Three standouts will serve as tri-captains for the 2016 University of Delaware women’s soccer team, head coach Scott Grzenda has announced.

Senior midfielder Nikki Adams, junior defender Andrea Gunderson and senior defender Carolyn Seltzer will lead the Blue Hens as captains this fall.

“We have three outstanding young women who were chosen by their peers to help lead our team as captains,” said Grzenda, who will enter his 27th season this fall as the only women’s soccer head coach in UD history. “All three possess the skill, leadership, and determination to lead our team through an exciting and successful 2016 season.”

UD returns 10 players with starting experience from a squad that went 8-9-2 a year ago and advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association tournament quarterfinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Leading the returning players is senior forward Natalie Zelenky, who earned second team All-CAA and third team all-region honors in 2015 when she ranked among the league leaders with 11 goals.

Adams, an honor student as a psychology major and history minor, is a fourth-year starter in 2016 and has logged 55 games with 41 starts during her career and scored six goals and five assists for 17 points. She started all but one game in 2015 and contributed two goals and two assists.

Gunderson, a third-year team member and an honor student in health behavior science with a minor in public health, will anchor a defense that posted five shutouts a year ago. She has played in 32 games at Delaware with 19 starts and has contributed a goal and two assists.

Seltzer, who also anchors the defense, played in 19 games with eight starts a year ago and has 47 games played an 17 starts under her belt. She is an honor student as a health behavior science major with a minor in public health.

UD opened preseason drills on Aug. 5, and will play exhibition games on Aug. 10 at Lehigh University and Aug. 12 at home against Bucknell. The team will open the regular season Aug. 19 at Villanova and compete at Syracuse on Aug. 21 and at Georgetown on Aug. 25 before the home opener Aug. 28 against Saint Joseph’s at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.