The Georgia Southern women’s soccer team is starting fresh after a coaching staff overhaul this offseason.

Josh Moffet was named as the interim head coach at the beginning of the month. As a former professional soccer player for Morecambe Football Club in England, he has had collegiate coaching experience from Shaw University and Emmanuel College, as well as Habersham High School.

“I’ve been in very different environments,” he said. “There’s a huge appreciation of what we’ve got here. . . We have a great team that is going to allow us to kind of, be successful and as a lot of people have said, their job is to allow me to coach.”

The team is working to improve their non-verbal communication skills on the field, through their body language and work ethic. He believes that the team has adjusted well this offseason to the new staff.

“They have open arms and an open mind to changes,” Moffet said. “There’s a very good energy and that’s how we like it.”

The team returns six seniors, defender Elsa Borjesson, forwards Halle Huff and Frida Brattum, midfielders Nicole Aussin and Courtney Johnson and goalkeeper Lauren Karinshak, while welcoming nine incoming freshmen.

“We’re looking for leadership,” he said of the upperclassmen. “Not just in training, not just in games, but overall around the program. They’ve kind of taken the leadership roles and run with it, which I’ve loved to see.”

The team opened their season with an exhibition match against Jacksonville University on Sunday. GS took the victory 2-1. The team got on the board after a scoreless 32 minutes thanks to a goal from sophomore midfielder Nora Falnes. The Dolphins responded thirty minutes later to tie game. GS sealed the victory with a goal from Dani Coumbs, the assist from Falnes, at minute 73. GS maintained possession majority of the game and attempted 19 shots. 

“It was an exhibition, and it gave us an opportunity to show what we’ve been working on but also see where we still need to improve.”

GS will travel to Maryland on Thursday for the first non-conference game of the season. 

“It could’ve been easier for us where we selected an opponent where it would’ve been five or six nil,” he said. “We have talent here and we know the competition that they will bring.”

The team’s motto for this year will be to “outperform yesterday”. After a losing record last season, the team hopes to redefine the entire women’s soccer program with help from all of Eagle Nation.

Amanda Arnold, the George-Anne Sports Editor, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu