Belmont Abbey Women’s Soccer Team Favored to Win in Pre-Season Poll

Belmont Abbey Women’s Soccer Team Favored to Win in Pre-Season Poll

Bookmark and Share

HIGH POINT, N.C.-The Belmont Abbey women’s soccer team has been picked to defend its Conference Carolinas Championship in a preseason vote by the league’s head coaches. Belmont Abbey captured its record seventh Conference Carolinas title last November, as it earned a 1-0 win over Pfeiffer. The team went on to win its first NCAA Tournament match since 1999 in an overtime win over Lenoir-Rhyne.

The Crusaders return all three of its top goal scorers from last season, led by sophomores Meghan Philp and Cassidy Coutinho. Philp led the way with eight goals, while Coutino netted seven. The duo combined to score nearly half of the Crusaders total goals last season (15 out of 31). Rising senior Ananda Gebreyesus added four. Philp was named to the Conference Carolinas third team, while Conference Carolinas Tournament MVP Silvia Vazquez, who scored three times, including the only goal in the Tournament final, was named to the first team. Head Coach Mike Lynch has pieced together a challenging schedule, with the first four matches coming on the road to prepare the Crusaders for the conference schedule. Belmont Abbey finished the season 12-10-1 overall and 8-3 in conference play.

Finishing second in the pre-season poll, Lees-McRae enters the season primed to make a run at its third straight Conference Carolinas regular season title. They return 14 letter-winners while welcoming 11 talented newcomers into the fold this fall. Under the direction of second-year head coach Nick Whiting and leadership of seniors Alicia Pierson (Brooksville, N.C.), LeeAnn and MaryBeth Sullivan (Greensboro, N.C.), and Kaitlyn Kerrigan (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.), the Bobcats will look to continue their rise among the conference and Southeast region powers this season. Lees-McRae finished the season last year 11-1 in conference play with their only loss coming on the road against Queens. They were 12-5-2 overall.

The Limestone College women’s soccer team finishes third for the Conference Carolinas preseason poll despite posting a runner-up finish during the 2012 season. Limestone returns eight players who started in at least 10 games, this past season, including the team’s top two scorers in reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Gabriella Reid (Birmingham, England) and sophomore forward Leah Kennington (Heath Springs, S.C.). Reid led the league with 26 points and finished second with 11 goals, earning Daktronics and NSCAA Second-Team All-Southeast Region honors, while Kennington was a Third-Team All-Conference selection after posting six goals and three assists in 2012.  Limestone finished their 2012 season 11-6-1 overall and 8-3 for the conference.

The poll was rounded out with Pfeiffer finishing fourth, followed by: Mount Olive, King University, Converse, Erskine, Barton, and North Greenville respectively.

 

Conference Carolinas Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll (# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis)                                

Belmont Abbey

75

(5)

Lees-McRae

70

(2)

Limestone

66

(1)

Pfeiffer

64

(2)

Mount Olive

48

  

King

36

  

Converse

34

  

Erskine

24

  

Barton

17

  

North Greenville

16