LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - After a season where the COVID-19 global pandemic pushed all women’s soccer competition from the fall to the spring semester for the first time in conference history, the league is planning for a return to some type of normalcy this fall.
In exclusive voting by the league’s head coaches, Trinity University is the unanimous choice to repeat as Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s soccer champions. Following its ninth SCAC Tournament Title in the last 10 years in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, the Tigers received all eight first-place votes to earn 64 points in the preseason balloting.
With 24 SCAC titles to its credit, only one program (Trinity men’s tennis) in conference history has been more dominant than the Trinity women’s soccer program. Led by head coach Dylan Harrison, the Tigers (10-0-0; 7-0 SCAC) won their 11th conference championship in the last 12 years with a 4-0 victory over Dallas in the SCAC title match last April. In five seasons at the helm of the Tigers’ program, Harrison has posted a record of 86-9-2 (.897), including a perfect 52-0-0 mark in league play.
The preseason 21st-ranked Tigers return nine All-SCAC players from a year ago, including First Team honorees senior Kaity Ward and juniors Bailey Meyer and Molly Sheridan. Second Team selections sophomore Tedi Del Prete and seniors Alex Walsh and Camryn Beall, along with sophomores Kyra Stafford and Reese Wallace and junior Cassie Bowers who earned Honorable Mention accolades, join Ward, Meyer and Sheridan as All-SCAC returnees. Del Prete and Stafford were also named to the SCAC All-Freshman Team.
Ward, the reigning SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year, will pace an offense that led the SCAC in goals (41), assists (29), points (111), shots (327) and goals per game (4.1) last season. In just nine games last season, Ward led the conference in points (30), goals (13), points-per-game (3.33), goals-per-game (1.44) and shots on goal (30). She finished tied for first in game-winning goals with four and tied for second in assists with four. Ward combined with Sheridan and Del Prete for 29 goals and eight assists for a total of 66 points last season.
Meyer, Stafford and Wallace return to anchor a defense that allowed just three goals, boasted a 0.29 goals-against-average and produced eight shutouts – all top marks in the SCAC last season. The trio also contributed offensively, combining for nine points on three goals and three assists.
The University of Dallas and Southwestern University each received 49 points from the coaches’ to finish tied for second in the preseason rankings.
The Crusaders finished the 2020-21 season with a 6-3 overall record, including a run to the program’s second-ever SCAC Tournament Title match before ultimately falling to Trinity. Dallas returns three All-SCAC players from a season ago, including a pair of First Team honorees in senior defender May Lien Le and junior midfielder Alyssa Mencacci. Lien Le was named the 2020-21 SCAC Defensive-Player-of-the-Year after leading a defense that allowed just 10 goals in nine games to post 1.08 goals against average last season. Mencacci is coming off a sophomore campaign that saw her finished tied for second on the team with two goals and fourth in points with four. Honorable Mention honoree, senior Bekah Gonzalez, joins Lien Le and Mencacci as the returning All-SCAC Crusaders.
Southwestern, coming off a 6-2 overall mark, including the program’s third-straight trip to the SCAC Tournament semifinals, return six All-SCAC performers from a season ago, led by senior defender Sam Davis and junior midfielder Sydney Kattawar who earned First Team accolades. Second Team All-SCAC performer, junior Juliet Pridgen, along with Honorable Mention honorees senior Hanna Sanderson, junior Juliana Chapa and sophomore Johnna Campbell join Davis and Kattawar as returning All-Conference Pirates. Campbell was also named the All-SCAC Freshman Team goalkeeper following her rookie campaign. Davis, Sanderson, Chapa and Campbell will provide experience on a backline that returns after allowing only six goals in eight fixtures to post a 0.78 goals-against-average.
Centenary College (8-4; 4-3) and Texas Lutheran University (4-6-1; 3-3-1) received 40 and 36 points to slot at fourth and fifth, respectively, in the preseason balloting.
The Ladies roster includes seven All-SCAC returnees from the 2020-21 season, highlighted by First Team honoree Gabby McDonald. McDonald paced Centenary and finished fifth in the SCAC in both goals (4) and points (10) last season. Second Team All-SCAC defender junior Yosi Bouslog and Honorable Mention and All-SCAC Freshman Team defender Alexa Hinojosa will anchor a defense that posted a 0.40 goals-against-average and allowed just five goals in 2020-21 – both marks good enough for second-best in the SCAC.
The Bulldogs are coming off their first appearance in the SCAC Tournament semifinals since 2017 and return three All-SCAC honorees, including SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year, Kelly Wolfe. A sophomore midfielder, Wolfe made an immediate impact in Seguin her rookie year, starting all 11 games for the Bulldogs. She finished with two goals (tied for 10th in the SCAC; tied for second on team), four points (tied for 18th in the SCAC; tied for second on team) and one game-winning goal which was tied for eighth in the SCAC and tied for the Bulldog lead. Wolfe also earned a nod on the All-SCAC Freshman Team.
University of St. Thomas (2-6-0) received 22 points as the coaches’ sixth choice. The Celts return two All-SCAC performers, highlighted by sophomore defender Riley Keck who received Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team accolades a season ago. Keck made six starts in her rookie campaign, leading the Celts in shots and finished tied for the team lead in goals.
Rounding out the coaches’ preseason poll, Austin College (1-6-1) was picked seventh with 18 points and Schreiner University (0-8-0) was eighth with 10 points. The ‘Roos return First Team All-SCAC goalkeeper Meredith Harris after corralling a league best 71 saves last season, and the Mountaineers welcome back four student-athletes that started all eight games last season and add nine freshmen in head coach Ebony Campbell’s first recruiting class.
The SCAC women’s soccer season begins on Wednesday, September 1, with several teams competing in early season tournament play over Labor Day weekend. The first conference matches of the season are scheduled for Friday, October 1. The 2021 SCAC Women’s Soccer Tournament will be held in November on the campus of the University of Dallas as semifinal matches will be contested on Friday the 5th and the championship match being played on Sunday the 7th.
| 2021 SCAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points) |
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| 1. | Trinity University (8) | 64 |
| 2. | University of Dallas | 49 |
| Southwestern University | 49 | |
| 4. | Centenary College | 40 |
| 5. | Texas Lutheran University | 36 |
| 6. | University of St. Thomas | 22 |
| 7. | Austin College | 18 |
| 8. | Schreiner University | 10 |
