Kyri Bye-Nagel (on the right) has tallied 21 goals and 45 points the last two seasons for Davidson.
Photo by: WG Sports, Willis Glassgow
SoCon Coaches Pick Davidson 5th in W. Soccer Poll; Bye-Nagel Garners Preseason Honors
8/19/2009 4:02:34 PM | Women's Soccer
Gavin McFarlin- Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Coming off their fifth straight 10-win season, the Davidson women's soccer team was picked to finish fifth this year as voted on by the Southern Conference coaches today, Wednesday, Aug. 19. The Wildcats also placed a player on the 11-member preseason all-conference team as senior Kyri Bye-Nagel (Hanau, Germany) earned the nod for the second year in a row.
UNC Greensboro received seven first-place votes and was again tabbed the preseason favorite to win the SoCon regular-season championship. Western Carolina, which finished second in the regular season in 2008 and won the conference tournament, picked up three first-place votes and earned 107 points, seven behind the Spartans. Samford was tabbed third, while Furman edged Davidson by one point to claim fourth place.
The Wildcats enter the 2009 campaign fresh off a 10-6-3 season a year ago, including an 8-3-0 mark in league play, which placed them fourth overall. They return 18 letterwinners, with eight of those being starters including Bye-Nagel. Last year saw the 'Cats race out to a 2-0-3 start, the best in the program's 20-year history, on their way to their fifth straight double-digit win season. All five 10-win seasons have come under the guidance of head coach Greg Ashton, who is entering his sixth season at the helm of the program.
Bye-Nagel will look to cap off a stellar career in 2009, her final season as a Wildcat. The last two years has seen the forward account for 21 goals, three assists and 45 points, pacing the team in both goals and points during that time. Last season, Bye-Nagel netted nine goals, good for fifth in the league, and picked up two assists to give her 20 points, putting her just outside the top-five in the SoCon in points.
For her outstanding efforts the past two seasons, the senior has garnered back-to-back All-SoCon First Team honors, while also earning all-state accolades twice and a spot on the 2008 Soccer Buzz All-Regional Third Team. She is one of just 10 Wildcats to have been named to the all-league first team at least twice during their four-year careers.
Davidson opens up 2009 with three straight road games, starting with a trip to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on the Winthrop Eagles this Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
2009 Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UNC Greensboro (7)— 114
2. Western Carolina (3)— 107
3. Samford (1)— 101
4. Furman— 87
5. Davidson— 86
6. College of Charleston (1)— 77
7. Elon— 60
8. Appalachian State— 47
9. Wofford— 40
10. Georgia Southern— 37
11. Chattanooga— 23
12. The Citadel— 13
2009 Preseason All-SoCon Team
F Martha Hall, Furman
F Kyri Bye-Nagel, Davidson
F Kristin Player, UNC Greensboro
F Amber Cress, Samford
MF Sara El-Shami, Furman
MF Nicole Danford, UNC Greensboro
MF Shanna Schmoker, Western Carolina
D Brittany Schneider, College of Charleston
D Lauren Lopez, UNC Greensboro
D Jenny Matteson, Western Carolina
GK Caitlin Williams, Western Carolina
UNC Greensboro received seven first-place votes and was again tabbed the preseason favorite to win the SoCon regular-season championship. Western Carolina, which finished second in the regular season in 2008 and won the conference tournament, picked up three first-place votes and earned 107 points, seven behind the Spartans. Samford was tabbed third, while Furman edged Davidson by one point to claim fourth place.
The Wildcats enter the 2009 campaign fresh off a 10-6-3 season a year ago, including an 8-3-0 mark in league play, which placed them fourth overall. They return 18 letterwinners, with eight of those being starters including Bye-Nagel. Last year saw the 'Cats race out to a 2-0-3 start, the best in the program's 20-year history, on their way to their fifth straight double-digit win season. All five 10-win seasons have come under the guidance of head coach Greg Ashton, who is entering his sixth season at the helm of the program.
Bye-Nagel will look to cap off a stellar career in 2009, her final season as a Wildcat. The last two years has seen the forward account for 21 goals, three assists and 45 points, pacing the team in both goals and points during that time. Last season, Bye-Nagel netted nine goals, good for fifth in the league, and picked up two assists to give her 20 points, putting her just outside the top-five in the SoCon in points.
For her outstanding efforts the past two seasons, the senior has garnered back-to-back All-SoCon First Team honors, while also earning all-state accolades twice and a spot on the 2008 Soccer Buzz All-Regional Third Team. She is one of just 10 Wildcats to have been named to the all-league first team at least twice during their four-year careers.
Davidson opens up 2009 with three straight road games, starting with a trip to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on the Winthrop Eagles this Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
2009 Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UNC Greensboro (7)— 114
2. Western Carolina (3)— 107
3. Samford (1)— 101
4. Furman— 87
5. Davidson— 86
6. College of Charleston (1)— 77
7. Elon— 60
8. Appalachian State— 47
9. Wofford— 40
10. Georgia Southern— 37
11. Chattanooga— 23
12. The Citadel— 13
2009 Preseason All-SoCon Team
F Martha Hall, Furman
F Kyri Bye-Nagel, Davidson
F Kristin Player, UNC Greensboro
F Amber Cress, Samford
MF Sara El-Shami, Furman
MF Nicole Danford, UNC Greensboro
MF Shanna Schmoker, Western Carolina
D Brittany Schneider, College of Charleston
D Lauren Lopez, UNC Greensboro
D Jenny Matteson, Western Carolina
GK Caitlin Williams, Western Carolina
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