Wildcat soccer squad heavily favored to win LSC title in 2012

SAN ANTONIO - With eight starters returning from last year's 20-win team, the Abilene Christian soccer program was picked as heavy favorites to win the Lone Star Conference championship in 2012.

The Wildcats garnered 148 points and 15 of 19 first-place votes in the league's annual preseason poll. Three first-place nods went to 2011 conference tournament champion Midwestern State, while one was awarded to Texas A&M-Commerce.

Angelo State, Eastern New Mexico, West Texas A&M, Incarnate Word, and Texas Woman's rounded out the poll.

This year's ACU squad will once again feature junior All-America forward Andrea Carpenter, who Tuesday was tabbed by the conference coaches and sports information directors as its preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Midwestern State's Hanna Staley and Mallory Whitworth were selected as the league's defensive and goalkeeper players of the year, respectively.

Carpenter's career totals entering 2012 include a program-record 38 goals through 44 starts and a .279 shot percentage. Of her136 shots, 65 percent have been placed on goal.

A native of Amarillo, Carpenter finished second in all of Division II with eight game-winning goals, while her 16 goals and 35 points ranked among the nation's top-20 student-athletes. In addition to being named All-America and all-region, Carpenter also was voted the Daktronics South Central Region and Lone Star Conference Player of the Year for a second straight year.

Several veterans including seniors Julie Coppedge (nine points) and Krysta Grimm (26), and juniors Jacey Ferrara (4), Whitley Lindholm (13) and Ashley Craig (10) will accompany Carpenter on offense this fall, while the defense will be anchored by returning all-conference selections Lexi Stirling and Brie Buschman. Junior defender Katherine Garner is scheduled to miss the first few matches of 2012 after suffering an offseason injury.

Additional losses for the Wildcats heading into their Aug. 31 opener at Dallas Baptist include starting goalkeeper Elliott London, and all-America performers Ashley Holton and Lindsay Womack. Holton ranked third on last year's team with 15 points, while Womack, a defender, provided one goal and five assists. 

London, the conference's 2011 goalkeeper of the year, won 19 matches, posted a 0.54 goals-against average, and helped the team pitch a school-record 11 shutouts. 

Senior Arielle Moncure is expected to take over in goal. She split minutes with London through seven matches during the early part of 2011.