Date: 8/25
Position: Goalkeeper

Returning Letterwinner: None

Other returnees (Yr., Hometown): Anna Brunner, R-Fr. (Birmingham, Ala.)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Justice Stanford, Sr. (22 Games Played, 21 Games Started, 1,974 min, 0.64 Goals Against Average, 62 saves) Laurie Graves, Sr. (3 GP, 1 GS, 99 min, 0.00 GAA, 3 saves)

Newcomers (Yr., Hometown/Previous school): Aníta Guðmundsdóttir  (Fr., Kópavogur, Iceland), Allison Luckhardt (Fr., Olive Branch, Miss.)

Miscellaneous Notes
- Stanford started 79 matches between the posts during the previous four years at South Alabama, including 21 starts last season.
- The Colony, Texas native was named with first team all-Sun Belt and conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
- For her career at South, Stanford claimed the top career stats positions for shutouts, GAA and for goalkeeper specific games started, games played and minutes played.
- Brunner trained with Stanford and Graves last season at USA, but did not appear in a match.
- In the spring, Brunner partook in a match with Mississippi State and held the Bulldogs scoreless while on the pitch.
- Guðmundsdóttir comes to Mobile after competing on both the Iceland U17 and U19 National team including being named player of the match for one appearance on the U19 squad.
- The Icelandic international played with club team Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar making 15 appearances in the first team and was on the pitch for 1,193 minutes in 2019.
- Luckhardt spent the previous season as a senior at Briarcrest Christian School adding time with the Collierville Soccer Association Lobos Rush for club soccer.
- The Olive Branch, Miss., native earned four varsity letters from her school. As a senior, she kept 11 clean sheets and won a state championship for the Saint Bernards.
- During the 2019 campaign for CSA Lobos Rush, the keeper won a state championship and Southern Regional title.

Head Coach Richard Moodie
On the incoming class: "We have three great players all positioning themselves to try and claim the starting role. It will prove extremely difficult to replace [Justice] Stanford, but everyone is eager to jump in and showcase their talent. None of the three have played at this level before, but each comes with a high pedigree."

On lack of experience: "We have three freshmen, but they're here because they have shown a high level of talent. Guðmundsdóttir has played on an international level with the U19 Iceland team. Luckhardt has had massive success with her high school and club team. Brunner has been here a year, trained with Stanford and Graves while getting to train with a team that won the Sun Belt last year. We also have an outstanding goalkeeping coach in Kavi Luchowa and he will get the best out of them."

On the competition for the starting position: "All three are very close, but there is no way to simulate actual game experience. As hard as we push ourselves on the pitch, there is still the aspect that everyone knows it is practice. We need to see how the players react on the field with opponents before anyone will be able to really mark the starting role."

Anna Brunner
On learning under Justice Stanford: "The opportunity in Spring was fantastic in my development as a player on and off the field. I had the opportunity to see a thoroughly successful player how she would position herself during the game, her footwork and communication to the team. Off the field, I learned from her leadership and the example she set."

On the open competition to start: "I have improved my communication and footwork since I arrived, and feel I am becoming a better goal keeper every day, but there are still areas to improve. [Aníta] Guðmundsdóttir has outstanding distribution skills with long crosses played directly to midfielders and [Allison] Luckhardt has shown a great shot stopping ability and a fearlessness in goal. We have all improved each other and because the competition for the starting position feels like anyone can take it, we each bring out the best in each other during practice."

On goals for the season: "Winning another conference championship is the priority right now, but aside from that I just want to develop into the best player that I can be. I need to play a bit faster, continue improving my footwork and show more confidence."

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