Women's Soccer | 8/14/2014 10:10:00 AM
FRISCO, Texas - Abilene Christian's women's soccer team finished fourth in a preseason poll of the Southland Conference head coaches released Thursday by the league offices.
The Wildcats earned 83 points to finish behind Stephen F. Austin (121 points), Southeastern Louisiana (110 points) and Sam Houston State (89 points). The Ladyjacks captured 11 of 12 first-place votes with Southeastern Louisiana receiving the remaining ballot.
Abilene Christian finished fourth at 7-5 last fall and defeated both the Lions (the league's lone NCAA qualifier) and Bearkats en route to winning 13 matches. The Wildcats, however, were blanked at SFA as the Ladyjacks went on to win the conference's regular-season championship at 10-1-1 (16-3-3 overall).
Ranked behind the Wildcats' are Nicholls, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Lamar, Northwestern State, Incarnate Word, McNeese and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Nicholls defeated the Wildcats last season in Thibodaux, La., but finished two points behind ACU in the final standings at 6-5-1.
The Wildcats are returning 16 letterwinners and six starters from last year's team, but will be without all-conference honorees
Brie Buschman and
Andrea Carpenter. Buschman anchored ACU's defense for four consecutive seasons, never missing a single start, while Carpenter left the program as its all-time leading scorer with 127 points (56 goals, 15 assists).
Key returners for eighth-year head coach
Casey Wilson include Southland honorable mention defender
Kelsie Roberts, sophomores
Alyssa Gerner and
Natalie Throneberry, junior
Nicci Nelson, seniors
Emily Sumrall and
Tiffany Ysassi, and the sophomore goalkeeping tandem of
Kelsey Dombrowski and
Sydney Newton. The Wildcats also will benefit from the return of junior
Lindsey Jones and the addition of nine high school recruits, which lifted the roster number to 28 student-athletes.
Wilson again will be assisted by goalkeeper coach
Stephen Salas and volunteers Lucas and
J.B. Gibbs.
J.B. Gibbs was with the club previously from 2008-10, during which the Wildcats posted three consecutive winning seasons and qualified for the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
An additional challenge for ACU this fall will be playing all its home matches at Shotwell Stadium while its new on-campus complex takes shape. The Wildcats' new stadium, which they'll share with track and field, will be finished by the start of next season.
ACU begins its season a week from Friday on Aug. 22 at Tulsa and will play its home opener at Shotwell Sunday, Aug. 24 vs. UTEP at 1 p.m. On Friday, Aug. 29 the Wildcats play host to Wayland Baptist on the campus of Hardin-Simmons.
The 2014 Southland soccer season begins Aug. 22 with conference play beginning Sept. 19. The conference tournament will be held Nov. 6-9 at the Lamar Soccer Complex on the campus of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. The championship match will be carried exclusively on ESPN3. In addition, first round and semifinal games of the tournament will be streamed live on the Southland Conference Digital Network, available at southland.org and on the league's Apple and Android mobile and tablet apps.
ACU and UIW are in their second year of transition from Division II and will be ineligible for postseason play.
