Season Preview: Spiders Kick Off Thursday vs VMI, Slotted 12th in A-10 Preseason Poll
08/13/2025 | Women's Soccer
RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond women's soccer team opens the 2025 regular season Thursday, Aug. 14, hosting VMI at 5 p.m. on President's Field at River Road. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
The Spiders were also selected 12th in the Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll ahead of the season starting, the league office announced on Wednesday. The poll is voted on by the conference's head coaches.
Richmond returns team captains Gwen Howell and Kiley Fitzgerald, along with fellow captains Brigitte Bussiere and Emma Shields for 2025. Howell, a junior defender, started all 17 matches last season, logging 1,364 minutes and anchoring a backline that posted four shutouts. Fitzgerald, a senior midfielder, tied for the team lead with three goals in 2024, including the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Duquesne.
The Spiders finished 2024 with a 4-10-3 overall record and a 2-7-1 mark in conference play, recording shutout wins over Duquesne and George Mason in league action. Head coach Adam Denton enters his third season at the helm, joined by associate head coach Meghan Gill and assistant coach Errin Stanton. Richmond's 2025 roster features eight freshmen and two spring transfers.
Thursday's match marks the fourth all-time meeting between Richmond and VMI, with the Keydets holding a 2-1 series lead. The teams last met in 2018, a 2-0 VMI win in Richmond. The Spiders' lone win in the series came in 2004. Originally scheduled for Lexington, Va., this year's contest was moved to Richmond, marking the first home opener against VMI in program history.
In 2024, Richmond averaged 7.1 shots per game, while seven different players found the back of the net. The Spiders were particularly strong at home, with three of their four victories coming via shutout at President's Field. Richmond allowed 13 first-half goals last season but earned results in five of six matches when scoring first.
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
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Saint Louis – 192 (11)
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Dayton – 173 (2)
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Fordham – 149
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Loyola Chicago – 145
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Saint Joseph's – 140
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Rhode Island – 111
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La Salle – 106
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VCU – 97 (1)
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Davidson – 91
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Duquesne – 79
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George Mason – 64
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Richmond – 59
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George Washington – 50
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St. Bonaventure – 14
