With a new coach and a new outlook in tow, the women’s soccer team will kick off its season against the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs tonight. Senior defender Gia Cipollini said the mood in the locker room has been considerably lighter of late. ”I think overall, our team chemistry is better,” Cipollini said. “We’re all really excited about our first game with our new coach, and we’re all really hoping to get this win for him and for us as a team. We want to show everyone we’re a new team.” The Pack will return 19 players, including second-leading scorer Kara Baldy, who scored six goals in nine games before she was sidelined by injury. Seniors Cipollini, midfielders Chantalle Dugas and Kendall Irby and defensemen Katie Ruiz and Meredith Parrilla will provide a veteran presence for the transitioning women’s team, while sophomore Kim Kern will likely get the start in net for State. Steve Springthorpe has another motivating factor. Joe Pereira, ODU’s head coach, was the man who hired him right out of college to coach. Today, he remains his mentor and friend. ”He was the men’s assistant coach at Methodist the first two years I was there,” Springthorpe said. “Joe and I worked together for two years as player-coach and then for another eight years as a head coach and assistant coach. We go back over 20 years together and he’s been a great mentor of mine. He’s been extremely helpful.” Springthorpe said their history, naturally, will take a backseat once the clock starts. ”It’ll be an interesting game,” Springthorpe said. “It’ll be the first time that we’ve faced each other as coaches with our teams playing. He’ll want to win and I’ll want to win, but after the game, whoever wins will be happy for the other.” Cipollini said State has played Old Dominion every year since she was a freshman, and though the school is not in the ACC, its women’s soccer team a perennial force to be reckoned with. ”They have a lot of good players. They play really aggressive. We lost to them last year after a late score. We’re hoping we can come out and compete with them.” That tough loss took place on Sept. 21, 2008, when the Lady Monarchs hosted the Pack and notched a 1-0 win, the program’s first ever win over an ACC opponent. The all-time series against ODU now stands at 2-1-1. In preparation for ODU, Cipollini said the Pack continued to tighten up on both ends of the field. It will try and contain sophomore phenom Victoria Johnson, whose nine goals led the team. She later received All-Rookie conference honors. ”We’ve been focusing on our structure, our formation and our play, just moving the ball around and getting one or two touches,” Cipollini said. “We’ve been working on our defense as well.” Dugas, fresh off a three-goal outing in a scrimmage Aug. 14, insists her teammates’ attitudes have “completely changed for the better.” ”We’re just going to go by what we’ve been doing and hopefully it will result in a win,” Dugas said. Whether she’ll explode for another three goals Friday night remains to be seen. ”Hopefully,” Dugas said with a smile. “I’m trying my best. I’m trying to take each taking it one game at a time. We’ll see what happens.” The game will take place at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Field.