Zadrazil, Short selected to preseason all-conference team; Bucs picked to finish seventh

SPARTANBURG, N.C. (August 14, 2014) – Although it has been nearly a decade since ETSU has competed in the Southern Conference, coaches across the league gave the Buccaneers a vote of confidence Thursday, selecting Sarah Zadrazil (St. Gilgen, Austria) and Hannah Short (Bristol, England) to the preseason all-conference team.

ETSU and reigning SoCon champion Furman were the lone two teams to have multiple players receive such honors.

Zadrazil, the reigning Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Player of the Year, led ETSU with 27 points last season, scoring eight goals and dishing out a program-record 11 assists in 16 games.

The St. Gilgen, Austria, native finished among the nation's Top 10 for assists per game (0.69) en route to earning a spot on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team for a second consecutive season. Her total assists and assists per game marks were each conference-bests.

Short, one of just seven ETSU players to play more than 1,000 minutes last season, emerged as a versatile two-way defender for the Bucs last season.

Posting career-best marks of four goals and four assists, Short was named to the All-Atlantic Sun Second Team for a second consecutive season. Three of her four goals came in league play, including a game-tying, 84^th-minute header in the season finale versus Northern Kentucky which sent the game to overtime.

The complete Preseason All-SoCon Team is as follows:

F       Sarah Zadrazil, ETSU
F       Carlie Couch, Furman
F       Stephanie DeVita, Furman
F       Malcanisha Kelley, Samford
MF    India Robinson, Furman
MF    Crystal Mackezyk, Chattanooga
MF    Maureen Buff, Wofford
D       Hannah Short, ETSU
D       Catie Moore, Furman
D       Georgia Brown, UNCG
GK    Rose Hull, Furman

In addition to voting on the all-preseason team, Southern Conference coaches submitted votes for the preseason coaches' poll.

Defending regular season and tournament champion Furman was a nearly-unanimous choice atop the poll, receiving eight of ten possible first-place votes. Samford and UNC Greensboro were picked to finish second and third, respectively, with each receiving one first-place vote.

ETSU, one of three newcomers to the conference along with Mercer and VMI, was voted to finish seventh.

The complete coaches' poll is as follows:

1. Furman (8)                                       80
2. Samford (1)                                     71
3. UNCG (1)                                         65
4. Wofford                                          48
5. Mercer                                             47
6. Western Carolina                              43
7. ETSU                                              39
8. The Citadel                                      25
9. Chattanooga                                    23
10. VMI                                                9

NOTES

Tuesday, Aug. 12, the Buccaneers won their first and only preseason game, defeating Eastern Kentucky, 3-1, in Richmond, Ky. Sophomores Simona Koren (Graz, Austria) and Molly Collinson (Cramlington, England) were goal scorers for ETSU, with Koren scoring a pair of goals.

ETSU will host Radford Friday, Aug. 22 at 7:00 p.m., in the Bucs' regular season opener.

FOLLOW THE BUCS

• Stay up to date with ETSU Women’s Soccer by following the Bucs on Twitter @ETSUWSoccer or Facebook.
• ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for “Buc Updates.” Click here to sign up today!