HENDERSON, Tenn. - The women's soccer coaches in the TranSouth Conference agree with those across the nation: Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College is again the team to beat.

The Redhawks, who are the defending NAIA National Champions and pre-season national No. 1, have won four consecutive TranSouth Conference banners and received all of the first-place votes in the 2008 pre-season conference poll.  Bethel (Tenn.) College was the overwhelming choice to finish second.  The Lady Wildcats enter the season ranked No. 18 in the nation.

Union (Tenn.) University is expected to finish third with Lyon (Ark.) College a strong choice for the No. 4 spot.  Cumberland (Tenn.) University and Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University tied for fifth with 19 points each, and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University finished No.7 in the poll.

The NAIA Pre-Season National Poll can be found by clicking here.

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2008 WOMEN'S SOCCER PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
(rank-team-total points, first place votes in parentheses)

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1.	Martin Methodist (7)	56
2.	Bethel College	49
3.	Union University	41
4.	Lyon College	34
5.	Cumberland University	19
5.	Trevecca Nazarene	19
7.	Freed-Hardeman	7

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TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEWS
in order of predicted conference finish

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MARTIN METHODIST REDHAWKS
The Martin Methodist College RedHawks come into the 2008 season looking to defend their 2007 NAIA National Title. The RedHawks have won two NAIA National Championships in the last three years. They are also the reigning 2007 TranSouth Regular Season and Tournament Champions and have won two of the last three NAIA Region XI Championships. The RedHawks have won the last four TranSouth Regular Season Titles and TranSouth Tournament Championships.
 
This year's group of seniors have won two NAIA National Championships (2005, 2007) and lost in the Final Four (2006). They are the most experienced team to come through the RedHawk program.
 
This year the RedHawks will be led by the 2007 Brine-NAIA National Player of the Year Marcia Silva. Silva is a senior defender from Valinhos, Brazil. She was selected NAIA All-American first team and National Tournament MVP . Silva  was selected to the All-Region XI and TranSouth Conference first team in 2007.
 
The RedHawks also return two more NAIA All-Americans. The first is Lisa Mann, a senior midfielder from Newcastle, England. She was chosen first team NAIA All-American, Region XI player of the year, Region XI first team and first team TranSouth All-Conference. 
 
Seniors Sara Perrigan and Julia Bazi will also return for the 2008 season. Perrigan is a forward from Nashville, Tenn., and was chosen to the 2007 Region XI first team and the 2007 TranSouth All-Conference first team. Bazi, a defender from Sydney, Australia, was one of the best players at the National Tournament according to the RedHawks coaching staff. Bazi is the team captain and Coach Gerry Cleary thinks she is the most underrated player in the country.
 
The second NAIA All-American returning is Shannon Walter. Walter is a junior forward from Chicago, Ill., and was chosen second team NAIA All-American. She was also selected to the Region XI first team and the TranSouth All-Conference first team. Shannon scored two goals in the National Tournament semifinal and one in the championship game.  She should score a lot more goals this year.
 
The RedHawks lost five seniors due to graduation but have replaced them with six players that will have an immediate impact on the program. As Coach Cleary says to the team, "You can't take tradition with you; that is what you leave behind". 2008 is going to be an exciting year for this team.

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BETHEL COLLEGE WILDCATS
The Bethel College Lady Wildcat soccer team has high expectations for the 2008 season.  After falling in overtime in the Region XI Tournament to the eventual National Champion Martin Methodist, the 13 returners (seven starters) are eager for another opportunity at a national title run.  The Lady Wildcats garnered an NAIA pre-season ranking of No. 18 after finishing 15-5 last year and ranked No. 19 in the final poll.
 
The offense will be led by TranSouth Second Team All-Conference selection Carla Chambers along with seniors Florence Iweta and Deanna Flores.  A TranSouth First Team All-Conference selection, senior Marika Fukuta will be the anchor in the midfield.  Defensively, NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, All-Region and First Team All-Conference honoree Philisha Lewis, Second Team All-Conference selection Kimarley Chin and Sarah Halsall will try to shut down opposing offenses.
 
The freshman class welcomes ten players that Head Coach Misty Aird thinks will make immediate impacts on the team.

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UNION UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS
After another record setting season for a young Union University women's soccer program, the Lady Bulldog soccer team of 2008 looks to be even better. Union head coach Brandon Boylan and assistant coach Isaac Brooks believe the success of 2007 was just a step to what this team can accomplish in 2008. After winning a school-record 13 games, including a 6-2 TranSouth mark and a second straight region tournament appearance, Union feels confident of its chances for another run at the postseason.

The senior class has just four members. Cheslie Tharpe returns after missing half of 2007, but in her nine matches she added five assists and a goal. Emily Rawls returns for her senior year after playing in all 19 games for Union in 2007 on defense. Julie Ocampos-Barry and Daron Webb also return for their senior seasons. Tharpe, Rawls, and Webb are the only three players left who were members of the inaugural season in 2005.

The junior class is made up of 17 players. Leading the way is Union's first ever NAIA All-American in Caitlin Zimmerman. She also was awarded All-Region and All-Conference in 2007 with her team high 21 goals, nine assists, and 51 points. Laura Pla returns as an All-Conference goalie. Brooke Walker also returns after an All-Conference season in 2007.  Sophomores Sam Gase and Eboni Murphy return after All-Conference seasons a year ago.

Of the 39 players making up the two teams, 32 of the players are returning.  This wealth of experience will only help improve on the steps of the three previous seasons.  And with the three players on this team who were here in 2005 when the program began, each will want to make sure their historic senior season will continue the trend of growth and improvement of Union women's soccer.

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LYON COLLEGE PIPERS
Experienced players, energetic newcomers and a deep and versatile roster are expected to be the puzzle pieces that construct a full picture of the Lyon College Pipers in 2008.

Sixteen total returnees are back for Piper Head Coach Chris McNaughton's third season at the helm. Those returning players provide a wealth of experience to help make up for the loss of three second-team All-TranSouth Conference players - Angelique Armenta (graduation), Heather Palmer (graduation) and Melissa Odell (transfer).

Eight returning starters hit the field in 2008, including a pair of all-conference players in seniors Aurora Alba and Sarah Ruegger. Both contributed to successes in the Pipers' 9-8-1 season and fourth-place finish (4-4) last season in the TranSouth Conference. Both are also expected to be key components in this year's run.

Alba, a central midfielder from Las Vegas, Nev., is a two-time all-conference player and currently sits fourth on the school's all-time assists ledger. Alba earned a first-team all-conference selection in 2007 and was a second-team all-conference in 2006.

Ruegger, a forward from Gainesville, Fla., is the school's all-time goal-scorer with 22 goals in her two seasons. She earned her first all-conference selection in 2007 with a second-team nod. In 2007, Ruegger notched a team-high and single-season school record 15 goals in 2007.

Alba and Ruegger will join six other returning starters on the field for 2008: goalkeepers Rita Brown and Erica Cox, center midfielders Kristin Maas and Marissa Brown, backs Amanda Cornyn and Nicole Brinkman.

On the recruiting front, McNaughton added quality depth with the addition of nine newcomers, including key freshmen Heather Martinez (San Marcos, Calif.), Jordan Kalei Aliviado (Torrance, Calif.), Anja Klotzle (Altadena, Calif.), Angie Miller (Tulsa, Okla.) and Elizabeth Fuller (Wichita, Kan.).

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CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY LADY BULLDOGS
A 6-9-0 overall record, and 3-5-0 TSAC record in 2007 may not sound like much, but all things considered, the Lady Bulldogs have to count the season as a success. 

"You don't just resurrect a program in one season," said second-year year head coach Jeff Loucks.  "The ladies fought valiantly last season.  We just didn't have enough soccer players." 

The Lady Bulldogs have a large recruiting class in 2008 headed by freshman Helena Dimantas (Brazil) and D-I transfers Lisa Long (MTSU) and Frankie Maynard (UTM).  According to Loucks, "We a lot of ladies coming in this year, and we have to see how they develop.  We should be improved this year, but to be honest I think we are still a year away."

The Lady Bulldogs open on Aug. 29th at the University of North Alabama, where they will help UNA christen its new sprint turf complex.

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TREVECCA NAZARENE TROJANS
The Trevecca women's soccer program, under the leadership of second year head coach Brett Armstrong, is looking to build on the success they experienced at the end of last season. "Winning three of our last four games left us on a positive note and created some momentum through the off-season," remarked Armstrong. "If there's a silver lining to not making the post-season, it's that we were able to end the season on a winning note."
 
For the first time in program history, the Trojans' roster does not feature any seniors in 2008-2009. "That's a bit of a unique situation; usually you look to your seniors for leadership, but we're going to have to find it somewhere else," said Armstrong. "Some of our juniors are going to have to step up and lead this team."

He continued to say, "We may not even ‘name' captains, it might be something where we reward players game-to-game with that title based on their effort and attitude. Leadership has a great effect on the chemistry of the team, so we are going to have to work hard to define who our leaders will be."
 
The Trojans return just seven players from the 2007-2008 team, five juniors and two sophomores, and several of those players made key contributions last season. Kassie Evick started all but one game last season, and led the team in goals and points. Allison Casalenuovo also started 16 of the team's 17 games a year ago, notching an assist from the Trojans' back line. Both will be counted on heavily this year. "Kassie and Casa both are key returning starters," Armstrong said. "They bring valuable experience to the table."

Jessi Fallen, Brittany Argabright, and Lindsey Zurlinden are the other three returning juniors for the Trojans and should make significant contributions.  Jenny Goodson and Danyelle Martin also return to the mix; both are entering their sophomore seasons on the field.
 
The Trojans will see a pair of new faces between the pipes this season as well. Amy Masyln transfers in for her junior season, and Konstance Deering joins the team as a freshman.
 
With such a young team, the Trojans hope to build the foundation to be in the hunt in the TranSouth for years to come.

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FREED-HARDEMAN LIONS
If Freed-Hardeman University soccer coach Jason Elliott had to describe the 2007 season in a nutshell, it would be "missed opportunities." 

"We dropped some games that we should have won and did not play well in several key conference games," he said of a season that ended with a 4-12 record.  As the 2008 season begins, Elliott hopes the roles are changed and the Lady Lions will learn from last year. 

"With four wins last year," he said, "our girls should be hungry to play well."

Elliott has added several newcomers to this year's squad to help strengthen the lineup and compete at a higher level.  Some of these newcomers include Julie Bracknell, a forward from Milan, Tenn.; Helena Yegros, a forward from Asuncion, Paraguay; and Elizabeth Blanton, a defender from Sellersburg, Ind.

The team will be led into the new season by returning players such as Stephanie Fields, a senior forward from Benton, Ky.; and Tiffany Harris, a sophomore goalkeeper from Columbia, Mo.

"Our returning players and particularly the seniors are key to our success this year," said Elliott. "We have five seniors and will only go as far as they lead us."

The season kicks off at Tennessee Temple University on Aug. 21.  The Lady Lions will then travel to Kentucky to play three games in four days and finally return to Henderson for the home opener on Sept. 5 when they host Harris-Stowe (Mo.) State College at 6:00 PM.

Conference play begins on Sept. 16 against Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College. FHU will host Cumberland (Tenn.) University on Oct. 2 in the team's first home conference game.  The regular season ends on Oct. 28 when the Lady Lions host Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University for senior night.

"Our girls are going to work hard and represent FHU with class on and off the field," Elliott said. "We are expecting an exciting year for our 2008 squad.  This senior class is a special group and we are hoping for a great season for them to go out with."