Monday, August 16, 2010

MACON, Ga. - The Atlantic Sun Conference released its women's soccer preseason coaches’ poll and all-conference team Monday with defending champions Kennesaw State garnering eight of the 11 first-place votes to take top honors. Jacksonville’s junior midfielder Jessica Hurtado claimed the Player of the Year accolade.

The Owls return nine starters from last year’s team that tallied an 11-7 overall record (7-3 in the A-Sun) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons. The lone representative on the all-conference squad for Kennesaw State, senior forward Kristin Marietta, scored four goals for the Owls and added three assists for the Owls last season.

Hurtado, a 2009 A-Sun Second Team selection, accumulated nine points in her sophomore season. One of two unanimous selections to the all-conference team, Hurtado totaled six goals and eight assists in her two-year career.

FGCU took second in the poll with one first-place vote and 2009 First-Team All-Atlantic Sun defender KC Correllus represented the Eagles on the preseason squad. The Eagles return ten starters from last year’s team that posted an 11-5-3 record (6-2-2 in conference play).

Belmont, who shared last year’s regular-season title with Kennesaw State, placed a league-high four student-athletes on the all-conference list in the Bruins placing third in preseason balloting. The Bruins received a pair of first-place votes. Junior goalkeeper Sari Lin joined her senior teammates defender Jessica Rix, midfielder Jayme Trocino and forward Erica Carter on the preseason team.

Jacksonville and Mercer tied for fourth place in the poll with the Bears placing two, junior midfielder Olivia Tucker and senior defender Kacie Hudson, on the All-Atlantic Sun team. Tucker led Mercer in scoring with eight goals last season, while Hudson added four goals of her own.

Stetson, sixth in the preseason poll, featured the other unanimous selection on the preseason team, Tessa Gavilsky. A senior midfielder, Gavilsky led the league in points and goals last season en route to a 6-2-2 league mark for the Hatters. She has netted 11 goals each of the last two seasons.

Campbell, ETSU, UNF, Lipscomb and USC Upstate all round out the 2010 preseason poll. The 2010 season kicks off on Friday when nine teams start their seasons, while the other two begin action on Sunday. The 2010 season concludes with the Women’s Soccer Championship on October 30-November 6.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.