WAYNESBURG, Pa. (August 27) – The Waynesburg University women's soccer team continues its progress in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) in the 2024 season.
The Yellow Jackets begin their campaign on Aug. 30 at Mount Union.
2023 Season Review: The Jackets enjoyed a historic 2023 season as Waynesburg posted its winningest season in over a decade with a 9-7-2 overall record. The Jackets owned a 5-3-2 conference record to finish fifth in the standings and earn a spot in the PAC Tournament. Waynesburg's five conference wins matched a single-season program record.
In the PAC Tournament, the Jackets upended fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson in double overtime to earn the team's first conference tournament win since 2011 and clinch the first PAC Tournament semifinal appearance since 2012. The Jackets were eliminated by the eventual conference champion, Grove City in a game that was tied at one with 20 minutes remaining in regulation.
"We were extremely proud of how the program took another step forward last year," said fourth-year head coach
George DeAugustino. "We are excited to continue to build our program and take another step forward this year."
The Jackets set single-season team records with 53 goals (2.94 goals per game) and had the second-highest point total (138) and assists (32) in team history. Waynesburg finished second in the PAC in goals and points per game and led the conference with 10.39 shots per game. The Jackets ranked in the top-50 nationally in points per game, scoring offense and shots on goal per game.
Five Waynesburg players collected all-conference honors with then-senior
Kate James collecting All-PAC First Team laurels. James went on to receive United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region status and became the first player in program history to be named All-ECAC.
The Jackets bid farewell to five graduating student-athletes, including James, All-PAC Second Team defender
Courtney Grove Grace Ingram,
Jacinda Devart,
Kylie Talbert, and
Haley Johnson.
2024 Preseason Poll: The Jackets were tabbed for fifth by the conference's coaches in the preseason poll.
# School (first-place votes) - points - 2023 record
1. Grove City (8) - 97 - 14-5-1 (9-0-1 PAC)
2. Westminster (2) - 89 - 14-4 (8-2 PAC)
3. Saint Vincent (1) - 79 - 10-4-4 (6-2-2 PAC)
4. Washington & Jefferson - 69 - 10-4-4 (5-2-3 PAC)
5. Waynesburg - 67 - 9-7-2 (5-3-2 PAC)
6. Allegheny - 48 - 6-10-1 (4-5-1 PAC)
7. Franciscan - 45 - 8-8-2 (5-4-1 PAC)
8. Chatham - 40 - 2-11-3 (1-8-1 PAC)
9. Geneva - 38 - 5-9-2 (4-5-1 PAC)
10. Bethany - 22 - 3-10-3 (2-8 PAC)
11. Thiel - 11 - 1-14-1 (0-10 PAC)
Key Returners: The Jackets return three of their top four scorers and a trio of all-conference performers in 2024.
"We return a strong and motivated group," said DeAugustino. "They are hungry to be great on the field and in the classroom this year."
Sophomore forward
Julz Mohrbacher (Freedom, Pa. / Freedom) received All-PAC Honorable Mention honors in her debut season after leading Waynesburg with 12 goals and 28 points. She ranked fourth in the PAC in goals, added four assists and finished fifth in the conference in points. Mohrbacher led the roster with 65 shots, 35 on goal and was seventh in the PAC in both categories.
Mohrbacher scored multiple goals in four games in 2023 and had at least one goal and one assist four times. She enjoyed a strong start to her collegiate career by scoring in four of the first five games of the season. Mohrbacher was a one-time PAC Newcomer of the Week and netted five goals in league play.
Junior midfielder
Reagan Mittendorf (Bluffton, Ohio / Bluffton) collected All-PAC Honorable Mention laurels last fall. A two-year starter as an underclassman, she was Waynesburg's second-leading scorer with nine goals and third on the squad with 24 points in 2023. Mittendorf finished ninth in the conference in goals and 10th in shots (51).
Mittendorf converted two penalty kick attempts and distributed four assists. She scored multiple goals twice and had three games with both a goal and an assist.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Alexus Greenlief (Chester, W. Va. / Oak Glen) earned All-PAC Honorable Mention and PAC All-Tournament Team status in her first season in net for Waynesburg. She made a dozen starts and finished fourth in the conference with a 1.47 goals against average and made 59 saves. Greenlief made 23 saves in two PAC Tournament games, including a season-high 13 saves in the Jackets' double overtime win over W&J in the tournament quarterfinals.
Senior defender
Brooklyn Loveland (New Cumberland, W. Va. / Oak Glen) joined Mittendorf as one of four players to start all 18 games last season. Loveland is the squad's returning leader in minutes (1,426) from last fall and is a three-year starter. She recorded a goal, an assist and 11 shots last season and played 90 minutes or more 10 times.
Graduate midfielder
Madey Hill (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) returns for a fifth season with the Jackets. She played in all 18 games with 16 starts last fall. Hill notched three goals, all against conference opponents, including a game-winner in the Jackets' 1-0 win at Franciscan.
Sophomore forward
Hailey Gilchrest (Hanover, Va. / Hanover) played in all 18 games with seven starts last year. She scored in the 99th minute to deliver the Jackets past W&J in the PAC Tournament and finished fourth on the team with four goals and nine points. Gilchrest registered all nine of her points over the final six games of the season, all against PAC opposition.
Sophomore defender
Waverly Lorne (New Providence, N.J. / Governor Livingston) played in all 18 games with seven starts last season. She scored off the bench in a draw against Saint Vincent and had 10 shots on goal in 12 overall attempts.
Senior midfielder
Sutton Clark (Ashburn, Va. / Stone Bridge) appeared in all 18 games and finished with five points on two goals and one assist in 2023. She scored twice against Thiel and had an early-season assist against La Roche.
Senior forward
Demaree Livingston (Willow Grove, Pa. / Upper Dublin) played in every game and scored twice against Lancaster Bible. She previously tied for the team lead in goals (four) and finished second on the roster in points (10) in 2022.
Sophomore
Emily Beck (Pittsburgh, Pa. / West Mifflin) played in 16 games with three appearances as a goalkeeper. She totaled seven points with three goals and one assist. Beck started two games in net in October and finished the season with a 1.28 goals against average and an .824 save percentage across 211:06.
Junior goalkeeper
Mya Riggle (Ford City, Pa. / Armstrong) had six appearances with four starts. She finished with a 2.94 goals against average and 32 saves. She made six stops in a shutout win over Bethany.
Newcomers: Waynesburg adds nine incoming freshmen to the roster in 2024.
"We add a great group of newcomers to this team," said DeAugustino. "They bring a lot of energy and skill to our program and we are excited to see how they can contribute to our program on and off the field."
Looking at the Schedule: Waynesburg has four nonconference dates before starting a 10-game PAC schedule against Westminster on Sept. 25.
The Jackets' nonconference schedule features games at Mount Union (Aug. 30), at La Roche (Sept. 4), Baldwin Wallace (Sept. 14) and at Carlow (Sept. 17).
Waynesburg hosts Franciscan on homecoming on Oct. 19 and honors its seniors against Geneva on Oct. 26. The Jackets conclude the regular season at defending PAC champs Grove City on October 30.
The PAC Tournament features the top six teams in the conference standings with the top two seeds receiving an automatic spot in the conference semifinals. The winner of the PAC Tournament earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
Last Word: "This team is excited to compete this season and we cannot wait to get the ball rolling on Aug. 30," said DeAugustino. "The competition is going to be great this year in the PAC and we know we are going to have to bring our best effort every game day. We cannot wait to see our fans out at Wiley as we try to return to the PAC tournament for a third time in the last four years."
