University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Vols Named To SEC Soccer Preseason Watch List
August 20, 2019 | Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Four members of the Tennessee soccer program have been named to the SEC Preseason Watch List, the league office announced Tuesday morning.
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Katie Cousins, Erin Gilroy, Maya Neal and MA Vignola represent the Vols on the list, which features the top players in the conference heading into the 2019 season. All four players were selected to All-SEC and All-Region teams last year.
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Cousins returns as a back-to-back United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American and First Team All-SEC midfielder. The Forest, Va. native set career highs in goals (3), assists (4) and points (10) last season as a redshirt junior. She is rated as the No. 5 player in the country according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.
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Gilroy (Bellmore, N.Y.) took home Second Team All-SEC honors in 2018, recording two goals and two assists before her season was cut short due to injury. She assisted the game-winner and scored an insurance goal at Florida as the Vols won 2-0, picking up their first win in Gainesville since 2006.
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Neal led the Vols with 1,810 minutes on the pitch last season, anchoring a back line that set program records for most shutouts (12) and fewest goals allowed (15) in a single season. The center back from Naperville, Ill. is a back-to-back First Team All-SEC and All-Region performer heading into her redshirt-senior season, and was named the No. 28 player in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.
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Vignola is Tennessee's leading returning scorer with three goals, six assists and 12 points in 2018. The senior from Cincinnati, Ohio was named All-SEC for the first time in her career with a second team nod following the regular season. She is rated as the No. 98 player among NCAA Division I programs on TopDrawerSoccer's preseason Top 100.
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No. 10 Tennessee opens the regular season Thursday, Aug. 22, hosting the Fordham Rams to begin non-conference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.
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For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.
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Katie Cousins, Erin Gilroy, Maya Neal and MA Vignola represent the Vols on the list, which features the top players in the conference heading into the 2019 season. All four players were selected to All-SEC and All-Region teams last year.
Â
Cousins returns as a back-to-back United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American and First Team All-SEC midfielder. The Forest, Va. native set career highs in goals (3), assists (4) and points (10) last season as a redshirt junior. She is rated as the No. 5 player in the country according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.
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Gilroy (Bellmore, N.Y.) took home Second Team All-SEC honors in 2018, recording two goals and two assists before her season was cut short due to injury. She assisted the game-winner and scored an insurance goal at Florida as the Vols won 2-0, picking up their first win in Gainesville since 2006.
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Neal led the Vols with 1,810 minutes on the pitch last season, anchoring a back line that set program records for most shutouts (12) and fewest goals allowed (15) in a single season. The center back from Naperville, Ill. is a back-to-back First Team All-SEC and All-Region performer heading into her redshirt-senior season, and was named the No. 28 player in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.
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Vignola is Tennessee's leading returning scorer with three goals, six assists and 12 points in 2018. The senior from Cincinnati, Ohio was named All-SEC for the first time in her career with a second team nod following the regular season. She is rated as the No. 98 player among NCAA Division I programs on TopDrawerSoccer's preseason Top 100.
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No. 10 Tennessee opens the regular season Thursday, Aug. 22, hosting the Fordham Rams to begin non-conference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.
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For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.
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