Defending Champion Lenoir-Rhyne Earns Top Spot in SAC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne, which has won or shared three-straight SAC women's soccer titles, is the top-ranked team in the conference's 2013 preseason coaches' poll, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Bears went unbeaten in SAC play last year for the second season in a row, finishing 9-0 in the conference and 16-2-2 overall. L-R also won its second-straight Food Lion SAC Women's Soccer Championship title in 2012, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Lenoir-Rhyne received 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll and is followed by Wingate at No. 2 and Tusculum at No. 3. WU and TC each got one first-place vote.

Wingate finished just behind L-R in the 2012 SAC standings, going 8-1 in the league and 14-3-2 overall. The Bulldogs also earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament. Tusculum, meanwhile, went 12-3-3 overall and 6-2-1 in conference play.

Catawba is fourth in the preseason poll, followed by No. 5 Lincoln Memorial, No. 6 Anderson and No. 7 Queens, which will be playing its first season as a member of the SAC. Catawba finished last year with a 13-7 overall and 5-4 SAC record, Anderson went 7-7-3 overall and 4-3-2 in the conference, LMU had a 7-7-2 overall and 3-4-2 league record, and Queens finished 9-9-1 overall and 7-3-1 in Conference Carolinas.

Newberry is eighth in the preseason poll, Carson-Newman is ninth and Mars Hill is 10th. Newberry ended 2012 at 7-8-4 overall and 2-4-3 in the SAC, C-N went 3-11-2 overall and 1-7-1 in the conference, and Mars Hill finished at 6-13 overall and 2-7 in league matches.

Completing the preseason poll are SAC newcomer Coker at No. 11 and Brevard at No. 12. Coker went 4-12-2 overall and 3-7-1 in Conference Carolinas play last year, while Brevard had a record of 1-15-2 overall and 0-8-1 in the SAC.

Lenoir-Rhyne also leads the way with six selections to the 2013 SAC Women's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team, including five first-team selections.

Headlining the first-team forward position is defending SAC Player of the Year and SAC Female Athlete of the Year Jade Montgomery of Wingate, who led the nation with 21 goals and ranked second with 48 points last year. Two L-R players – Leah Mullins and Garcelle Alequine – join Montgomery as first-team forward selections. Mullins was the SAC Freshman of the Year and an All-Region honoree in 2012 after scoring 13 goals and tallying three assists, while Alequine had eight goals and seven assists.

Anderson's Krystal Goss, who tied for fourth in the SAC last season with 23 points, is the final first-team forward selection.

Making up the first-team midfield are L-R's Hanna Kiebel, Newberry's Gabrielle Brodie, Lincoln Memorial's Josefin Hedstrom and Catawba's Sofie Waller. Brodie and Kiebel – who recorded 22 and 14 points, respectively - were both named to the 2012 All-Region Team. Hedstrom and Waller, meanwhile, each tallied 10 points last year.

Anchoring the first-team defense is goalkeeper Kaitlyn Neipp, who finished 2012 with an .850 save percentage and seven shutouts. She is joined by defenders Brianna Belsky and Amber Madriaga of Lenoir-Rhyne, Anna Toole of Catawba and Sam Adams of LMU. Belsky was also a member of last season's All-Region Team.

Thursday, Sept. 5 marks the start of the SAC women's soccer regular season. Queens, Brevard, Coker, Wingate and Catawba will all be in action that day.

2013 SAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

2013 SAC Women's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team

First Team

F – Jade Montgomery, WU

F – Leah Mullins, L-R

F – Krystal Goss, AU

F – Garcelle Alequine, L-R

MF – Hanna Kiebel, L-R

MF – Gabrielle Brodie, NEW

MF – Josefin Hedstrom, LMU

MF – Sophie Waller, CAT

D – Brianna Belsky, L-R

D – Amber Madriaga, L-R

D – Anna Toole, CAT

D – Sam Adams, LMU

GK – Kaitlyn Neipp, AU

Second Team

F – Juliana Conte, CAT

F – Kendall Smith, L-R

F – Brooke Foil, QU

F – Taylor Lewis, TC

MF – Alisha Pugh, TC

MF – Alyssa Morris, MHU

MF – Taryn Grivois, WU

MF – Amy Morford, TC

D – Blair McDonough, L-R

D – Savannah Pitt, LMU

D – Chelsey Horan, WU

D – Casey Marlin, L-R

GK – Marissa Williams, TC