Southeastern Conference Coaches Pick Gators to Defend League Soccer Title in 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 | Soccer
The University of Florida soccer program was picked by the league coaches to defend its Southeastern Conference team title in 2009, the conference office released Wednesday afternoon.
Florida earned 11 first-place votes in the poll released today. In 2008, UF claimed their ninth overall and third consecutive SEC title with an 11-0 league record. The Gators were the first to go undefeated in league play since the SEC went to round-robin play in 2004.
In the preseason voting for the SEC East title, Florida led with 11 first-place votes and 66 points. Georgia was second with 53 points, followed by Tennessee (43), South Carolina (40), Vanderbilt (25) and Kentucky (19).
In the West, LSU was first with 63 total points (eight first-place votes) compared to Auburn's 58 points (four first-place votes).
Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division, though each coach was not allowed to vote for their own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
“It was not easy to go 11-0 (in 2008) as it was an uphill battle the whole season. It will be important that the seniors remind everybody how hard it is and get the team focused for every game. The league continues to get better and we have to continue to get better to be able to stay on top,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said.
Florida returns eight starters from the 2008 team that reached the NCAA Round of 16. The Gators return two All-SEC performers - senior Ashlee Elliott (2008 & 2007 All-SEC first team) and Lauren Hyde (2006 & '07 All-SEC first team; 2008 second team).
Florida opens the 2009-10 competitive season for the Gator athletic program when it travels to Coral Gables, Fla., to meet Miami on Aug. 21. The home season at the James G. Pressly Stadium begins with pair of in-state rivals – Florida International on Friday, Aug. 28 and USF on Sunday, Aug. 30. The 2009 season will be challenging for the Gators, as half of Florida's 20 regular-season opponents received berths in the 2008 NCAA Championships' 64-team field. Five of the 10 that appeared in the 2008 NCAA bracket were SEC teams – Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina. Florida is ranked No. 10 in the 2009 NSCAA/adidas Preseason poll.
| 2009 SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll (first-place votes in parentheses) | ||||||||||||
| SEC Champion: Florida (11), Auburn (1) | ||||||||||||
| Team | SEC | Pts. | H | A | Div. | ALL | Pct. | |||||
| EASTERN DIVISON | ||||||||||||
| Florida (11) | 11-0-0 | 33.0 | 5-0-0 | 6-0-0 | 5-0-0 | 19-4-1 | .813 | |||||
| Georgia (1) | 7-3-1 | 22.0 | 3-2-0 | 4-1-1 | 3-1-1 | 11-11-1 | .500 | |||||
| Tennessee | 5-5-1 | 16.0 | 3-2-1 | 2-3-0 | 1-4-0 | 10-11-2 | .435 | |||||
| South Carolina | 5-4-2 | 17.0 | 3-1-2 | 2-3-0 | 2-2-1 | 11-7-4 | .591 | |||||
| Vanderbilt | 3-7-1 | 10.0 | 1-3-1 | 2-4-0 | 2-3-0 | 9-8-2 | .526 | |||||
| Kentucky | 3-7-1 | 10.0 | 3-2-1 | 0-5-0 | 3-1-1 | 5-12-2 | .316 | |||||
| WESTERN DIVISON | ||||||||||||
| LSU (8) | 7-3-1 | 22.0 | 5-1-0 | 2-2-1 | 4-1-0 | 14-4-2 | .750 | |||||
| Auburn (4) | 7-3-1 | 22.0 | 4-2-0 | 3-1-1 | 3-2-0 | 12-9-2 | .565 | |||||
| Mississippi | 5-5-1 | 16.0 | 2-3-0 | 3-2-1 | 4-1-0 | 7-10-3 | .425 | |||||
| Alabama | 4-6-1 | 13.0 | 2-3-0 | 2-3-1 | 2-3-0 | 9-9-2 | .500 | |||||
| Arkansas | 4-7-0 | 12.0 | 2-3-0 | 2-4-0 | 2-3-0 | 11-8-0 | .579 | |||||
| Miss. State | 0-11-0 | 0.0 | 0-6-0 | 0-5-0 | 0-5-0 | 5-15-0 | .250 | |||||
| Orange denotes 2008 results | ||||||||||||
