Soccer America continues its countdown the 2006 college season, which starts Friday for men and women, with a look at the 2006 NCAA Division I women's conferences.
ACC
Defending Champion: North Carolina.
Preseason Poll: 1. North Carolina (No. 3 in Soccer America Preseason
Top 25), 2. Florida State (No. 4), 3. Virginia (No. 7), 4. Boston College (No. 10), Duke (No. 13),
Players to Watch: North Carolina is led by U.S.
national team star
Heather O'Reilly, the 2005 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and top goal scorer with 18. Florida State features senior
India Trotter, who played with O'Reilly this summer for the U.S. national team. Other ACC players on the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team are goalie
Ashley Phillips (Clemson), French defender
Laura Georges (Boston College) and midfielder
Rebecca Moros (Duke). Virginia features 2005 ACC Freshman of the Year
Jess Rostedt (29 points).
Composite ACC Schedule BIG EAST
Defending
Champion: Notre Dame.
Preseason Poll: American -- 1. Connecticut (No. 12 in Soccer America Preseason Top 25), 2. West Virginia (No. 17), 3.
Marquette (No. 16); National -- 1. Notre Dame (No. 6), 2. Rutgers, 3. Villanova.
Players to Watch: Notre Dame sophomore
Keri Hanks (28 goals and 15 assists) was named Big East Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Irish defender
Christie Shaner received
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors. Three other Irish players were named to the preseason all-conference team:
Brittany Bock,
Jen Buczkowski and
Amanda Cinalli. U.S. U-21
Brittany Taylor is part of UConn's
outstanding sophomore class. Also back for the Huskies is junior midfielder
Meghan Schnur. West Virginia underclassmen
Ashley
Banks and
Amanda Cicchini were named to the Big East preseason team. Villanova's
Jillian Loyden was last
year's Big East Goalkeeper of the Year. Louisville forward
Jamie Craft registered 11 goals as a junior.
Composite Big East Schedule BIG TEN
Defending Champion:
Wisconsin.
Preseason Poll: 1. Penn State (No. 8 in Soccer America Preseason Top 25), 2. Illinois (No. 21), 3. Purdue.
Players to Watch: Penn State captain
Ali Krieger, a 2005 All-American, is fully recovered after missing last year's NCAA Tournament
with an injury.
Sheree Gray, Allie Long and Krieger
give the Lions one of the
nation's best midfields. Ohio State's Swiss star,
Lara Dickenmann, joined Krieger on the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team. Illinois welcomes back
leading scorers
Jessica Bayne (21 points) and
Eva Strickland (16). Purdue's
Jessica
Okoroafo was last year's top Big Ten freshman.
Kara Kabellis is Wisconsin's leading returning scorer from 2005.
Composite Big Ten Schedule BIG 12
Defending Champion: Texas
A&M.
Preseason Poll: 1. Texas A&M (No. 9 in Soccer America Preseason Top 25), 2. Nebraska (No. 14), 3. Texas (No. 15).
Players to Watch: Nebraska's
Brittany Timko, Texas A&M's
Ashlee Pistorius and Kansas
defender
Holly Gault were named to the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team. Texas defender
Kasey Moore was the
2005 Big 12 Rookie of the Year. Other players on the Big 12 preseason all-conference team were goalkeepers
Jamie Klages (Nebraska) and
Dianna Pfenninger (Texas), defenders
Stephanie Logterman (Texas) and
Paige Carmichael (Texas A&M),
midfielders
Caitlyn Kennedy (Texas),
Amy Berend (Texas A&M) and
Yolanda
Odenyo (Oklahoma State) and forward
Katie Griffin (Colorado).
Composite Big 12 Schedule BIG WEST
Defending Champion:
Cal State Fullerton.
Preseason Poll: 1. Long Beach State, 2. Cal State Fullerton, 3. UC Santa Barbara.
Players to Watch: Sophomores
Kim Silos and
Hayley Bolt lead the Long Beach State attack. Two-time Big
West Goalkeeper of the Year
Karen Bardsley is one of only four returning starters at Cal State Fullerton. UCSB is counting on having midfielder
Kristyn Bright, a two-time All-Big West selection, back at full strength after sitting out the 2005 season. UC Riverside's
Tawny Poggio should break the all-time Big West record for saves in 2006.
Composite Big West Schedule CONFERENCE USA
Defending Champion: Rice.
Preseason Poll: 1.
SMU, 2. Central Florida, 3. Rice.
Players to Watch: Houston senior
Sophia Mundy was named the C-USA
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and Rice junior defender
Beth Martin was chosen as the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. SMU returns
Kimber Bailey (16 goals and nine assists), as well as preseason all-conference picks
Ashley Gunter and
Carley Phillips to anchor the defense.
Roberta Pelargio will guide the UCF offensive attack. Memphis returns 2005
C-USA Offensive Player of the Year
Shoko Mikami. UTEP is led by juniors
Brittany Popoff and
Jami Tullius. UAB junior
Jill Porto tallied four game-winning goals last season
.
Composite Conference-USA Schedule
IVY
LEAGUE
Defending Champion: Yale.
Preseason Poll: None.
Players to Watch: Yale
features All-American
Christina Huang and
Crysti Howser, the 2005 Ivy League Freshman of the Year.
Princeton's
Diane Matheson, a Canada international and Soccer America Preseason All-American pick, again leads Princeton. Dartmouth's
Sarah Johnson (nine goals and seven assists in 2005) is the only other returning All-Ivy first-team pick.
Composite Ivy League Schedule MOUNTAIN WEST
Defending Champion:
UNLV.
Preseason Poll: 1. BYU, 2. Utah, 3. San Diego State.
Players to Watch: BYU returns
all-MWC first-team selection
Katie Larkin and second-team selection
Bobbi Tillotson. Utah's
Amanda Feigt garnered 2005 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors, while teammates
Melissa Wayma was the Defensive
Player of the Year and
Adele Letro was Freshman of the Year. Senior
Tanya Roberts was a 2005 All-Mountain West pick for
UNLV.
Composite Mountain West Schedule PAC-10
Defending Champion:
UCLA.
Preseason Poll: 1. UCLA (No. 1 in Soccer America Preseason Top 25), 2. California (No. 18), 3. Stanford (No. 20), 4. USC (No. 22).
Players to Watch: UCLA is led by a pair of juniors
Danesha Adams and
Val
Henderson, both named to the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team. Adams and Henderson are in Russia for the U-20 World Championship along with fellow Bruins
Tina DiMartino,
Erin Hardy and
Lauren Cheney. Also in Russia is USC's
Amy Rodriguez, last year's Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and a Soccer America Preseason All-America selection, and Stanford freshman
Kelley O'Hara.
Cardinal
Rachel Buehler joined Adams, Henderson and Rodriguez on the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team. Cal's
Courtney Hooker is one of the young defenders in the country, while Englishwoman
Jodie Taylor, a 2005 All-Pac-10 selection, leads the
young Oregon State team.
SEC
Defending Champion: Tennessee.
Preseason Poll: East -- 1.
Tennessee (No. 11 in Soccer America Preseason Top 25), 2. Florida (No. 24), 3. Georgia (No. 25), 4. Vanderbilt (No. 19); West -- 1. Mississippi, 2. Auburn, 3. LSU.
Players to Watch: Tennessee midfielder
Ali Christoph and Vanderbilt goalkeeper
Tyler Griffin
were named to the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team. Mississippi's
Jennifer Hance (seven goals) was the 2005 SEC Freshman of the Year. Also back are
All-SEC picks
Randi-Lynn Bruso (Georgia),
Chrissy Strini (Mississippi),
Ronda
Brooks (Auburn) and
Kim Perkins (Vanderbilt).
Composite SEC Schedule WCC
Defending Champion:
Portland.
Preseason Poll: 1. Portland (No. 2 in Soccer America Preseason Top 25), 2. Santa Clara (No. 5), 3. Gonzaga.
Players to Watch: Three Portland players are on the Soccer America Preseason All-American Team:
Stephanie Lopez,
Angie Woznuk and
Megan Rapinoe. All have represented the USA at the senior national team level. Senior
Marian Dalmy anchors the Santa Clara defense. The Broncos also return U.S. U-20s
Amanda Poach and
Jordan Angeli.
Lindsey Redlin scored 12 goals for Pepperdine in 2005.
Composite WCC Schedule OTHER PRESEASON
FAVORITES: America East: *Boston University.
Atlantic
Sun: Kennesaw State.
Atlantic 10: *Saint Louis.
Big Sky:
Northern Arizona.
Big South: *Liberty.
CAA: *VCU.
Horizon: *Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
MAAC: *Fairfield.
Mid-American: Central Michigan.
Mid-Continent:
Oakland.
Missouri Valley: *Creighton.
Northeast: *Central Connecticut.
Ohio Valley: *Samford.
Patriot: Lehigh.
Southern: UNC Greensboro.
Southland: Stephen F. Austin.
Sun Belt: *North Texas.
SWAC: Eastern -- *Mississippi Valley State; Western -- Grambling State.
WAC: *Fresno State.
*Defending Champion