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UNCG picked to win SoCon, four named preseason all-conference
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The 12 Southern Conference women's soccer coaches picked UNCG to win its fifth straight SoCon crown, and four Spartan student-athletes were selected to the preseason all-conference team, the league announced Wednesday.
Forward Tabitha Padgett, midfielders Jenn Partenheimer and Nicole Danford and defender Cat Barnekow were all picked for the 11-member preseason All-SoCon team.
UNCG, which has won the SoCon regular-season title in each of the last four years, received 119 points in the preseason poll, with nine first-place votes. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or players.
Samford, which handed UNCG one of its two conference losses last season, was second in the poll with 107 points and two first-place votes. College of Charleston was third with 95 points, while Davidson, the defending SoCon tournament champion who last season snapped UNCG's record 33-match regular-season unbeaten streak in league play, was fourth with 93 points and received the other first-place vote.
Padgett, the reigning SoCon Co-Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, scored 19 points for UNCG last season, with a team-high eight goals. Partenheimer (three goals, three assists) joined her on the all-conference first team last year, while Barnekow (one goal, four assists) was a second-team selection in 2009. Danford (two goals, two assists) was a second-team selection in 2008.
Coach Eddie Radwanski's squad went 13-7-0 overall and 9-2-0 in the SoCon last season.
The Spartans open regular-season play Friday against East Carolina at 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
2010 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UNCG
(9)
119
2. Samford
(2)
107
3. College of Charleston 95
4. Davidson
(1)
93
5.
Elon
85
6.
Furman
71
7. Western
Carolina
57
8. Appalachian
State
49
9.
Chattanooga
36
10. The
Citadel
34
11.
Wofford
31
12. Georgia
Southern
15
() denotes first-place votes
2010 Women's Soccer Preseason All-Conference
Team
F Tabitha Padgett,
UNCG
F Donna-Kay Henry,
Chattanooga
F Martha Hall, Furman
MF Jenn Partenheimer, UNCG
MF Nicole Danford, UNCG
MF Allison Drutchas, Davidson
D Claire O'Keefe, Elon
D Cat Barnekow,
UNCG
D Annie Pease, College of
Charleston
D Amanda Flink, Davidson
GK Alyssa Whitehead, Samford
- UNCG -
