Columbus State Selected as Women’s Soccer Favorite
AUGUSTA, GA -- The Columbus State Cougars, winners of the last
three PBC women’s soccer championships, have once again been
selected as the league’s favorite in a preseason poll of the
league’s head coaches. The Cougars received seven of eight
possible first-place votes to outdistance Armstrong Atlantic State
in second place and GCSU in third. Lander, Clayton State, UNC
Pembroke, North Georgia, USC Aiken and Georgia Southwestern rounded
out the voting.
Columbus State brings a 19-game conference winning streak into the
2008 season and have not lost a PBC game since 2005. The Lady
Cougars return seven starters from last season’s 20-3-2 team
that reached the NCAA quarterfinals. Among the returners are
All-Conference standouts Monica Sanchez in goal, Sarah Hawkins in
the defense and 2007 PBC Freshman of the Year Stephanie Parrish at
forward. The Cougars did lose four All-Conference players to
graduation, but have five seniors on the 2008 roster.
Armstrong Atlantic State reached the championship game of the PBC
Tournament for the second straight year and have come in second in
the conference standings both times. The Pirates lost only three
starters from last season’s 14-5-1 team and return two-time
All-Conference forward Kristin Burton, who led the PBC in scoring
with 23 goals in 2007.
Georgia College & State University welcomes in new coach Juan
Pablo Favero who inherits a team that brings back eight starters
from last season’s team including All-Conference players
Hayley Ferrell, Morgan Cobb and Jamie Nevin. The Bobcats are coming
off their most successful season in the brief five-year history of
the program after advancing to the PBC Tournament semifinals for
the first time ever and finishing with a 13-5 overall record.
The 2008 coaches’ poll is listed below. Coaches were not
allowed to rank their own teams. The 2008 women’s soccer
season begins on Aug. 28 with Peach Belt Conference play beginning
Sept. 17 and continuing on to the PBC Tournament which begins on
Nov. 4.
| Rank | School | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | Total |
| 1. | Columbus State | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
| 2. | Armstrong Atlantic State | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 |
| 3. | GCSU | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| 4. | Lander | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| 5. | Clayton State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 |
| 6. | UNC Pembroke | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 |
| 7. | North Georgia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 8. | USC Aiken | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 16 |
| 9. | Georgia Southwestern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |