Soccer picked 9th in preseason poll

FRISCO — Looking to earn a berth to the postseason for the second consecutive season, the Sam Houston soccer team has been picked to finish ninth in the Southland Conference preseason poll, the league announced Thursday.

The Bearkats went 7-11-1 overall and 5-5-1 in SLC play last season to earn the seventh seed in the conference's postseason tournament. Sam Houston returns 16 letter winners including second-team preseason All-SLC midfielder Kalynn Bickford.

Lamar received 20 first-place votes to top the preseason poll with 239 points. Abilene Christian is second with three first-place nods for 214 points, and Northwestern State is third with one first-place vote and 201 points.

McNeese is fourth (153) followed by Incarnate Word (152), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (142), Central Arkansas (128), Stephen F. Austin (103), SHSU, Houston Baptist (67), Southeastern Louisiana (66) and Nicholls (22).

The conference is planning a full round-robin schedule, followed by a league tournament and an automatic berth in the revised NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. The modified conference regular-season schedule will begin Feb. 12 and continues through April 9 with an eight-team, single-elimination championship at a site to be announced April 15-17.

The Bearkats open the season at Pritchett Field Feb. 12 against Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m.

2020 Preseason Poll

School (First-place votes)	Total
1. Lamar (20)	239
2. Abilene Christian (3)	214
3. Northwestern State (1)	201
4. McNeese	153
5. UIW	152
6. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	142
7. Central Arkansas	128
8. Stephen F. Austin	103
9. Sam Houston	97
10. Houston Baptist	67
11. Southeastern Louisiana	66
12. Nicholls	22

Soccer picked 9th in preseason poll

Players Mentioned

Kalynn Bickford

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