SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Defending Southern Conference regular-season and tournament champion Samford is the preseason favorite to win the 2023 Southern Conference women’s soccer title in voting of the league’s 10 head coaches. The Bulldogs outlasted UNCG, 6-5, in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw in the 2022 Southern Conference Championship to claim their third tournament championship in the last four seasons.
 
The coaches also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team. Samford and UNCG picked up a league-best three selections apiece. The Citadel, Furman, Mercer, Chattanooga and Western Carolina 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 77 points. UNCG was second with 67 points and had one first-place vote, while Mercer was picked third with 65 points. Chattanooga was picked fourth with 64 points while claiming the final two first-place votes. Western Carolina was selected fifth with 48 points and Furman was behind them with 40 points to take sixth. ETSU finished with 34 points and The Citadel had 26 points, finishing in seventh and eighth, respectively. Wofford had 20 points to finish ninth and VMI rounded out the poll with nine points.
 
Samford went 11-4-7 overall last season and went 5-1-3 in league play en route to a share of its ninth straight regular-season title. Following their dramatic championship performance, the Bulldogs fell to Georgia, 2-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Bulldogs’ three preseason all-conference selections – Taylor Yount, Kylie Gazza and Whitaker Buchanan – were each All-SoCon performers a season ago. Yount and Gazza finished last season as first-team all-conference performers, while Buchanan was on the second team.
 
Yount netted three goals, including two game-winning goals, and amassed seven points in conference games in 2022, placing her in the top 10 in each of those categories. Gazza played and started all 22 games as a defender for Samford last season, finishing tied for third on the squad in goals (4) and tied for fourth in points (10). Buchanan, who was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team last season, led Samford in points (15) in 2022.
 
UNCG put midfielder Gabi Santora, defender Parker Sikora and goalkeeper Emma Malone on the preseason all-conference team. Santora and Sikora were first-team all-conference performers last season, while Malone was on the all-freshman squad. The Spartans finished the 2022 season with a 10-7-4 overall record and a 4-3-2 mark in conference games.
 
Santora finished tied for eighth in the SoCon in points with 14 last season and Sikora scored both of her goals last season in conference games. During league games in 2022, Malone led the conference in goals against average (0.31) and save percentage (.900).
 
Mercer, which made an appearance in the tournament semifinals last season after amassing a 9-4-7 record and finishing 4-1-4 in league action, put Jada Moorman, the reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year, on the preseason all-conference squad. Chattanooga, who won its first regular-season crown since joining the league last season, placed Mackenzie Smith, a first-team all-league selection in 2022, on the preseason all-conference team.
 
Furman forward Nieva Gaither, Western Carolina forward Isabella DeMarco and The Citadel defender Celeste Nader round out the preseason squad. Gaither and DeMarco were first-team all-conference selections in 2022, and Nader was on the all-freshman team last season.
 
The 2023 regular season begins on Thursday, Aug. 17, as Furman, ETSU, Mercer, UNCG, Samford, Chattanooga, VMI, Western Carolina and Wofford are all in action. The Citadel begins its season the following day.
 
The SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship will feature all 10 schools. The first round will feature two matchups, No. 7 vs. No. 10 and No. 8 vs. No. 9, and will be held at the higher seeds on Oct. 24. The quarterfinals and semifinals, hosted by the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, will take place on Oct. 27 and Oct. 29, respectively. The SoCon Championship will be held at the highest remaining seed on Nov. 4 or Nov. 5.
 
 
2023 Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
 
1. Samford (7)               77
2. UNCG (1)                 67
3. Mercer                      65
4. Chattanooga (2)        64
5. Western Carolina       48
6. Furman                     40
7. ETSU                       34
8. The Citadel               26
9. Wofford                     20
10. VMI                        9
 
() denotes first-place votes
 
2023 Women’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
 
F    Nieva Gaither, Furman
F    Jada Moorman, Mercer
F    Taylor Yount, Samford
F    Isabella DeMarco., Western Carolina
MF Gabi Santora, UNCG
MF Whitaker Buchanan, Samford
MF Mackenzie Smith, Chattanooga
D    Celeste Nader, The Citadel
D    Parker Sikora, UNCG
D    Kylie Gazza, Samford       
GK Emma Malone, UNCG