Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women’s soccer team is picked to finish eighth in the American Southwest Conference in the league’s annual Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lady Cru totaled 212 points in balloting of the league’s coaches and sports information directors and trail seventh-place East Texas Baptist’s 215 point total by just three points. Defending ASC champion Hardin-Simmons was picked to repeat after picking up 25 of the 27 first-place votes and 389 total points. U.T.-Dallas was picked second with 348 total points and a pair of first-place votes, and U.T.-Tyler was chosen third with the other first-place vote and 345 total points. Texas Lutheran was picked fourth with 314 points and Mississippi College was picked fifth with 277 total points. LeTourneau University was picked sixth with 221 point. University of the Ozarks totaled 173 points for ninth place, Schreiner University picked up 132 points for 10th place, McMurry was 11th with 109 points, Howard Payne picked up 81 total points for 12th place, Louisiana College was chosen 13th with 65 total points and Concordia Texas is picked 14th with 59 total points.

Hardin-Simmons sophomore forward Amy Kuykendall was voted ASC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. U.T.-Dallas defender Kelli Jackson took ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight year.

The UMHB women return eight letter winners and seven starters from a team that finished 7-10-1 overall and 5-7-1 in ASC play last season. The Lady Cru will kickoff the 2007 season with a pair of road games in Houston this weekend. UMHB will take on Houston Baptist in a 3:00 PM start on Friday before facing Mid-America Nazarene for a start on 1:00 Saturday