HENDERSON, Nev. (Aug 22, 2019) – The College of Southern Nevada women's soccer program had an up-and-coming season in 2018 and now the Lady Coyotes are looking towards improving their stature in the 2019 season.
 
The race for improvement begins this week as the team starts play on Friday against Gateway Community College before playing Paradise Valley Community College on Saturday. The schedule begins a six-match preseason that will feature an Aug. 29 home opener against Sheridan College.
 
CSN coach Geoff Hawkins said his team utilized training camp to improve, in spite of the adverse weather conditions.
 
"The first couple weeks of training were a bit frustrating for our team," he said. "First, the heat severely limited our practice intensity. Second, we had some unfortunate luck with some early season injuries. Our athletes, however, have maintained positive attitudes and are really coming together as a team. This is certainly going to be a fun group to coach."
 
Besides planning for opponents this weekend, Hawkins and his coaching staff are already planning on a change to the practice schedule with school beginning next week. The coach noted his players are aware of their academic requirements.
 
"We need to lighten the intensity of practice sessions for the first week of class," he said. "Our athletes already have busy schedules and adding a full load of classes will take time to adjust to the new collegiate demands. It is critical that our athletes get off to a good start with their academics and we as a coaching staff must foster the best environment for that to happen."
 
Turning attention to this weekend's matches in the Valley of the Sun, Hawkins said the two Arizona junior colleges that CSN will face present unique challenges to the team. For instance, Paradise Valley is nationally-ranked at No. 9 in the preseason NJCAA polls.
 
"Playing against a ranked team (like Paradise Valley) at their home field will be a huge challenge for us, especially so early in the season," he said. "This is exactly the type of game we want our players and program to experience."
 
Southern Nevada will play its home opener on Sheridan College at Heritage Park, followed up by four more matches on the home pitch throughout the preseason. The Lady Coyotes open Scenic West Athletic Conference play on Sept. 12 against Snow College.