Greenville, SC – Conference Carolinas announced the 2024 Women's Soccer Preseason Poll results on Monday afternoon with the three-time tournament champion UNC Pembroke Braves being picked as the favorite.
Coming off their third straight tournament championship, the Braves totaled 195 points and 13 first place finish votes in the preseason poll. They went 12-4-3 last season and were 10-1-3 in conference action. In the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament, the Braves took down the Barton Bulldogs 1-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. In the championship game, the Braves defeated the Belmont Abbey Crusaders 2-1 to claim the 2023 Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship title. They advanced to the NCAA Regionals, but fell to the Catawba Indians in the first round to conclude their campaign.
Taking the second slot in the preseason poll are the Belmont Abbey Crusaders. The Crusaders of Belmont, NC collected 176 points after the 2023 season where they finished with a 11-3-4 overall record. Their 8-1-3 record in Conference Carolinas action earned them a spot in the tournament where they took down the number three seeded Francis Marion Patriots 1-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. However, their season concluded in the championship game as they fell to the UNC Pembroke Braves in a 2-1 final score.
The Francis Marion Patriots and the North Greenville Trailblazers were the next two teams to be picked in the preseason poll. The Patriots took the third slot in the poll as they collected 168 points and final two first place finish votes. Francis Marion finished last season with an 8-6-4 record and were 4-4-4 in Conference Carolinas action. They advanced to the tournament, but fell in the semifinals to the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a 1-0 final score. The Trailblazers of North Greenville were picked fourth in the poll with 146 points. Last season, North Greenville finished with an 11-5-2 record and were 9-1-2 in conference play. They took down the Chowan Hawks in the first round of the tournament before falling to the Francis Marion Patriots in the quarterfinals.
The University of Mount Olive Trojans were the next pick in the poll as they finished with 142 points after they finished last season with a 6-5-7 record. They were followed by the Barton Bulldogs with 139 points and the Lees-McRae Bobcats with 111 points. Following closely behind them in the polls were the the Chowan Hawks (101 points) and the Young Harris Mountain Lions (100 points).
Wrapping up the preseason poll are the King Tornado (78), Converse Valkyries (60), Southern Wesleyan Warriors (36), Erskine Flying Fleet (27) and the Shorter Hawks (21).
Southern Wesleyan finished with a 2-12-2 overall record and went 1-10-1 in conference action. The Warriors will return their leading goal scorer from the 2023 season in sophomore Madelyn Graf (5). They will also bring back All-Conference defender Karina Pashkovets. Captain Fianna Steves looks to anchor the midfield once again for Southern Wesleyan. In the goal, both Amanda Magnin and Katelyn O'Neill will return for the Warriors. O'Neill led the Warriors with 57 saves during the 2023 season. The Warriors will welcome 13 new faces to the field for the 2024 season including several key difference makers.
The Warriors will host both their season and home opener on September 5 as they welcome the USC Beaufort Sandsharks to Central, SC at 5pm. They will begin Conference Carolinas action on the road as they travel to Florence, SC to take on the Francis Marion Patriots on September 14. Southern Wesleyan will host their first Conference Carolinas match of the season on September 21 as they welcome the Shorter Hawks to Childs Field at 1pm.
