The UW Oshkosh women’s soccer team will return to the field and to compete for a third Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship when the 2024 campaign kicks off Aug. 30.
In 2023, UWO recorded a 5-10-4 overall record and a 3-3-1 WIAC mark, scoring 10 points and earning the fourth seed in the WIAC Tournament.
Head coach Erin Coppernoll, the winningest coach in UWO women’s soccer history and third-winningest in the WIAC record book, will helm the Titans for the 20th season in 2024 with a record of 193-143-43 and welcomes Greg Ruark and Abe Nelson to the coaching staff.
Coppernoll is the only head coach that has led the team to a conference championship and to the NCAA Division III Tournament, with a program-best NCAA second round finish in 2011 and league titles in 2015 and 2021. The Titans also won the conference tournament in 2011, 2014 and 2021 under Coppernoll.
“I am looking forward to seeing this group come together,” Coppernoll said. “We have a great group of returners who had a good spring season and a very talented freshman class. It will be fun to see what they can do.”
Thirteen letterwinners are returning for the Titans this season, including two-time All-WIAC First Team and 2021 WIAC Newcomer of the Year Molly Jackson. Other top returners are Emma Sauriol, Anika Roush, Maris Heun and Ariana Gonzalez.
The head coaches and sports information directors of the WIAC voted for the two-time defending conference champion UW-La Crosse to repeat in 2024. UW-Eau Claire was picked second, UW-Platteville third and UW-Oshkosh fourth to round out the top half of the rankings. UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, UW-River Falls and UW-Stout filled in fifth through eighth.
UWO begins the 2024 campaign at home on Aug. 30 as it hosts Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium at 3 p.m. The remainder of the nonconference home matches include Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sept. 14, St. Norbert College on Sept. 16, University of Dubuque (Iowa)for the 151 Derby and Clash’s Kids Day on Sept. 21 and North Park University (Illinois) on Oct. 2.
The Titans host three WIAC opponents in 2024; UW-Whitewater on Oct. 9, UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 19 for Play For A Cause Night and UW-Platteville on Nov. 2 for Senior Day. They will travel to UW-La Crosse on Oct. 5, UW-Stout on Oct. 12, UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 23 and UW-River Falls on Oct. 26 for the rest of the conference slate.
Along with UW-La Crosse, which was ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, UWO with match up with four teams that competed in the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship; at No. 13 Loras College (Iowa) on Sept. 11, against Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sept. 14, at the University of Chicago (Illinois) on Sept. 28 and at Lake Forest College (Illinois) on Oct. 30.
The WIAC Tournament begins with a pair of opening-round games on Nov. 5 and concludes with semifinal round games on Nov. 7 and the final on Nov. 9. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic NCAA bid.
