Samford Women Favored In OVC

Samford has been picked to win the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference women’s soccer crown as voted on by the league’s head soccer coaches and sports information directors.

The Bulldogs, who won their fourth straight regular-season title in 2006, received 12 of the 20 first-place votes and 155 points. Morehead State picked up two-first place nods and 134 points while the reigning tournament champion Southeast Missouri follows with four first-place votes and 133 points. Eastern Illinois earned the other two first-place picks and 129 points for a fourth-place predicted finish.

Tennessee-Martin is selected to place fifth with 71 points while Austin Peay is a close sixth with 70 points. Jacksonville State and Murray State are picked to finish tied for seventh with 68 points each while Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech round out the poll with 50 and 22 points, respectively.

Samford is coming off its fourth straight OVC regular-season title after going 6-0-3 in Conference action and posting a 11-4-3 overall mark last year.

Todd Yelton enters is sixth season as the head coach of the Bulldogs and welcomes back seven starters among nine letterwinners from a year ago. Sophomore forward Amber Cress and senior forward Rebecca Bohler are among the top returning starters.

Cress, a native of Zionsville, Ind., was named the 2006 OVC Freshman of the year after leading her team with five goals to rank eighth in the Conference. Bohler dished out a league-leading nine assists in 2006 while also tallying two goals.

“This is a great honor for our team,” said Yelton. “I think that it shows the respect that we have earned in the conference and I’m proud of what our players have accomplished. It’s very rewarding to be picked first, but we also know that everyone in our league is going to come out with their best effort against us.”

Morehead State compiled a 8-8-3 overall record while going 5-1-3 in the OVC to finish second in 2006. Entering her third year at the helm of the Eagles, Erin Aubry returns 16 letterwinners from a year ago.

Among the top returnees is junior goalkeeper Leslie King (Park Hills, Ky.). The 2006 OVC Defensive Player of the Year led the Conference with 10 shutouts while also ranking among league leaders in goals-against average (1.30), save percentage (.835) and saves (132). Senior midfielder Rebekah Kendall will also be returning this year. Kendall, a native of Sissonville, W. Va., topped the OVC with 89 shots and nine goals last season.

Southeast Missouri, which won its first OVC Tournament title last year, finished the 2006 season with a 10-8-2 overall record and a 4-3-2 league mark. Heather Nelson enters her ninth year as the head coach of the Redhawks and returns nine starters among 12 letterwinners from last year.

Among the top returnees are sophomore forward Courtney Alexander and senior goalkeeper Lindsay Pickering. A native of Liberty, Mo., Alexander led the OVC with nine goals as a freshman. She also ranked among league leaders in shots (62) and points (21).

Pickering, a St. Charles, Mo. native, recorded nine shutouts to rank second in the OVC last year while also finishing third with a 0.95 goals-against average and fifth with 89 saves.

Conference play begins on Sept. 28 with the 2007 OVC Tournament taking place Nov. 6, 9-11 at the campus of the regular-season champions.