Women’s Soccer

Conference Carolinas announced the 2024 Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll results on Monday afternoon with the three-time tournament champion UNC Pembroke Braves being picked as the favorite.

Coming off their third straight tournament championship, the Braves totaled 195 points and 13 first place finish votes in the preseason poll. They went 12-4-3 last season and were 10-1-3 in conference action. In the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament, the Braves took down the Barton Bulldogs 1-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. In the championship game, the Braves defeated the Belmont Abbey Crusaders 2-1 to claim the 2023 Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship title. They advanced to the NCAA Regionals, but fell to the Catawba Indians in the first round to conclude their campaign.

Taking the second slot in the preseason poll are the Belmont Abbey Crusaders. The Crusaders of Belmont, NC collected 176 points after the 2023 season where they finished with a 11-3-4 overall record. Their 8-1-3 record in Conference Carolinas action earned them a spot in the tournament where they took down the number three seeded Francis Marion Patriots 1-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. However, their season concluded in the championship game as they fell to the UNC Pembroke Braves in a 2-1 final score.

The Francis Marion Patriots and the North Greenville Trailblazers were the next two teams to be picked in the preseason poll. The Patriots took the third slot in the poll as they collected 168 points and final two first place finish votes. Francis Marion finished last season with an 8-6-4 record and were 4-4-4 in Conference Carolinas action. They advanced to the tournament, but fell in the semifinals to the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a 1-0 final score. The Trailblazers of North Greenville were picked fourth in the poll with 146 points. Last season, North Greenville finished with an 11-5-2 record and were 9-1-2 in conference play. They took down the Chowan Hawks in the first round of the tournament before falling to the Francis Marion Patriots in the quarterfinals.

The University of Mount Olive Trojans were the next pick in the poll as they finished with 142 points after they finished last season with a 6-5-7 record. They were followed by the Barton Bulldogs with 139 points and the Lees-McRae Bobcats with 111 points. Following closely behind them in the polls were the the Chowan Hawks (101 points) and the Young Harris Mountain Lions (100 points).

Wrapping up the preseason poll are the King Tornado (78), Converse Valkyries (60), Southern Wesleyan Warriors (36), Erskine Flying Fleet (27) and the Shorter Hawks (21).

Southern Wesleyan finished with a 2-12-2 overall record and went 1-10-1 in conference action. The Warriors will return their leading goal scorer from the 2023 season in sophomore Madelyn Graf (5). They will also bring back All-Conference defender Karina Pashkovets. Captain Fianna Steves looks to anchor the midfield once again for Southern Wesleyan. In the goal, both Amanda Magnin and Katelyn O’Neill will return for the Warriors. O’Neill led the Warriors with 57 saves during the 2023 season. The Warriors will welcome 13 new faces to the field for the 2024 season including several key difference makers.

The Warriors will host both their season and home opener on September 5 as they welcome the USC Beaufort Sandsharks to Central, SC at 5pm. They will begin Conference Carolinas action on the road as they travel to Florence, SC to take on the Francis Marion Patriots on September 14. Southern Wesleyan will host their first Conference Carolinas match of the season on September 21 as they welcome the Shorter Hawks to Childs Field at 1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer 2024 Preseason Polls had the 2023 tournament champion Chowan Hawks selected as the favorite.

The Hawks garnered 154 points, including eight first place finish votes, after claiming the 2023 Conference Carolinas Championship tournament victory. Chowan went 8-4-6 during their 2023 campaign and were 7-2-2 in conference play. They defeated the Barton Bulldogs 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals before taking on the Converse Valkyries. In the match against the Valkyries, the Hawks finished overtime in a 1-1 tie to force the teams into a penalty kick shootout. Chowan went on to claim a 3-0 victory in the shootout to gain the title. The Hawks advanced to the NCAA Super Region II where they took on Lynn. They finished the game in a 2-2 time after overtime, but fell in a 9-8 penalty kick shootout.

Right on their heels in the preseason polls were the Converse Valkyries with 151 points and one first place finish vote. The Valkyries concluded the 2023 season with a 12-4-4 record and were 7-2-3 in conference play. They advanced to the conference tournament where they swept past Lees-McRae, Emmanuel and Francis Marion to take them to the championship match. In the championship match against Chowan they finished the game in a 2-2 tie, but they fell in a penalty kick shootout to the Hawks in the end.

The Young Harris Mountain Lions and the Francis Marion Patriots were the next two teams picked in the preseason poll. The Mountain Lions, who collected 146 points and three first place finish votes, finished last season with a 9-3-6 record and were 8-0-4 in conference play to advance to the tournament. However, the fell to the Barton Bulldogs in the first round. Right behind them in fourth place were the Francis Marion Patriots who picked up 139 points including two first place finish votes. The Patriots went 7-4-6 last season and were 6-1-4 in conference play. Francis Marion advanced to the Conference Carolinas tournament, but they fell to the Converse Valkyries in the semifinals.

The Belmont Abbey Crusaders were picked fifth in the preseason poll with 122 points. Behind them were the Barton Bulldogs with 99 points and the Emmanuel Lions with 92 points. In eighth place in the poll are the Lees-McRae Bobcats with 88 points. The University of Mount Olive Trojans were the next pick in the poll with 83 points.

Wrapping up the preseason poll are the North Greenville Trailblazers (76), Southern Wesleyan Warriors (44), King Tornado (34), Erskine Flying Fleet (24) and Shorter Hawks (22).

Southern Wesleyan concluded the 2023 campaign with a 5-12-1 overall record and went 2-10 in conference. The Warriors will return all top goal scorers in Feren Núñez (4), Brody Schroeder (5) and Noah Koch (4). Both of Southern Wesleyan’s assist leaders Núñez and Diego Hernandez will be looking to send the ball up the field. Luke Bramblett returns for his sophomore season in goal after posting a 66.7% save percentage as a freshman.

The Warriors will open up the regular season on September 7 as they travel to Raleigh, North Carolina as they take on the Shaw Bears at 2pm. They will host their home opener on September 11 as they welcome the USC Aiken Pacers to Childs Field at 7:30 pm. Southern Wesleyan’s Conference Carolinas opener will be held in Florence, SC as they take on the Francis Marion Patriots on September 14. The first Conference Carolinas to be hosted on Childs Field will be on September 21 as they Warriors welcome the Shorter Hawks to Central, SC at 3:30 p.m.