GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG women's soccer kicks off the 2018 regular season with a home match at UNCG Soccer Stadium against Gardner-Webb Friday at 7 p.m.

The game will be streamed live on the SoCon Digital Network with Paul Roper on the call. Links for the stream and live stats are available at UNCGSpartans.com.

Gameday Promotions

• The first 200 UNCG students in attendance can enjoy a free Bojangles' tailgate.
• At halftime for every home game this season will be the Taco Mama's Crossbar Challenge, where each winner can receive up to a $100 gift card.

All-Time Series

• This will be the first meeting between the two North Carolina Schools.

Scouting UNCG

• The reigning Southern Conference Tournament Champion received the most first-place votes with five in the SoCon Coaches' Preseason Poll and was selected to finish second.
• Placed a league-high three players on the preseason all-conference team: junior forward/midfielder Cienna Rideout, senior midfielder Heida Ragney Vidarsdottir and senior defender Emily Jensen.
• The three all-league preseason selections are the most for UNCG since 2011 when the program had four players picked for the preseason honor.
• Jensen earned first-team All-SoCon honors last season, helped the Spartans record nine shutouts as a team and finished second on the team in scoring with 12 points (five goals and two assists).
• Vidarsdottir garnered second-team All-SoCon last year, scoring two goals and dishing out an assist.
• Rideout led the team last year in points (16) and goals (seven), scoring all but one of her goals in the last five games of the season.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper led the SoCon in save percentage (.848), was second in saves (106) and shutouts (eight) and third in goals against average (0.94) last year to go along with a 10-7-3 record.
• Return seven starters, 15 letterwinners and 83 percent of the goal production and welcome 12 newcomers, all freshmen.
• Outscored opponents (Winthrop and James Madison) 4-0 in the preseason.

Scouting Gardner-Webb

• Picked to finish sixth in the Big South Conference preseason poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.
• Senior goalkeeper Keely Brown finished second in Preseason Player of the Year voting, earning 14 points and three first-place votes. She has recorded 16 shutouts and made 316 saves, both of which are GWU records.
• Welcomes back both of its offensive leaders from 2017, senior forward Samuelle Grove and junior midfielder Stina Kleppe. The duo last year combined for seven goals and five assists.
• Midfielders Jana Braun (sophomore), Kayla Curatolo (junior), Aubrie Jackson (sophomore) and Ty Snell (junior) each netted a single goal in 2017.
• Junior defenders Kylie Ameres, Amber Freeney, Callista Eckert and Jordan Vitale also return for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

-- UNCG –