As Steve Swanson enters his 19th season as the head coach of the Virginia women’s soccer team, he’s anxious to “put the boat on the water.”

He’s also happy to have a few key players back in the mix heading into tonight’s home opener.

As of Wednesday, Swanson’s eighth-ranked Cavaliers, who open the season at Klöckner Stadium at 7 p.m. against Colgate, have four important members of the squad back from a summer stint with the U-20 National Team.

Second-year midfielder Taryn Torres, an All-ACC preseason selection who led the ‘Hoos in scoring as a freshman in 2017, is back from her time with Team USA, along with sophomore goalkeeper Laurel Ivory, junior captain defender Zoe Morse and freshman forward Alexa Spaanstra.

“Having them back in the fold — both on the field and in terms of their experience and their leadership, even though they’re some of the younger members of the team — I think is very important for us,” Swanson said of the group.

Add several returning experienced players (19 total letter winners, nine of whom were starters) along with a strong recruiting class, and Swanson — who has led the Wahoos to 13 straight appearances in the NCAA Round of 16 — can’t wait to kick off the new season.

“I like our pieces,” the coach said. “I was telling someone the other day, if I was a sculptor and we were trying to put together a quality piece of art, I like clay that we have to build with. I think we have some really good pieces there, and a really good foundation. So I think we’re capable, I just think we have to keep working at it every day and we’re gonna have to try to do that. The challenging piece is trying to do that while the season’s going on.”

Ivory started all 23 matches in goal as a true freshman in 2017 and will look to improve on a .707 save percentage that included nine shutouts. She never allowed more than two goals in a game all year.

The ‘Hoos, who were picked by coaches to finish third in the ACC behind North Carolina and Florida State, must find a way to replace a pair of All-ACC performers in first-team forward Veronica Latsko and second-team defender Megan Reid. Latsko, who was taken in the NWSL Draft in January by the Houston Dash, led the team with 20 points (8 goals, 4 assists) in 2017. Torres and Morse should help fill the void, along with several other returning contributors.

Torres, an All-ACC third-team selection who was also named to the conference All-Freshman squad, started 17 matches a year ago and scored 8 goals on 32 shots (16 on goal). The Texas native connected on a pair of game winners against Liberty and Miami and will be a focal point offensively. Morse played a ton of minutes in 2017 and will be looked to for leadership once again on the back end.

“Zoe has been a starter for us since her first year and she’s been such a great leader for us, and she’s someone that I think will really rise this year — she’s already stamped her mark on the team on the field, but I think as a leader,” said Swanson. “I think she’ll continue to grow. I think Taryn saw a lot of experience last year, as did Laurel, and I think those two had great rookie seasons and I think they’ll be even more experienced now so we’re excited about them.”

Other returning starters include senior midfielders Betsy Brandon and Montana Sutton, along with junior Courtney Peterson, junior defender Phoebe McClernon (a 2017 All-ACC third-team choice), and senior defender Brianna Westrup. Swanson says the defense will be important, and that the group of seniors will be heavily relied upon in several areas.

Swanson said he also expects big contributions from Hana Kerner, Ayan Adu and Lorato Sargeant as well, among others, in order to maintain a balance and solidify roles in each phase of the game — attacking, defending and in transition.

Swanson’s incoming freshman class is regarded as one of the best in the nation, and the team got an extra boost by having the two-time All-American Spaanstra (ranked the No. 7 player in the country by TopDrawerSoccer) and two-time North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year Ashlynn Serepca (ranked No. 10 overall) enroll in January and take part in spring activities.

Spaanstra and Serepca, who both bring multiple years of national team experience under their belts, join fellow first-year goalkeeper Michaela Moran, defender Claire Constant (Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year, ranked No. 37 nationally) and forward/midfielder Rebecca Jarrett (No. 23 player in the country) to form a small, but solid freshman class that have each had a positive influence on the team so far, says Swanson.

“They’ve all done well and they fit in really well,” Swanson said of the class, which was rated fourth-best in the country. “They’ve been great additions for us. We don’t have a very big freshman class, especially when we added Alexa and Ashlynn in January — we only really have three players that are in that class — so it’s a smaller class but I think they have a lot to offer in terms of their quality. But we’re excited about getting them in. [Spaanstra] was young for this year’s under-20 team but still made the team, and we were fortunate to get her in January, so she’s been training with the team all spring and I think she’s got some exceptional qualities and I think reminds me a lot of [Latsko].”

One thing Swanson was really hoping to see was offseason improvement and development from his younger reserves, players such as Jasmine Wright, Sam Rosette, Sarah Mauer and former Western Albemarle standout Anna Sumpter, and he is pleased with the results.

“There’s no question we’ve had players really improve and develop from January until now. Many people think that you start your season in August, but the truth is we start our season in January,” Swanson explained. “We have good depth and I think our depth has improved a lot, and I think what you see in preseason is a very competitive, challenging team. They’re not scared to compete against each other. I think that competition is going to bring out the best in us. I’m confident of that, and you need that.”

A strong, successful six-game spring exhibition schedule, which featured “friendly” matchups against four teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the country (Duke, North Carolina, Florida and West Virginia), was also crucial for the overall development of the team. Swanson wanted to challenge his girls as much as possible in the spring, and the matches provided valuable experience for Spaanstra and Serepca, along with the younger reserves.

“We had a very difficult, challenging schedule in the spring and I think we made some really good strides and obviously in the first two weeks here we’ve seen that the players have carried that over into the summer,” said Swanson. “I think summer’s always a time where it doesn’t make you, but it can break your team if you don’t do the work, and I think our players have done the work and I think that’s showing in the preseason as well.”

The team’s scoring was a little bit down last year compared to years past, but a solid defense kept the Cavaliers in several games. Swanson is hoping the scoring picks back up this fall.

“I don’t think it was a case of us not getting chances,” Swanson admitted. “We played a very difficult schedule, it was one of the top schedules in terms of strength of schedule in the country, and I thought that we did a really good job creating chances. But obviously for us, to score less than 40 goals is not something we’re used to in a season, and I think that was the difference for us in terms of not meeting the success that we wanted to.

“I think that’s an area we can improve and we put a lot of emphasis on it in the spring. But I think our defense was quite good and I think even given the schedule we played last year, I think we did a great job of neutralizing other teams.”

Once again, the ‘Hoos will face several highly competitive opponents in 2018, including five that are ranked in the preseason top 20. UVa will enjoy some home-field advantage early and late in the schedule, with a tough four-game, mid-September road stretch that will open conference play (at No. 4 Penn State, at Virginia Tech, at Clemson, at No. 3 Duke) sprinkled in between, and will also travel to face No. 14 Notre Dame in October.

Five of the first six matches will be played at home, along with the final four of the regular season. UVa closes with tenth-ranked Florida State and No. 20 NC State at Klöckner, which could both prove to be crucial contests down the stretch heading into the ACC Championship.

Swanson touched on the importance of playing in front of the Wahoo faithful at Klöckner, which has upgraded the fan experience with a newer, bigger scoreboard and sound system in time for the start of the new campaign.

“I think Klöckner Stadium is a very special place, it’s obviously our home but I think we have some extraordinary fans, some knowledgeable fans, and I’m happy for them,” said Swanson. “That atmosphere is pretty special to play in when you play on a Friday night or a Saturday night, or a Sunday afternoon at Klöckner, and I think we have some great resources there including the scoreboard, we have a new sound system, it’s a great venue to watch a game and we’re very thankful that we’ve got the crowds and the fan base that we do. I think it’s been pretty special.

“There’s no secret, I think that that’s one of the main reasons we’ve been successful at Klöckner, is because of our fans. And so any time we can play there, the pitch makes a huge difference — [Head of UVa Sports Turf Management Jesse Pritchard] does a great job with our pitch and his crew — and we feel confident at home and it’s been a difference maker for us, there’s no question about that. I think there’s some good home matches this year and we hope that we can continue to generate large crowds during the season and that they feel a part of it, because they are a big part of it.”

It all starts with Colgate tonight, followed by a 5 p.m. Sunday tilt against Cincinnati.

“Preseason is so intense, it’s fast and it’s furious and you end up competing against yourself a lot, and so it’s nice now to finally get out there and play again,” admitted Swanson. “These games they obviously matter. I think we’re ready and I think we’re as ready as we will be at this time. I think there’s still a lot to improve on, and certainly Colgate will give us a challenge. They’re always a very well-coached team and they’ve done extremely well in their conference, so we expect a very tough game [Friday] and we’re excited about that.”

Tonight’s first 500 fans will receive “thunder sticks” upon entry, and the first 50 members of the “Cavman’s Crew” will get a free hot-dog voucher. Throughout the season, there will be more giveaways of thunder sticks, vuvuzelas, megaphones, rally towels, scarves for when the temperature drops, and cowbells (you’ve gotta have more cowbell). If you can’t make it, you can catch the coverage tonight (and for every other home match) through ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Swanson led Virginia to back-to-back appearances in the College Cup (soccer’s equivalent of the Final Four) in 2013-14, including a trip to the title match in 2014.

“We’ve been close and we’ve done well in the NCAA Tournament — we’ve been consistent I guess you’d say — but we want to win it and I think that’s kind of been our primary focus since I’ve gotten to Virginia,” Swanson said. “And even though it hasn’t happened, we’ve been close but you just feel that there’s still a hunger there and you’re motivated.”

He believes this team has a chance to make it back, but admits it will require steady improvement throughout the season to where the Wahoos are playing at their best soccer at the end of the year.

“I’m optimistic,” said Swanson of his team’s chances to compete late into the season. “I know there’s going to be challenges ahead, we know there’s going to be challenges ahead, but I feel like our team is very together.

“We’ve got good leadership, we’ve got good fourth-years that understand what it takes to win championships and to be there at the end, and so I’m glad they’re leading us. And then we’ve got some good young players that I think can add a lot to our team as well, so we just have to continue to improve, take these first games one at a time, and then see if we can integrate our team more and more as the season goes on.”