season, playing 1,710 minutes, while posting five clean sheets. She was tabbed the SSC Defensive Player of the Week following a career-high 18-save performance in a 5-0 shutout victory over No. 16 Nova Southeastern on October 11. She was also a perfect 2-for-2 in penalty kick saves in the SSC Tournament, adding a cleansheet over Rollins in the opening round.
Sophia Butkovich (Sr.; D/MF) - Butkovich made an immediate impact in the Triton lineup in her first season, appearing in 13 games with 11 starts, while logging 823 minutes on the back line. She recorded two assists on the season against West Florida on September 1 in the season opener and at No. 16 Nova Southeastern on October 11.
Emma Lou Smith (Sr.; F) - Smith missed the 2023 season due to injury. She came to Eckerd following two years at Central Connecticut State University, where she appeared in 13 games in the 2022 season.
Ava Trachtenberg (Sr.; D) - Trachtenberg missed the last two seasons due to injury but looks to build on her 2021 campaign where she appeared in 12 games for EC.
Sierra Hudson (Sr.; F) - A three-year staple in the Tritons lineup, Hudson appeared in 19 games with 14 starts last season, while logging 1,161 minutes. She registered 18 shots with 11 on frame on the year, with one goal against Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on September 16. She added four assists on the season against Emporia State (September 10), Florida Southern (September 20), Lynn (October 7), and Barry (October 25).
Kendall Drummond (Sr.; F) - Another three-year constant in the Tritons lineup, Drummond had a break out campaign last year. She garnered All-SSC Second Team and D2CCA Second Team All-Region honors. She appeared in 19 games with 16 starts, with over 1,443 minutes played. She added 10 goals on the season including, a career-high four-goal haul against Lynn on October 7, earning SSC Player of the Week laurels. She added a brace against Florida Southern on September 20. She added goals against Emporia State, Saint Leo, Palm Beach Atlantic, and in the SSC Tournament opening round at Rollins.
RETURNERS (cont.)
Caroline Bunker (Jr.; F) - Bunker appeared in 14 games with two starts last year. She recorded seven shots, with six on target, and scored two goals on the season against Webber (September 5) and St. Edwards (September 8).
Zoe Brasher (Jr.; GK) - Brasher did not appear in a game last year, but looks to build on her 2022 season, where she started seven games with a 3-3-1 record and received SSC Defensive Player of the Week honors on September 12 following her 1.5 clean sheets on the week.
Morgan Massie (Jr.; MF) - A staple for the Tritons in 2023, Massie appeared in 16 games with 11 starts, with 945 minutes on the pitch. She recorded her first career assist against Palm Beach Atlantic on October 28.
Reagan Rodriguez (Jr.; D/MF) - She appeared in nine games with three starts last year and contributed to one clean sheet on the backline.
Gaby Morman (Jr.; F) - Morman appear in ten games with two starts last year, registering three shots, with two on goal.
RETURNERS (contd.)
Rakel Holmarsdottir (So.; D) - She made an immediate impact to the Tritons in her rookie campign, appearing in 19 games with 18 starts, with over 1,197 minutes while contributing to four clean sheets on the backline.
Madi Winn (So.; GK) - Winn did not appear in a contest in 2023. She prepped at Estero High School where she played soccer and volleyball.
Jasmine Gallo (So.; D) - Gallo played in 14 games with 13 starts in her first year at Eckerd with over 1,000 minutes on the back line. She contributed to four clean sheets on the season.
Abby Knipp (So.; D) - She appeared in 16 games with six starts, logging 734 minutes in her first season. She scored her first career goal against Webber on September 5 and added her second of the season against Edward Waters on October 3. She posted her first career assist against Rollins on November 6 in the opening round of the SSC Tournament.
Morgan Wright (So.; D/MF) - She missed last season due to injury. She prepped at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida, where she was named defensive payer of the year and offensive player of the year.
Jillian Doerger (So.; F/MF) - Doerger appeared in 19 games with 12 starts last season, scoring three goals on the year. She added her first career goal against Tampa on September 27 and scored against Edward Waters on October 3 and Barry on October 25. She tallied three assists on the season against Florida Southern, Lynn, and Nova Southeastern.
Macy Kay Bennett (So.; MF) - She appeared in 14 games with four starts over her rookie season, playing 477 minutes.
NEWCOMERS
Cate Boeger (Fr.; D) - Boeger prepped at Lindbergh High School in Missouri.
Paige Norris (Fr.; D) - Norris attended Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Florida, where she was a four-year varsity starter and two-year captain.
Amy Woodhead( Fr.; MF) - Attended Holmer Green Senior School in High Wycombe, England.
Freija Aflenzer (Fr.; F) - Attended Ballsportgymnasium in Langenlebarn, Austria.
Helen Scheer (Fr.; F) - Prepped at Attended Lichtenstern Gymnasium in Germany, where she achieved the Germany Abitur Special Sports Trophy.
Lydia Diesen (Fr.; MF) - Attended Persbraaten in Oslo, Norway.
Ashley Nelson (Fr.; MF) - Attended Hamilton High School in Arizona, where she received player of the year, MVP, first-team all-conference, and all-regional accolades.
Misha Bhandari (Fr.; F) - Attended Icademy Middle East in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, receiving the MVP award.
Kailani Casazza (Fr.; F) - Attended Fort Myers High School, where she led the team in goals and assists.
Olivia Ozbolt (So.; MF) - Played last year at the University of Maryland, making one appearance against George Mason. She prepped ay McDonogh School in Maryland and also participated in the U.S. Soccer National Training Center.
Natalie Rudman (Jr.; D) - Played two seasons at the University of Southern Indiana, appearing in 10 matches. She prepped at Gilbert High School in Iowa.
Melina Peloteau (Jr.; D) - Played at the University of Maine, where she appeared in 10 games with 255 minutes played. She prepped at Académie Saint-Louis in Canada.
Sydney Reed (Jr.; MF) - Played at Louisiana State University in Eunice and City College of San Francisco. She prepped at Coronado High School in Texas.
Kelsey Smith (Jr.; F). - Played soccer at Bellevue College and attended Roosevelt High School in Washington.
LUKE SHEEKEY '10
Luke Sheekey enters his third season at the helm of the Tritons. Last year, he led the Tritons to one of the best season in program history. Eckerd posted 10 wins on the year, tying the most in EC history. Eckerd also made its first SSC Tournament appearance since 2017, and advanced to the semifinals for just the second time in program history. Eckerd posted a thrilling 5-0 win over No. 16 Nova Southeastern on the road. He coached three all-conference players - Aisling Spillane, Brooke Bisko, and Kendall Drummond, and two all-region honorees in Spillane and Drummond.
In 2022, 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 Johnathan Thompson.
I think we need to continue to build momentum on what we have improved in the last two years. From top to bottom, we have improved at everything. We must continue to be very detail orientated both on and off the field. The small things matter, and they add up. So eradicating technical breakdowns and learning our game model inside out will help us get better results on the field. And off the field, our team GPA has also been trending in the right direction, so we must ensure that continues.
Tritons' head coach, Luke Sheekey
RETURNING STAT LEADERS
Goals (10) - Kendall Drummond (Sr.; F)
Assists (4) - Sierra Hudson (Sr.; F)
Points (22) - Kendall Drummond (Sr.; F)
Minutes (1,710) - Cadence Talbert (Sr.; GK)
Shots on Goal (17) - Kendall Drummond (Sr.; F)
Shutouts (5) - Cadence Talbert (Sr.; GK)
Saves (95) -Cadence Talbert (Sr.; GK)
I think the team has meshed well. As with any new group coming in, there are nerves and apprehension in what they are doing. We tried to make the newcomers feel welcome and help them settle in easily, so they can play well in training and the exhibitions. The returners have been very helpful. Our team culture is excellent, so I knew they would be. We have a returning group who wants to keep improving having tasted some relative success last year, so they knew that new players were needed and they are rising to the challenge of competition.
— Tritons Head Coach, Luke Sheekey
2024 WOMEN'S SOCCER QUICK LINKS
Eckerd opens the season at home with a match against Lee on September 5 at 7:00 PM. They continue home stand with a match against September 7 versus Christian Brothers. They have another pair of home contests the following weekend versus Assumption (Sept. 13) and Bentley (Sept. 15). EC returns caps the SSC home schedule on October 30 for its Teal Out game against Tampa.
Eckerd was selected fifth 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 USC Aiken on November 6.