JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State's women's soccer team will kick off the JSU athletic campaign on Saturday as the Gamecocks travel to Kennesaw, Ga. to face the Owls of Kennesaw State in an exhibition match. Match time is set for 6 p.m. CST.

The game will mark the first ever in the brand new KSU Soccer Stadium, which will hold 8,300. The facility is the largest women's-only soccer stadium in the world. The on-campus facility will also be home to the Atlanta Beat of the Women's Professional Soccer league.

The match will serve as a tune up for the 2010 season, which gets underway on Friday, Aug. 20 against Gardner Webb at the JSU Soccer Field. Jax State will close out the opening weekend on Sunday, Aug. 22 with a tilt versus Georgia State. Match times are set for 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.

Sixth-year JSU Head Coach Julie Carlson Davis returns nine starters off last season's squad that posted an 8-10 mark. The Gamecocks look to ride the momentum of the final two matches of the 2009 season as they topped Ohio Valley Conference foes Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay to close out the season. Senior Alyshia Madison leads a trio of seniors this season, as the Cheney, Wash.-native earned 2009 Second Team All OVC honors as a junior. Junior Chelsea Pelletier, who posted four goals and dished out five assists, earned CoSIDA Academic All-American status in 2009. Davis welcomed four newcomers to the JSU campus – Amy Meehan (Kennesaw, Ga.), Francesca Fitzgerald (Huntsville, Ala.), Katelyn Hartrampf (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Alison Gonzalez (Roswell, Ga.).

KSU enters the 2010 season as the defending 2009 Atlantic Sun Champions and a trip to the NCAA College Cup. The Owls also claimed the A-Sun regular season crown with a 7-3 mark within the league. The Black and Gold capped off the season with an 11-7 overall mark after falling to Wake Forest in the postseason.

JSU's home schedule features nine home matches, including two in the Adidas Gamecock Classic on Sept. 10 and 12. The annual event features Southern (La.) University, Southeastern Louisiana and OVC rival Austin Peay.