SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the fifth time in the last six seasons, Samford is the preseason favorite to win the Southern Conference women’s soccer title in voting of the league’s 10 head coaches. The Bulldogs edged Furman 1-0 in the 2019 Southern Conference Championship to claim their third tournament title and first since 2016.  
 
The coaches also selected a 12-member preseason all-conference team, which features an extra player due to a tie in the voting. Samford picked up a league-best four selections, while Furman claimed three, Mercer claimed two, and The Citadel, UNCG and Chattanooga each placed one on the team.
 
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.
 
Samford, which garnered seven first-place votes, finished with 79 points. Furman, which played in the championship each of the last two seasons, was second with 74 points, earning the remaining three first-place votes. UNC Greensboro, the 2017 and 2018 SoCon tournament champion, was picked third with 63 points, while Mercer had 53 points to finish fourth. The middle of the poll was tightly packed as Chattanooga (46), Western Carolina (41) and The Citadel (39) were separated by just seven total points and were picked fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. ETSU was picked eighth with 26 points to edge Wofford (19) by seven points, while VMI rounded out the poll with 10 points.
 
Samford went 13-4-5 overall last season and 7-1-1 in league play, tying Furman for the top spot in the regular season. The Bulldogs return seven starters from that squad, including four preseason all-conference selections - forward Taylor Yount, midfielder Alyssa Frazier, defender Lexi Orman and goalkeeper Morgan McAslan - all of which were all honored on the 2019 all-conference first team. Yount tied for the league lead in goals (10) and was second in the league in shots (60), points (22) and points per game (1.0) in 2019, while Frazier finished second in assists (nine) and third in assists per game (0.41). McAslan, a junior, boasted a league-best 0.87 goals against average, led the league in solo shutouts (eight) and was also in the top three in both saves (94) and save percentage.
 
Furman put forward Jasmine Greene, midfielder Isabella Gutierrez and defender Faith Hauberg on the preseason all-conference team. The Paladins went 14-6-1 overall and 7-1-1 in 2019. Greene, the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year, and Gutierrez were both first-team all-conference picks last season.
 
UNCG finished the 2019 campaign 10-8-2 overall and 7-2 in SoCon play, tying for third in the league standings and earning a spot in the SoCon semifinals. Defender Kayla Campbell, a second-team all-conference performer a season ago, represents the Spartans on the preseason all-conference team.
 
Mercer, which also made an appearance in the tournament semifinals last season after amassing a 16-4 record and finishing 7-2 in league action, put forward Nicole Icen, the 2019 SoCon Player of the Year, and midfielder Ciara Whitely, a 2019 second team all-conference pick, on the preseason all-conference squad. Icen led the league in points (23), points per game (1.28) and goals per game (0.56) and tied for the league lead in total goals (10).
 
Chattanooga defender Maggie Shaw and The Citadel forward Suzuka Yosue, a second-team all-conference selection a season ago, round out the preseason squad.
 
The 2021 spring regular season begins on Sunday, Feb. 7, as Mercer and UNCG are in action. ETSU’s season begins on Feb. 12, while The Citadel gets underway two days later. Samford, VMI and Western Carolina kick off on Feb. 18 and Chattanooga begins on Feb. 26. Furman begins on Feb. 28, while Wofford is scheduled to play only conference contests, which are set to begin on Friday, March 5.
 
The SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship will feature just the top four seeds as part of the league’s cost-cutting initiative. The semifinals, hosted by the highest seeds, will be contested on April 9 or 10 with the finals, hosted by the highest remaining seed, scheduled for April 16 or 17.


2020-21 Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1. Samford (7)	79
2. Furman (3)	74
3. UNCG	63
4. Mercer	53
5. Chattanooga	46
6. Western Carolina	41
7. The Citadel	39
8. ETSU	26
9. Wofford	19
10. VMI	10

() denotes first-place votes

2020-21 Women’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team

F	Suzuka Yosue, The Citadel
F	Jasmine Greene, Furman
F	Nicole Icen, Mercer
F	Taylor Yount, Samford
MF	Isabella Gutierrez, Furman
MF	Ciara Whitely, Mercer
MF	Alyssa Frazier, Samford
D	Faith Hauberg, Furman
D	Kayla Campbell, UNCG
D	Lexi Orman, Samford
D	Maggie Shaw, Chattanooga
GK	Morgan McAslan, Samford