USI Women’s Soccer Predicted 13th in Preseason Poll

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana women’s soccer team was predicted to finish 13^th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference 2016 standings, in a poll determined by the league’s head coaches. The Screaming Eagles finished 14^th in 2015, with an overall record of 5-10-2 and a 4-10-1 mark in the GLVC.

Defending regular season conference champion Bellarmine University was once again predicted to win the conference, receiving 13 of the 16 first-place votes and a total of 222 points. The Knights finished last season 17-3-2, including a 12-1-2 GLVC record.
Following Bellarmine is Quincy University with 205 points and two first-place votes with last season’s conference tournament winner, Truman State University, predicted third with 193 points and receiving the final first-place vote. Rounding out the top five are the University of Missouri-St. Louis (183 points) and Rockhurst University with (161).
The Eagles return 19 players from the 2015 squad; including seven of their top eight point scorers.  Sophomore forward Ryley Hancock returns after leading the Eagles with nine points on two goals and five assists a season ago, while senior defender Kelsey Smith comes back after leading the team in goals scored with four. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Hopkins resumes her position in the USI net after posting 69 saves and three shutouts last season.
The 16 GLVC women’s soccer teams will compete in a 15-game round-robin schedule during the regular season with the top eight teams earning a berth to the GLVC Championship Tournament. The top four seeds will host quarterfinal matches on campus on October 30 with the four remaining teams heading to Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the semifinals and final on November 4 and 6.

The Eagles open the regular season on September 2 when they play host to the University of Findlay at Strassweg Field as part of the Dunn Hospitality Invitational.