Newburgh, N.Y. – The Christopher Lyn era for the Mount Saint Mary College Women's Soccer team will open Friday evening when the Knights open the 2016 season against RIT to start the Rachel Miller Tournament in Rochester, N.Y. Following a tussle with the Tigers, the Mount will close the event on Saturday afternoon against Nazareth.
 
At A Glance: The Mount posted a 15-8-2 overall record in 2015 and a 9-1-0 mark against Skyline Conference opponents. The Knights advanced to the Skyline Conference Championship Game for the sixth straight season, but were edged in the final, 2-1, by St. Joseph's-L.I. The Mount went on to play a pair of games in the ECAC Metro Division Tournament, downing Stockton 2-1, before falling on the road at NYU, 2-0.
 
The Knights return five players from last season's roster who recorded at least 10 points, including sophomore Jackie Davis (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) who totaled 14 points on the strength of five goals and four assists. The Mount also welcomes back Skyline Conference Defensive Player of the Year Destiny Ribadeneyra (Maybrook, N.Y.) and Second Team selections Nicole Cavallo (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), Bridget McKeever (Wallkill, N.Y.) and Mary Riley (Newburgh, N.Y.).
 
Lyn takes over the program in 2016, replacing 2015 Skyline Conference Coach of the Year BreLynn Nasypany who posted a 29-13-3 overall record and a 16-1-1 mark against Skyline Conference opponents in two seasons in Newburgh.
 
Lyn most recently served as the Director of Operations at Division I Marist and also served as an assistant coach at Columbia from 2007-11. As a player, he served as a captain for the men's team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a member of the United States Youth National Team.
 
Forward: The Knights bring back a talented group up front and add three newcomers to the fold in 2016. In addition to Davis, the Mount welcomes back sophomore Maeve O'Sullivan (Garden City Park, N.Y.) who is the top returning player in game winning goals, after deciding three games as a freshman. Also returning is senior Jordan Kleinschmidt (Valley Stream, N.Y.) who appeared in 14 games as a junior in 2015.
 
A trio of newcomers look to add depth and contribute in their first seasons with the program, including Kimberly Cruz (West Babylon, N.Y.), Theresa Stinson (Troy, N.Y.) and Kaitlyn Parisi (Centereach, N.Y.).
 
Midfield: Mount Saint Mary returns five talented players in the midfield and welcomes three players to the roster for the 2016 season. Second Team All-Conference selection Cavallo leads the way after starting all 25 games in 2015 and registering nine points on three goals and a trio of helpers. Sophomore Hannah Pascual (Freeport, N.Y.) also posted nine points in her rookie season, tallying four goals and helping on a fifth.
 
Junior Jessica Lanning (Hicksville, N.Y.) returns after scoring one goal and appearing in 23 games as a sophomore with Taylor Grella (Glen Cove, N.Y.) looking to make an impact after appearing in 11 contests as a freshman. Also back for the Knights is junior Allison Jones (Merrick, N.Y.) who was limited to just five games due to injury in 2015. As a freshman in 2014, Jones started 15 games and totaled nine points on the strength of three goals and three assists.
 
The Knights will welcome Shannon O'Donoghue (East Meadow, N.Y.), Jenn Grasso (Sweden, N.Y.) and Jenna Lynch (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) to the fold in 2016.
 
Defense: Headlining a group that allowed just 26 goals in 25 games are First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region and Skyline Conference Defensive Player of the Year selection Ribedeneyra as well as Second Team All-Conference pick McKeever. Both players also added to the Mount's offensive output in 2015, with Ridadeneyra potting a pair of game winning goals and finishing with 13 points, including seven assists. McKeever rounded out the season with 11 points, scoring three times and assisting on five other goals.
 
Senior Alaina Neddermann (Prospect, Conn.) returns after leading the Mount with nine assists in 2015. She rounded out a strong season with two goals and 13 points a season ago. Junior Emily Scheuer (North Babylon, N.Y.) appeared in 23 games in 2015 and registered seven points, scoring three goals, with sophomore Emma Costa (Rocky Point, N.Y.) looking to build on a freshman campaign that saw her net one goal in 23 contests. Senior Genevieve Stinson (Troy, N.Y.), a mainstay on the backline for the Knights, logged 23 games for the Mount as a junior.
 
Lyn and the Knights welcome a pair of players to the mix in 2016 in freshman Stephanie Surrusco (Coram, N.Y.) and transfer Claire Newman (Cromwell, Conn.). Newman appeared in 13 games and made seven starts as a freshman on a 13-4-1 Eastern Connecticut squad.
 
Goalkeeper: Riley leads the way at keeper for the Knights after playing every second in goal for the Mount in 2015. Her mark of 2,270:01 ranked second nationally in 2015. On her way to being named Second Team All-Conference, Riley posted 104 saves, a 1.03 goals against average and 11 shutouts.
 
Freshman Molly Jensen (Bayport, N.Y.) adds depth to the keeper position for the Knights in 2016.
 
A Look At RIT: RIT opens the 2016 season after posting a 12-4-2 overall record and a 6-1-1 mark in Liberty League play last season. Senior Anka Parzych is the top returner after scoring six goals and posting 14 points on her way to being named Honorable Mention All-Liberty League. Junior Kelly Rogers is back after finishing the 2015 season with 43 saves and seven wins in goal for the Tigers.
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers open the season Friday against Allegheny after finishing the 2015 season 12-3-3 overall and 5-1-2 in the Empire 8. The Golden Flyers need to replace a seven goal, 19 point season from Graduate Assistant Coach Briana Vibbard in 2015, but welcome back goalkeeper Allison Dobles. In 1,458:46 last season, Dobles posted a .904 save percentage, a .062 goals against average and made 94 saves.
 
The Schedule: Following this weekend's trip to Rochester, the Knights will travel to Preseason #14 Stevens on Tuesday to close out a three game road swing to begin the campaign. The Knights open the home schedule on September 9 with their home tournament, taking on New Paltz to open the event. Elmira and Montclair State round out the field for the two day tournament.