Women's Soccer Slated Fifth in SAC Preseason Poll

ROCK HILL, SC -- The SAC women’s soccer coaches have voted Wingate No. 1 in the league’s 2012 preseason poll.  Catawba was slated into the fifth spot with defender Anna Toole named to the preseason All-SAC team.  The Lady Indians look to rebound from a 6-11 campaign a year ago.

Wingate, which went 16-4 overall last season and won the 2011 Food Lion SAC Soccer Championship, received seven first-place votes in the preseason poll.  The Bulldogs finished second in last year’s SAC standings and later advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Soccer Championship Southeast Regional.

No. 2 in the preseason coaches’ poll was defending SAC regular-season champion Lenoir-Rhyne, which received three first-place votes. The Bears went a perfect 9-0 in league play in 2011, were the runner-up at the SAC Championship, and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. 

Tusculum was voted third in the preseason poll and were followed in the by No. 4 Newberry and No. 5 Catawba. 

2012 SAC Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Wingate, 79 (7)
2. Lenoir-Rhyne, 74 (3)
3. Tusculum, 65
4. Newberry, 48
5. Catawba, 45
6t. Anderson, 42
6t. Lincoln Memorial, 42
8. Mars Hill, 26
9. Carson-Newman, 20
10. Brevard, 9

2012 SAC Women's Soccer Preseason All-SAC

First Team
F- Jessica Kleinberg, Anderson
F- Tramicka James, Tusculum
F- AJ Lightbody, Wingate
F- Jade Montgomery, Wingate
MF- Carley Griffin, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF- Hanna Keibel, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF- Monica Perez, Tusculum
MF- Chandler Murphy, Wingate
D- Adrienne Lough, Anderson
D- Grace Lancaster, Mars Hill
D- Cassie Smith, Newberry
D- Kelly Moldenhauer, Wingate
GK- Kaitlyn Neipp, Anderson

Second Team
F- Krystal Goss, Anderson
F- Nicole McKinney, Lincoln Memorial
F- Catherine Watkins-Banks, Mars Hill
MF- Brooke Ehman, Carson-Newman
MF- Savannah Pitt, Lincoln Memorial
MF- Jana Linke, Tusculum
MF- Jamie Bundy, Brevard
D- Marissa Johnson, Anderson
D- Ashley Kleinberg, Anderson
D- Anna Toole, Catawba
D- Chelsea Horan, Wingate
GK- Caitlin Scruggs, Lenoir-Rhyne