THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The men's soccer program at Thomas University isn't the only team to face a difficult test in its season opener, as the TU Lady Night Hawks will hit the road to face tenth-ranked Mobile to open the 2015 campaign on Friday, August 21.
 
Pegged to finish third in Sun Conference play after 10 wins last season, a youthful Thomas squad featuring a combined 19 freshmen and sophomores will face Mobile in the first of three difficult non-conference matches.
 
One of several players key to the Lady Night Hawks' hopes of a successful season is Adrianna Johnson, a senior defender who scored three goals and added seven more assists during her impressive junior season last year.  Johnson led a defense that posted two shutouts in 2014 and held opponents under three goals on 14 separate occasions.
 
Also key is Mackenzie Dolan, a senior midfielder who was second on Thomas University's 2014 team in goals and total points.  She is joined by sophomore forward Olivia Taylor and sophomore midfielder Linnea Roivas as experienced players expected to navigate the young Lady Night Hawks through a difficult non-conference slate to open the season.
 
The opposition in TU's opener, tenth-ranked Mobile, is coming off of an impressive 15-win season that saw the Lady Rams post an unblemished conference record en route to winning the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament.
 
This season isn't the first time that the Lady Rams have faced lofty preseason expectations, as Mobile has been ranked in the Top 15 in three of the last four NAIA women's soccer preseason polls.
 
In 2014, the Lady Rams ascended as high as fifth in the national rankings, thanks in large part to a dynamic duo of Honorable Mention All-Americans, Tyler-Rae Molloy and Katie Compton.  Molloy netted nine goals and added six assists to her total last season to earn First Team All-Conference honors.  Not to be outdone by her counterpart, Compton also found the back of the net nine times, including five game-winners.
 
Mobile is a formidable first opponent for the Lady Night Hawks, but facing a squad with such talent early in the season will allow head coach Julie Orlowski to gauge how her team performs in pressure situations.
 
The Lady Night Hawks will relish the opportunity to earn a winning result on the road against a Top 10 team on Friday before facing ninth-ranked William Carey on Saturday.
 
For up-to-date information on this matchup and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU women's soccer team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksWSocc.