The Sports Inquirer

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

Defending SEC champions Florida and Texas A&M along with South Carolina each earned a spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason top 25 poll, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Gators won a share of the SEC regular-season championship and won 18 contests last year. They enter the 2014 season ranked eighth in the poll while three players, sophomore forward Savannah Jordan, senior midfielder Havana Solaun and junior defender Christen Westphal were named to the Mac Hermann Watch List, which is annually awarded to the top female soccer player in the country. All three were NSCAA second-team All-America selections in 2013.

The Aggies, who are ranked ninth in the preseason poll, also won 18 contests last season and shared the regular-season title with the Gators. Texas A&M won the conference tournament and advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. Texas A&M seniors Shea Groom and Meghan Streight were also named to the Hermann Watch List.

South Carolina enters the poll at No. 14, their highest preseason ranking since beginning the 2010 season at No. 12.  Senior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo was named to the Hermann list as well. D’Angelo had one of the best seasons for a keeper in South Carolina history in 2013, recording 12 shutouts and posting a 0.59 goals against average while anchoring the Southeastern Conference’s top defense. Her 12 shutouts led the conference and ranked seventh nationally.

Last season, she was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, after previously garnering the honor in 2011 when she was also named SEC Freshman of the Year. She was selected to the All-SEC First Team for the second time and earned postseason conference honors for the third consecutive year.