PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UCF was the unanimous choice as the favorite to claim the 2014 American Athletic Conference women's soccer title in voting by the league's 10 head coaches. The Knights received nine of the 10 first-place votes.
 
UCF, which has been ranked or receiving votes in every NSCAA poll since Dec. 6, 2011, is ranked 23^rd in the preseason rankings announced on Aug. 8. The reigning American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions have earned seven-straight NCAA Tournament berths and are coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history.

UConn finished second in the preseason poll with 76 points and garnered a first-place vote. Memphis took third place with 75 points and USF followed in fourth place with 69 points. SMU was picked fifth with 57 points. Cincinnati received 50 points to finish sixth, followed by Tulsa (43 points) in seventh and East Carolina (34 points) in eighth. Temple received 24 points and Houston had 13 points to round out the poll.



UCF sophomore Lena Petermann and UConn sophomore Rachel Hill were picked as the Preseason Offensive Players of the Year. Memphis junior Diamond Simpson was tabbed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and UConn sophomore Emily Armstrong was chosen as the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.

Eleven student-athletes were selected to the 2014 Preseason All-Conference Team, including Petermann and Tatiana Coleman from UCF; Hill and Armstrong from UConn; Caitlin Hite from East Carolina; Simpson, Kylie Davis, Valerie Sanderson from Memphis; Olivia Chance and Demi Stokes from USF; and Shelby Redman from SMU. Coleman and Hill were unanimous picks to the team.

The 2014 women’s soccer season begins on Friday, August 22.