The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's soccer team hosts St. John's University at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25 at University Field, marking the team's regular-season debut. The Knights enter the 2006 campaign following a season in which the squad narrowly missed the postseason, despite a strong late-season run that included a 4-2-1 mark over the team's final seven games.

Renee Montana enters her inaugural season at the Division I level. Named head coach in August, she becomes the second head coach since the program's inception in 2000. The Long Island, NY native comes to the Metropolitan campus via the College of Florham, FDU's Division III program. Last season, Montana posted a 13-5-1 overall record, including a 5-2 record in the Middle Atlantic Conference.

Former FDU standout Marguerite Ferrell joins the coaching staff in an assistant role. In 2005 ? her senior season ? she paced the Knights with a team-best eight goals, en route to 17 points and First Team All-Northeast Conference acclaim.

Defender Amanda Wheeler (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee), a two-time NEC All-Conference player, returns to anchor the team's back line. Classmate Tonya Hipsman (/Chester) seeks to recreate the offensive magic exhibited during her freshman season where she posted a team-high 19 points, en route to NEC Second Team acclaim.

The Knights' midfield will be their strongest asset, with their strikers capable of producing in variable fashions. The defense is experienced and the goalkeeping duties will be rock solid with four options, two net-minders with starting experience.

Six seniors departed from the 2005 squad, including Ferrell and senior midfielder Kristen Habenicht (/New Hyde Park Memorial), both All-NEC First Team selections.

Fairleigh Dickinson enters the 2006 season with two primary expectations. First and foremost, they hope to minimize the inevitable obstacles associated with a unit that boasts 10 underclassmen, including seven freshmen. Early on, fans will look for the team to develop chemistry, in hopes of creating momentum for the Northeast Conference postseason tournament.

Lastly, with eight home games slated, the Knights expect continued success on their home field. In the past two years, the Knights have compiled an 11-4-1 record on their Teaneck turf.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

The Knights roster two viable options in net, seniors Kyla Clark (/Notre Dame/Univ. of Texas - El Paso) and Courtney Smith (/Gelnelg - MD). Clark recorded a .787 save percentage, with 70 saves and a single-game season-high of eight stops. With Clark logging 1276:05 minutes in 14 starts, Smith managed four starts and 270 minutes of action. Smith's 1.33 goals against average slightly edged Clark's 1.34 figure.

Sophomore Rachel Derrico (/Canon McMillan) and freshman Megan MacKellar (/Brookwood) will vie for playing time as substitutes, providing an on-going battle for FDU's starting nod in the future.

PROTECTING THE BOX

Arguably the premier defender in the conference, Wheeler returns to direct a defensive unit that allowed 1.38 goals per game last season. A two-time NEC honoree, the junior has started all 38 games Fairleigh Dickinson has played over the past two seasons. Wheeler possesses the ability to attack the net from long range, evident from her two goals in 2005.

Accompanying the Knights' standout defender will be sophomore Emma Yamada (/LaSalle Academy), who saw action in 14 matches a year ago.

Expect the squad to borrow depth from the midfield to groom additional defensive alternatives.

Freshman Amanda Davis (/St. Mark's) will likely play into the mix, as she is capable of stabilizing the group inside or making runs on the outside.

Junior Michelle DeCourcey (/Fredericton) and sophomore Natalie Bellini (/St. Thoma Aquinas) will stabilize the midfield. The duo's ability to push forward and display their goal scoring abilities provides the Knights with an excellent transition game. DeCourcey tallied five points, including two goals, through 10 starts, while Bellini also netted two goals last year.

Sophomore Alex White (/Lynnfield) brings consistency to the group, notching one goal, in five shots taken.

The addition of three freshmen midfielders ? Jennifer Arceneaux (/Ralston Valley), Katie Hilder (Caringbah, Sydney, Australia/Woolooware) and Lora Leher ? allows the coaching staff flexibility to tweak the lineup depending on the tendencies of each opponent.

OFFENSIVE OPTIONS

Expect senior Christine McCartney (/Sacred Heart/Univ. of Texas - El Paso) to expand on her productivity during her second season following a transfer from the University of Texas ? El Paso. The striker marks FDU's top returning scorer, tallying 13 points and finding the back of the net on five occasions.

The Knights will also rely on Hipsman to post numbers similar to her rookie season in which she finished the season leading the Knights in goals (8) and points (19), in addition to being tied for the team lead in assists (3). Last year, she dropped in two goals, producing five points in 17 starts.

Junior Meredith King (/Corning East) is a legitimate third alternative up top, while freshmen Christine Niven (/Middleboro) and Liza Offreda (/Midland Park) bring depth to the group.

THE SLATE

A seemingly annual tradition, FDU faces a stringent schedule. The Knights square off against three members of the Big East Conference and two Colonial Athletic Association teams, in addition to tests from the Atlantic 10 and America East Conferences.

The 2006 squad debuts versus back-to-back Big East opponents, hosting St. John's (8/25), followed by a road game at Villanova two days later.

A match-up against CAA-power Old Dominion in Norfolk, VA awaits FDU (9/3), before returning home to face Drexel (9/8). The Knights hit the road again to take on Rutgers for an intrastate rivalry (9/10), then look for a repeat performance of last year's thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory against Binghamton (9/15) in the Bearcats' backyard.

The squad concludes non-conference play hosting Hofstra (9/17) before traveling to La Salle (9/22). The Knights open up NEC competition with tough tests at Monmouth (9/29) and at Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, MD on Oct. 1.

Fairleigh Dickinson enjoys a three-game home stand in early October ? its longest of the season ? hosting Long Island, Wagner and Sacred Heart over a nine-day interval.

Matches at Quinnipiac (10/20) and Central Connecticut State (10/22) await the team, followed by a home contest against Robert Morris (10/27).

The Knights conclude the regular season versus St. Francis (PA) on Oct. 29.

The NEC Tournament is scheduled for the first weekend of November, with the top-seeded squad hosting the action.