Southland Conference Announces 2010 Soccer Preseason Teams
FRISCO, Texas - Southeastern
Louisiana, the defending conference tournament champion, leads all programs
with six preseason all-conference selections the league office Tuesday.
The Lady Lions, coached by Blake
Hornbuckle, return seven starters from a 2009 squad that made their first NCAA
tournament appearance last season after winning their second conference
tournament crown and first since 1998.
Southeastern had a league-best
four first-team honorees including senior midfielder Natalie Santana, junior
goalkeeper Lacey Bockhaus and junior defender Kyle MacIntosh and sophomore
forward Maiya Cooper. Cooper, Santana and Bockhaus are returning first-team
all-conference selections. Santana, a Cypress, Calif., native, tied for first
in the league in assists (10), ranked third in points (28) and tied for third
in goals (nine). Bockhaus returns as the league's top goalkeeper. The San
Leandro, Calif., native set the Southland record for shutouts (12) and was
named the conference tournament MVP. MacIntosh, a native of St. Catherines,
Ontario, anchored the Southeastern defense that allowed a league-record lowest
goals against average (.630), shutouts (13) and goals allowed (13). Cooper, a
native of Hawthorne, Calif., ranked second in points (32) and goals (14) and
third in game-winning goals (three).
Rounding out the Southeastern
selections are a pair of second-team honorees, senior defenders Nicole
Brannigan and Brittany Prieto. Brannigan and Prieto started all 20 games last
season and tied for the team lead in minutes played (1471). Brannigan, a native
of Long Beach, Calif., scored two goals and three assists. Prieto, a Fairfield,
Calif., native, scored a goal and posted one assist.
Texas State enters
the 2010 season having won the last two regular-season titles. Southland coach
of the year, Kat Conner returns eight starters including senior forward Britney
Curry, the conference player of the year. Curry is one of three Bobcats to earn
first-team honors. Other first-team honorees include senior defender Jessica
Elting and junior midfielder Kelsey Bernard. A native of Cypress, Texas, Curry
led the league in multiple-point games with (seven) and finished the regular season
at or near the top of every league offensive category including first in points
(42), points per game (2.00), goals (18) and game-winning goals (six). Elting,
a native of Flower Mound, Texas, led the Bobcats' defense to a second-place
league ranking in goals allowed (16) and goals-against average (.740). Elting
started all 21 games last season and led the Bobcats in minutes played (1,715).
Bernard, a native of The Colony, Texas, started 20 games for the Bobcats
and played in more than 1,500 minutes. Bernard took 17 shots with nine of them
falling on goal. She was key to Texas State's success both offensively and
defensively.
Second-team honorees for the
Bobcats are sophomore midfielder Taylor Person and junior forward Erica
Michaud. Person, a native of Georgetown, Texas, started 19 games and was third
on the team in points (eight) and contributed three goals and two assists. Michaud,
a native of Temple, Texas, started 19 games and ranked second in points (21),
goals (eight), and assists (five) for Texas State.
Stephen F. Austin has finished in
the top five in the league standings every season since 2003 and leads the
Southland with five regular-season titles with its most recent coming in 2007.
The Ladyjacks received five preseason team selections including three
first-team members. Leading the list of SFA honorees is freshman of the year
Kylie Louw and first-team honorees senior forward Kim Kimmel and senior
defender Kelli Barnes. Louw, a native of Discovery, South Africa, recorded nine
assists, six goals, ranked fifth in the league in points (21) and sixth in
shots (53). Kimmel, an El Paso, Texas native, led the league in shots (73) and scored
seven goals. Barnes, a native of Allen, Texas, led the team in minutes played
(1,867) and had three shots on goal.
Second-team members include
sophomore forward Laura Sadler and newcomer of the year junior defender Jordan
King. Sadler, a native of Coppell, Texas, ranked seventh in the league in shots
(51), scored six goals, had two assists and 14 points. King, a native of
McKinney, Texas, started all 20 matches last season with 1,659 minutes played
and had eight shots with four on goal.
Since UTSA's inaugural season in
2006, the Roadrunners have won at least eight games, finished in the top five
of the Southland standings and qualified for the league tournament. The
Roadrunners are represented on the preseason teams with two selections, both of
which are returning all-conference players. Senior midfielder Chelsea
Zimmermann is a first-team honoree and senior forward Allison Dillon is a
second-team member. Dillon, a Yorba Linda, Calif., native, started 19 games and
had 15 points, 42 shots, six assists and six goals. Zimmerman, a native of
Mansfield, Texas, started 20 games and had four assists, 12 points, four goals
and 40 shots.
Sam Houston State returns eight
starters from a team that reached the semifinals of the Southland tournament.
The Bearkats are represented on the preseason teams with two selections. Senior
goalkeeper Jenny Pence and sophomore forward Kirby Zak received second-team
honors. Zak, a native of Weatherford, Texas, tied for the league lead in
assists (10) and tied for third in points (28) and goals (nine). Pence, a
native of Kingwood, Texas, led the conference in saves (146) and had four
shutouts.
McNeese State senior midfielder
Alana Clark and Lamar sophomore midfielder Lisa Topping round out the final two
preseason second-team selections. Clark, a native of Tucson, Ariz., ranked tied
for third in shots (64), tied for seventh in goals (eight) and tied for 10th in
points (19). Topping, a native of Leyland, England, started all 18 contests for
the Lady Cardinals last season and posted three goals, five assists, 11 points
and had 17 shots on goal.
Players named to the 2009
All-Southland Conference soccer teams who are returning for the 2010 season are
automatic selections to the 2010 preseason all-conference soccer teams. The
remaining positions are nominated and voted on by league head coaches.
2010 All-Southland Conference Preseason Soccer
Teams
|
First Team
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
Class
|
Pos.
|
University
|
Hometown
|
|
Britney Curry*
|
Sr.
|
Forward
|
Texas State
|
Cypress, Texas
|
|
Maiya Cooper*
|
So.
|
Forward
|
Southeastern Louisiana
|
Hawthorne, Calif.
|
|
Kim Kimmel*
|
Sr.
|
Forward
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
El Paso, Texas
|
|
Kylie Louw*
|
So.
|
Midfielder
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
Discovery, South Africa
|
|
Natalie Santana*
|
Sr.
|
Midfielder
|
Southeastern Louisiana
|
Cypress, Calif.
|
|
Chelsea Zimmermann*
|
Sr.
|
Midfielder
|
UTSA
|
Mansfield, Texas
|
|
Jessica Elting*
|
Sr.
|
Defender
|
Texas State
|
Flower Mound, Texas
|
|
Kyle MacIntosh*
|
Jr.
|
Defender
|
Southeastern Louisiana
|
St. Catherines, Ontario
|
|
Kelli Barnes*
|
Sr.
|
Defender
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
Allen, Texas
|
|
Lacey Bockhaus*
|
Jr.
|
Goalkeeper
|
Southeastern Louisiana
|
San Leandro, Calif.
|
|
Kelsey Bernard*
|
Jr.
|
Midfielder
|
Texas State
|
The Colony, Texas
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Second Team
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
Class
|
Pos.
|
University
|
Hometown
|
|
Allison Dillon*
|
Sr.
|
Forward
|
UTSA
|
Yorba Linda, Calif.
|
|
Laura Sadler
|
So.
|
Forward
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
Coppell, Texas
|
|
Kirby Zak
|
So.
|
Forward
|
Sam Houston State
|
Weatherford, Texas
|
|
Alana Clark*
|
Sr.
|
Midfielder
|
McNeese State
|
Tucson, Ariz.
|
|
Taylor Person*
|
So.
|
Midfielder
|
Texas State
|
Georgetown, Texas
|
|
Lisa Topping
|
So.
|
Midfielder
|
Lamar
|
Leyland, England
|
|
Jordan King*
|
Jr.
|
Defender
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
McKinney, Texas
|
|
Nicole Brannigan
|
Sr.
|
Defender
|
Southeastern Louisiana
|
Long Beach, Calif.
|
|
Brittany Prieto
|
Sr.
|
Defender
|
Southeastern Louisiana
|
Fairfield, Calif.
|
|
Jenny Pence
|
Sr.
|
Goalkeeper
|
Sam Houston State
|
Kingwood, Texas
|
|
Erica
Michaud*
|
Jr.
|
Forward
|
Texas
State
|
Temple,
Texas
|
*Returning
All-Southland Conference Selection