VWC Nudges Past W&L in Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

Four Teams Battle for Third, Separated by Only Six Votes

SALEM, Va. --- Defending league champion Virginia Wesleyan College received seven first place votes on the way to 137 overall tallies as the Marlins were picked as narrow favorites over Washington & Lee University in the 2007 ODAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll.  The Generals collected the remaining five first place nods and 133 votes all together.  Third place in the poll is separated by only six votes amongst four schools.  Eastern Mennonite University and Lynchburg College each garnered 106 votes from the league's coaches with Guilford College scoring 102 tallies and Roanoke College adding another 100 votes to the competition.

Virginia Wesleyan and Washington & Lee both earned entry into the 2006 NCAA Division III National Tournament.  The Marlins carried their automatic bid through five postseason contests including a victory over W&L in the sectional finals that needed penalty kicks to decide the outcome.  Nationally 19^th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan squared off against Wheaton College (Ill.) in the semifinals of the national tourney and went into the intermission even with the 10^th-rated team in the country, but a pair of early second half goals secured a 2-0 win for Wheaton.

The Marlins return three All-ODAC first team selections from a season ago.  Seniors Laura Jackson and Missy Kuhns lead the charge from the offensive end of the field while classmate Ally Hodgkins and company try to maintain a defense that surrendered only nine total goals in 2006.  Jackson led VWC in scoring from her midfield position, racking up 23 points on nine goals and five assists.  Kuhns, a striker, starred in a playmaker's role last season with 10 assists to go with three goals for 16 points.  Sophomore striker Danielle Fiedler (7 goals, 2 assists) returns more firepower to the Marlin front line.

Washington & Lee dominated on both sides of the pitch last season, leading the conference in scoring by nearly a 1.5 goals (3.7 per game) and allowing only three scores all season.  In conference play, the Generals gave up only one goal which came in the final regular season contest against Roanoke.  Several stalwarts are set to return including All-ODAC first team selections Anne Van Devender and Haley Bunting.  Van Devender led the ODAC in scoring with 57 points on 23 goals and 11 assists.  The junior striker notched a goal or an assist in 14 of the 22 games in which she played including eight of the first nine contests of the season.  Bunting, a senior defender, and the return of junior goalkeeper Kiki Moreo (0.16 goals-against-average) and 2006 Rookie of the Year, Maggie Sutherland, will help the Generals maintain one of the strongest defenses in the country.

Eastern Mennonite and Lynchburg met in the quarterfinals of the ODAC tournament last season with EMU proving victorious thanks to an early first half goal.  The Royals return one of the conference's top scoring options in junior striker Katie Lamm.  Lamm ripped the net 19 times to go along with one helper for 39 points.  Lynchburg returns all three of its top scorers from a season ago.  Seniors Audrey Hamby (9 goals, 2 assists) and Sara Butsavage (4 goals, 5 assists) are joined by sophomore Ashley Hoath (7 goals, 2 assists) in forming a potent attacking trio.

The 2007 campaign kicks off on Friday, August 31.  The ODAC Championship is set for Saturday, November 3 at a site to be determined by the season's outcome.

Listed below is the entire 2007 ODAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll.  For more information on women's soccer, visit the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com or any of the competing school websites.

2007 ODAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
(#) Denotes first place votes