Aug. 20, 2008

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In its first preseason poll as a member of the Southern Conference, the Samford University soccer team was predicted to finish fourth in the league's standings Wednesday by a vote of the conference's head coaches.

The vote marked the first time since 2003 that Samford was not picked to win its regular-season conference title. In their initial preseason poll as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference on Aug. 14, 2003, the Bulldogs were also picked to finish fourth in the league.

"I figured we'd be picked either fourth or fifth," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "It's definitely going to be a challenging season for us and it's going to be different. Our players are used to being picked first in the poll and now we're fourth, so we won't necessarily be the most targeted team in the league."

UNC Greensboro is the preseason favorite to claim the SoCon women's soccer crown again in 2008. The Spartans, who have claimed three of the last four SoCon regular season titles, including 2006 and 2007, return 17 of 22 players from last season's team and eight of the nine top scorers.

Included in the mix are preseason all-SoCon selections Kelly Attayek, Kristin Player, Katelynn Donovan and Jamie Corti. UNCG received 118 total points and 10 of 12 first-place votes.

"(Head Coach) Eddie (Radwanski) has done a great job there at UNC Greensboro," Yelton said. "He's really put together a talented team this season and he's turned that program into the dominant squad in the conference."

Davidson, which finished second in the regular season last year with an 8-1-1 record, was selected to finish second again this season by the league's coaches, equaling Furman with 101 total points. The Wildcats received one first-place vote while forward Kyri Bye-Nagel earned preseason all-SoCon honors.

Furman, the 2007 SoCon Tournament champion, was tied with Davidson for second in the standings while the Lady Paladins' Rachel Fry, Ashley Creavalle and Briana da Mota were all selected to the all-SoCon team.

SoCon-newcomer and 2007 NCAA Tournament participant Samford (87 points) grabbed the fourth slot and edged out College of Charleston (86), which garnered one first-place nod.

Western Carolina (78), Appalachian State (64), Elon (47) and Wofford (43) grabbed the sixth through ninth spots, respectively, while Georgia Southern (36), The Citadel (17) and Chattanooga (15) rounded out the poll.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team in the preseason poll nor could they select their own players for the all-conference team.

The 2008 season begins on Friday, Aug. 22 as seven SoCon teams are in action that day. Samford kicks off its fall schedule at 7 p.m., on the road against Texas.

Samford enters the 2008 campaign boasting nine returning starters and 16 letterwinners from last year's team that finished with a school-record 15-5-1 mark. In 2007, the Bulldogs also set a school record with 43 goals scored, while only allowing the opposition to score 16.

In addition, Samford earned its second NCAA Tournament berth in three years and became the first athletic team in school history to receive an at-large bid to the Field of 64. The Bulldogs met LSU in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament and were upended a hard-fought 1-0 double-overtime contest held in Tallahassee, Fla.

Samford will be led this year by seniors Candace Clippard, Valerie Kikkert, Kat Sweatt and Cayley Winters, as well as redshirt juniors Jenna Sturgill and Marchele Olds. The Bulldogs' roster will also feature four talented juniors, seven sophomores and 11 freshmen.

2008 Southern Conference
Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

1. UNC Greensboro (10), 118
2t. Davidson (1), 101
2t. Furman, 101
4. Samford, 87
5. College of Charleston (1), 86
6. Western Carolina, 78
7. Appalachian State, 64
8. Elon, 47
9. Wofford, 43
10. Georgia Southern, 36
11. The Citadel, 17
12. Chattanooga, 15

2008 Women's Soccer
Preseason All-Southern Conference Team

F, Kyri Bye-Nagel, Davidson
F, Kristin Player, UNC Greensboro
F, Kelly Attayek, UNC Greensboro
F, Ashley Toussaint, Georgia Southern
MF, Rachel Fry, Furman
MF, Katelynn Donovan, UNC Greensboro
MF, Katie Browne, College of Charleston
D, Danielle Jordan, College of Charleston
D, Ashley Creavalle, Furman
D, Jamie Corti, UNC Greensboro
GK, Briana da Mota, Furman