Last season: 15-1-4 overall, 8-1-1 all UE, 7-0-1 UE regular season.

Coach: Ian Scheller, fourth season. Career record: 35-12-12.

Top returnees: (last season stats)Senior forward Sara Darlington of West Chester (8 goals, 2 assists in 2023); junior defender Makayla Bucks of Palmyra (2 assists); sophomore forward Megan Kurian of Royersford (26 goals, 15 assists, 67 points); sophomore defender Ashley Gordon of Pottstown (4 assists).

Key losses: Cassie Johnson (14 goals, 15 assists); Nicole Lichtinger (W-L-T 11-1-4, 6 goals allowed, 0.38 goals-against average, 37 saves).

Top newcomers: (both freshmen)Forward Ella Garman of Boiling Springs, midfielder Mikayla Gordon of Slatington.

Projected starters: Forwards Kurian, Darlington; senior Olivia Casella of South Williamsport; midfielders senior Brooke Klinger of Herndon, senior Wiley Egan of Northumberland, senior Sara Pecchia of Jersey Shore, senior Riley Reed of Elysburg; defenders sophomore Sierra Klinger of Herndon; Ashley Gordon; Bucks; goalkeeper Morgan Solano of Shavertown (W-L 4-0, 3 goals allowed, 0.75 goals-against average, 19 saves).

Key players off the bench: Junior midfielder Holly Herbert of Mount Joy, sophomore midfielder Ava Gamble of Selinsgrove, Mikayla Gordon, Garman.

Outlook: The Wildcats, led by Kurian, who was a UE first-teamer, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, are coming off a record-setting year that included the first unbeaten regular season in program history (14-0-1). The squad also returns UE first-teamers in Bucks and Ashley Gordon from a year ago, along with Darlington, who was a UE first-teamer and All-Region second-teamer in 2023.

“We return a strong core, with our first senior-heavy team of my career at Penn College. We have a great group of seven seniors who all started this journey with me back in 2022 and are ready to make an impact this season. We have a solid team from 1-31, with numerous players that can provide energy off the bench and have a great group of sophomores who received a lot of minutes last season. Gordon and Kurian are two key players for us, both scooping all-region honors as freshmen, so I am excited to see what they have in store for their sophomore campaigns. We come in with a goal of maintaining our position as a team that is fighting for top-four seeding in our conference playoffs. We want to keep our identity of scoring loads of goals and being stout at the back. We have a very challenging slate of nonconference games this year, so I am excited to be pushed before we begin conference play in late September. Our captains, Klinger, Bucks and Egan, will be tasked with helping us keep this ship on course as we stake a claim at reaching the latter stages of the United East playoffs,” Scheller said.

Inside the UE: Penn State Harrisburg is the defending champion and is favored to repeat according to a preseason poll (Penn College was picked third). Fourteen teams will vie for 10 playoff positions. First-round playoffs Oct. 29, quarterfinals Nov. 1, semifinals Nov. 4, championship Nov. 8. NCAA first round begins Nov. 14.

UPCOMING MATCHES/RECORD

Overall: 0-0

UE: 0-0

Friday, Aug. 29 — at Alfred University, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 31 — at Alfred State College, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 3 — at Mount Aloysius College, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 6 — at Elmira College, noon

For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website.

For more about the United East, visit the conference website.