Two PBC Women’s Soccer Teams Earn Preseason National Ranking

SKILLMAN, NJ – The Armstrong Atlantic State and Columbus State women’s soccer teams will begin the 2011 season as top-25 powerhouses as the NSCAA released the national preseason poll.  Armstrong will begin the year as the #11 team in the nation while Columbus State will be ranked 16^th.  UNC Pembroke also received votes in the national poll.

The Armstrong Pirates begin the 2011 season at the same spot in which they ended the 2010 campaign, and the No. 11 mark is the highest preseason ranking that Armstrong has attained in now its seventh season of intercollegiate competition. Last year's No. 19 preseason ranking was the previous high.

The Pirates went 14-4-2 in 2010, capturing the Peach Belt regular season title and advancing to the NCAA Southeast Region championship match. Armstrong returns eight starters and 20 players overall from last year's squad.

CSU returns only four starters from last year’s team that went 19-2-1, was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.  Columbus State won their sixth straight Peach Belt Conference regular season championship and won the PBC Tournament for the fourth time in five years.

Helping soften the blow of last year’s senior laden team departures will be the return of All-American Stephanie Lowery, the Lady Cougars leading scorer a year ago.  Also returning to the pitch will be All-Southeast Region honorees Willi Babillis and Kansas Bayly along with two-year starter Catherine Lovin.

The PBC coaches preseason poll will be released later this month.  The 2011 regular season begins on Sept. 1.

To see the full preseason top 25 poll, please click here.