Bearkats picked second in SLC coaches' poll
8/12/2015 3:02:00 PM | Soccer
Sam Houston State soccer garnered four first-place votes and has been picked second in the 2015 Southland Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league office announced Wednesday.
The Bearkats are coming off a program-best 8-2-1 runner-up conference finish and return 18 players, including a league-best six preseason all-conference honorees.
“It puts a little target on your back when you're placed so high but I think with our expectations, we would feel slighted if we weren't at the upper end of the poll,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “I think it's the first time we've ever received some first-place votes and I hope we can live up to what's anticipated here a couple months out.”
On Tuesday, junior forward Allie Johnson, senior midfielders Shelby McDaniel and Mariah Titus, and at-large selection senior Ashley Alonzo were named first-team preseason all-conference selections, while sophomore defender Caitlin Schwartz and senior goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton earned second-team accolades.
The Bearkats accumulated 112 points, just four shy of Stephen F. Austin, who heads into the season as the league favorite. Houston Baptist (100), Southeastern Louisiana (92) and Abilene Christian (68) rounded out the top five.
Sam Houston won four of its final five games to close out the 2014 regular season before falling in penalties during the league tournament to eventual champion Houston Baptist. The momentum carried over into a strong spring highlighted by a 3-2-1 record, including wins against UTSA and Lamar and the only losses coming to Texas A&M.
The Kats downed A&M-Corpus Christi, 2-1, in the squad's opening scrimmage on Monday, led by a 17th-minute goal from Johnson and the game-winner in the 81st minute by freshman Micaela Birt.
Sam Houston hosts Texas Southern in its final scrimmage on Friday with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Pritchett Field. The Kats' 18-match regular-season schedule begins a week from Friday with a trip to Louisiana-Lafayette.
“We'll play a lot of different players (against Texas Southern) so that'll be their first chance to get in,” Brown said. “We're really trying to make this more of a marathon than a sprint and not get caught up in, 'I've got to do all these things at this moment.'”
The Bearkats were taken third in the sports information director's poll, also released Wednesday, behind three first-place votes.
Coaches' Poll |
|
|
Team |
Points |
|
1. Stephen F. Austin (8) |
116 |
|
2. Sam Houston State (4) |
112 |
|
3. Houston Baptist |
100 |
|
4. Southeastern Louisiana |
92 |
|
5. Abilene Christian |
68 |
|
6. McNeese State |
65 |
|
7. Nicholls |
64 |
|
8. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
47 |
|
9. Lamar |
46 |
|
10. Central Arkansas |
31 |
|
T10. Northwestern State |
31 |
|
12. UIW |
20 |
|
|
|
|
SID Poll |
|
|
Team |
Points |
|
1. Stephen F. Austin (9) |
119 |
|
2. Houston Baptist |
103 |
|
3. Sam Houston State (3) |
102 |
|
4. Southeastern Louisiana |
87 |
|
5. Abilene Christian |
76 |
|
6. Nicholls |
72 |
|
7. McNeese State |
56 |
|
8. Lamar |
46 |
|
9. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
43 |
|
10. Northwestern State |
34 |
|
11. Central Arkansas |
33 |
|
12. UIW |
21 |
