Aug. 4, 2003
Chicago, Ill. -
The TCU Horned Frogs have been selected by the Conference USA coaches to finish 12th in the upcoming soccer season. After a 1-7-2 C-USA campaign in 2002 and a 13th place finish, the Horned Frogs look to improve that mark. The Frogs return nine players, including four starters from the 2002 squad. Laura Greenberg, who finished the season with 12 points (four goals and four assists) will lead the offensive charge for the Frogs in 2003.
Cincinnati, which has won the last two Conference USA Tournament titles and has made consecutive trips to the NCAA Championship, has been selected to win the 2003 regular-season title in a vote taken by the league's 14 head coaches. Charlotte's Courtney Crandell, who became the first player in conference women's soccer history to claim both the league's Player and Freshman of the Year awards for the same season in 2002, was tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year.
The Bearcats welcome back seven starters and 16 letterwinners this fall, including 2002 Conference USA Tournament Offensive MVP Tasha Wagner, and goalkeeper Tracy Hale, who led the league in goals against average (0.62) last season. Wagner was selected as a member of the C-USA preseason all-conference team. UC finished with a 17-4-3 mark last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Charlotte, the defending Conference USA regular-season champion and host of the 2003 conference tournament, was picked to finish second. Behind the play of Crandell, who scored a league record 21 goals and 50 points, the 49ers finished the 2002 campaign with a school record 16 wins. Charlotte was one of two schools to finish the regular season with an unbeaten record. Joining Crandell on the preseason All-Conference team is teammate Kim Moore.
Marquette was selected to finish third by the coaches. The Golden Eagles will be seeking their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and their first regular-season and tournaments crowns since 2000. Preseason all-conference selections Kristen Jensen and Anne Ioder return from last year's team which finished 13-8-3..
Rounding out the preseason all-conference team are DePaul's Julianne Sitch, East Carolina's Penny Perrott, Houston's Nikki Hawkins and Alison Sinclair, USF's Breck Bankester and UAB Tara Kidwell.
The top eight finishers in the regular season earn a spot in the Conference USA Tournament, November 5-8 in Charlotte. The league's ninth season begins Friday, August 29.
2003 C-USA PRESEASON AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Courtney Crandell, So., F, Charlotte
ALL-CONFERENCE
Courtney Crandell, So., F, Charlotte
Kim Moore, Sr., D, Charlotte
Tasha Wagner, Sr., MF, Cincinnati
Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DePaul
Penny Perrott, Sr. D, East Carolina
Nikki Hawkins, Jr., MF, Houston
Alison Sinclair, Sr., D, Houston
Kristen Jensen, Sr. MF, Marquette
Anne Ioder, Sr., MF, Marquette
Christie Cigno, So., F/MF, Saint Louis
Jamie Perry, Jr., F, Saint Louis
Tara Kidwell, Jr., F, UAB
Breck Bankester, Jr., GK, USF
2003 C-USA PRESEASON POLL
(as selected by C-USA coaches)
1. Cincinnati
2. Charlotte
3. Marquette
4. Saint Louis
5. East Carolina
6. Houston
7. Memphis
8. UAB
9. DePaul
10. USF
11. Tulane
12. TCU
13. Southern Miss
14. Louisville
