SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Lawrence Tech's women's soccer team enters the new season with continuity, experience and the expectation that last year's returning core can push the Blue Devils forward. With only four players lost to graduation, Lawrence Tech brings back much of its roster and will lean on that familiarity as it works through a schedule that quickly presents important early tests.

That returning group is headlined by Abigail Gray, who comes back after leading the team in goals, assists and points. The Blue Devils also return Presley Jones, who produced three goals and two assists last season. Those two give Lawrence Tech proven attacking pieces as it looks to turn experience into results, and their presence should help set the tone for a team that remains young but carries high expectations into the year.

The identity of this squad starts with its depth of returners. A roster with so much carryover often brings a stronger understanding of shape, movement and match management, and that should be an asset for the Blue Devils as they settle into the season. With a young team still developing, Lawrence Tech's focus will be on channeling that potential into consistent play at both ends of the field while relying on familiar contributors to guide the group through key stretches.

One of the first major markers on the schedule comes Aug. 21 against Goshen College, the team's first regular-season match. It offers an immediate chance to see how quickly Lawrence Tech's returning nucleus can establish rhythm. Another early fixture to watch arrives Sept. 19, when the Blue Devils open conference play against the University of Northwestern Ohio in a matchup that should provide one of the clearest early measurements of where the team stands inside league competition.

The broader schedule also gives Lawrence Tech several opportunities to test itself before the heart of conference play takes over. If the returning core performs to form, Lawrence Tech has the pieces to make this season one defined by growth translating into tangible results.