University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols tabbed 25th in United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll
August 07, 2018 | Soccer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Tennessee Volunteers have been selected 25th in the United Soccer Coaches' NCAA Division I Women's preseason rankings, as released by the organization Tuesday morning. This marks the first preseason top-25 ranking for the Vols since 2009.
UT is one of four SEC programs listed, along with No. 5 South Carolina, No. 7 Florida and No. 11 Texas A&M.
Tennessee finished 15-4-2 overall in 2017, setting a program record for the highest single-season winning percentage at .762. The Vols ended the year ranked No. 25 in the final United Coaches poll and No. 16 in the NCAA RPI.
All but three players from last season's NCAA Tournament squad are back on Rocky Top. All-American midfielder Katie Cousins returns alongside five All-SEC and/or United Coaches All-Region award winners (forward Khadija Shaw, defender Maya Neal, midfielder Anna Bialczak, forward Erin Gilroy and midfielder Rylie O'Keefe).
Shaw led the Vols in scoring last year with 14 goals, the second-most in program history. The Spanish Town, Jamaica native connected on seven game-winning goals to lead the SEC and rank third in the NCAA.
Goalkeeper Shae Yanez returns after starting all 21 games in goal last season. The senior from Downington, Pa. posted a 0.91 goals-against average in 2017 to go along with eight solo and 10 combined shutouts. Her 0.96 career GAA ranks third in Lady Vol history.
Head coach Brian Pensky enters his seventh season at the helm of Tennessee Soccer this fall. Pensky owns a 65-40-18 (.601) record over his tenure in Knoxville with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Tennessee hosts its only preseason exhibition against SEC rival Alabama on Friday, Aug. 10. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium. The Vols officially open the 2018 campaign Thursday, Aug. 16 against the St. John's Red Storm at 7 p.m.
A breakdown of the United Soccer Coaches preseason top-25 is listed below.
UT is one of four SEC programs listed, along with No. 5 South Carolina, No. 7 Florida and No. 11 Texas A&M.
Tennessee finished 15-4-2 overall in 2017, setting a program record for the highest single-season winning percentage at .762. The Vols ended the year ranked No. 25 in the final United Coaches poll and No. 16 in the NCAA RPI.
All but three players from last season's NCAA Tournament squad are back on Rocky Top. All-American midfielder Katie Cousins returns alongside five All-SEC and/or United Coaches All-Region award winners (forward Khadija Shaw, defender Maya Neal, midfielder Anna Bialczak, forward Erin Gilroy and midfielder Rylie O'Keefe).
Shaw led the Vols in scoring last year with 14 goals, the second-most in program history. The Spanish Town, Jamaica native connected on seven game-winning goals to lead the SEC and rank third in the NCAA.
Goalkeeper Shae Yanez returns after starting all 21 games in goal last season. The senior from Downington, Pa. posted a 0.91 goals-against average in 2017 to go along with eight solo and 10 combined shutouts. Her 0.96 career GAA ranks third in Lady Vol history.
Head coach Brian Pensky enters his seventh season at the helm of Tennessee Soccer this fall. Pensky owns a 65-40-18 (.601) record over his tenure in Knoxville with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Tennessee hosts its only preseason exhibition against SEC rival Alabama on Friday, Aug. 10. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium. The Vols officially open the 2018 campaign Thursday, Aug. 16 against the St. John's Red Storm at 7 p.m.
A breakdown of the United Soccer Coaches preseason top-25 is listed below.
| Rank | School | 1st Votes | Total Points | Prev. | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | 34 | 874 | 1 | 22-1-0 |
| 2 | UCLA | 1 | 832 | 2 | 18-3-2 |
| 3 | Duke University | 0 | 791 | 3 | 23-2-0 |
| 4 | Penn State University | 0 | 718 | 5 | 15-5-4 |
| 5 | University Of South Carolina | 0 | 704 | 4 | 19-2-1 |
| 6 | University Of North Carolina | 0 | 683 | 8 | 17-3-2 |
| 7 | University Of Florida | 0 | 662 | 6 | 17-7-0 |
| 8 | University Of Virginia | 0 | 600 | 9 | 13-6-4 |
| 9 | West Virginia University | 0 | 579 | 10 | 16-4-3 |
| 10 | Florida State University | 0 | 546 | 15 | 13-7-1 |
| 11 | Texas A&M University | 0 | 503 | 12 | 18-2-2 |
| 12 | University Of Southern California | 0 | 484 | 13 | 15-3-2 |
| 13 | Princeton University | 0 | 473 | 7 | 16-3-1 |
| 14 | University of Notre Dame | 0 | 343 | 18 | 10-7-5 |
| 15 | Baylor University | 0 | 334 | 11 | 15-6-3 |
| 16 | University of Central Florida | 0 | 292 | 17 | 13-2-3 |
| 17 | University Of Texas | 0 | 279 | 14 | 14-4-3 |
| 18 | Pepperdine University | 0 | 237 | 16 | 15-3-3 |
| 19 | Santa Clara University | 0 | 212 | 20 | 15-7-1 |
| 20 | North Carolina State University | 0 | 204 | 21 | 15-5-2 |
| 21 | Washington State University | 0 | 167 | 19 | 10-8-4 |
| 22 | Georgetown University | 0 | 155 | 24 | 15-3-4 |
| 23 | Ohio State University | 0 | 146 | 23 | 15-5-1 |
| 24 | Rutgers University | 0 | 134 | 22 | 13-2-6 |
| 25 | University of Tennessee | 0 | 130 | 25 | 15-4-2 |
Record shown is final 2017 ranking
Players Mentioned
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