Women's Soccer's Buchanan Receives ASC Honor; Patriots Picked No. 2
August 27, 2008

RICHARDSON, Texas -- Senior defender Kelly Buchanan (Houston, Texas) was named American Southwest Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday by a vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

Buchanan was an integral part of a Patriot defense last season that allowed only 17 goals and notched 11 shutouts.

The release also included the annual preseason poll in which the Patriots were picked to finish the 2008 season in second place, behind perennial power Hardin-Simmons. UT Tyler garnered 359 points and five first-place votes in the poll to finish just 23 points behind the Cowgirls.

Coming in third was Texas-Dallas, followed by Texas Lutheran in fourth. Rounding out the projected field for this year’s ASC tournament was Mississippi College in fifth and Mary Hardin Baylor in sixth.

Ozarks took the seventh spot, with Howard Payne and LeTourneau coming in at eighth and ninth, respectively.

The No. 10 spot went to East Texas Baptist, while Louisiana College was voted to finish in the eleventh spot.

Schreiner, McMurry and Concordia (Tex.) rounded out the poll in twelfth through fourteenth places, respectively.

The top preseason offensive award went to Kelli Layden of Texas Lutheran. Layden, the reigning ASC Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in points last season with 22 goals and three assists.

The Patriots will open their 2008 season this weekend in Shreveport, La. UT Tyler will take on Oklahoma Christian on Saturday at 1 p.m. and face off against Oklahoma City on Monday at 11 a.m.

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