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SoCon Previews
Article Written by Will Parchman
Published: August 4, 2015

Southern Conference

2014 Conference Awards

Player of the Year: Stephanie DeVita, Furman (Hillcrest HS)
Defensive Player of the Year: Catie Moore, Furman (Eastside HS)
Coach of the Year: Todd Yelton, Samford
Freshman of the Year: Garazi Murua, East Tennessee State

Teams (2014 overall, conference record)

Samford (14-8-0, 7-2-0)
Furman (13-4-2, 6-1-2)
Mercer (14-6-2, 6-1-2)
East Tennessee State (15-6-0, 6-3-0)
Western Carolina (8-7-4, 5-3-1)
UNC Greensboro (9-8-3, 5-3-1)
Wofford (7-11-0, 3-6-0)
The Citadel (7-14-0, 2-7-0)
VMI (3-15-1, 2-7-0)
UT Chattanooga (1-17-1, 0-9-0)

The SoCon was jumbled before last season, and it so happened a newcomer managed to make off with the conference’s bid to the NCAA Tournament. Mercer moonlighted in the first round before being knocked out by Florida, and they should be back in the hunt again. That said, the need in replacing Lauren Gassie and Washida Blackman, who combined for 15 goals and nine assists last year, is enormous. If they can’t, expect them to take a step back in year two in the SoCon.

Furman is probably the best bet to win the conference. The Paladins bring back seven starters from a team that narrowly missed both the regular season and conference tourney titles. If they did the double in 2015, nobody would bat an eyelash. They lose DPOY Moore, but the return of DeVita, who’s still the conference’s best player, will be a huge boost in the midfield. Don’t overlook Samford, either. The Bulldogs knocked off Auburn last year, and they have a solid base to build on with returning stalwarts like Anna Allen at the back and Malcanisha Kelley up top, both of whom are just juniors.

East Tennessee could make a push into the top three with the return of quality midfielder Sarah Zadrazil, who anchored a team that was awfully close to crashing the party behind its league-best offense. Below those four, the pack has some work to do. Western Carolina and UNC Greensboro were both tough outs last season, and the former’s defense was incredibly tough. Wofford, The Citadel, VMI and Chattanooga are all in the midst of rebuilding efforts and the best among them are probably still a year or two away from cracking the conference’s congested upper third.

Big South

2014 Conference Awards

Attacking Player of the Year: Kacey Kelley, Coastal Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year: Holly Van Noord, Liberty
Freshman of the Year: Caroline Houser, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year: Paul Hogan, Coastal Carolina

Teams (2014 overall, conference records)

Liberty (14-4-2, 8-1-1)
Coastal Carolina (11-8-2, 7-2-1)
High Point (12-5-4, 7-2-1)
Campbell (8-8-3, 5-3-2)
Gardner-Webb (8-10-2, 4-4-2)
Winthrop (8-9-1, 4-5-1)
UNC Asheville (10-9-1, 4-5-1)
Radford (7-10-2, 4-5-1)
Longwood (8-8-3, 3-5-2)
Charleston Southern (5-13-1, 1-8-1)
Presbyterian (3-10-3, 0-7-3)

The Big South was a grinder at the top last season, with Liberty, Coastal Carolina and High Point all trading barbs right until the final day of the conference season. Liberty escaped the regular season with the crown, but High Point stole it with a thrilling double OT winner to earn the right to rep the conference in the dance.

The good news for fans of this conference is all three return enough firepower to wage another memorable three-way battle in 2015. Each team returns a first-team all-conference player, with Liberty folding back in two in Van Noord, the conference’s top keeper, and midfielder Brittany Aanderud. High Point’s Jenny Marshall and Coastal’s Amber Adams make each of those three squads equally poised to do some damage. Even still, a motivated Liberty squad, as they will be after last year’s disappointment, is tough to count out to lift the ultimate trophy at season’s end. There’s too much talent back in play all up and down the team’s spine.

The bigger question is whether a team further down the pecking order can mount a charge and upset the status quo at the top, In a league that featured eight teams with at least four conference wins last year, anything’s possible. Gardner-Webb might struggle to maintain its position with a few key losses from last year, although forward Shelby Hooe was a firecracker last season. Campbell could be the conference’s dark horse if an in-form Ashley Clark can continue her torrid form from 2015 and the younger pieces gel around her.