BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - SIUE women's soccer garnered six first-place votes and are picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll released Thursday.
The Cougars are behind preseason favorite Tennessee Tech, which received the other 12 first-place votes.
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Morehead State was picked third (122) and are followed by Little Rock (96), Southern Indiana (91), UT Martin (90), Southeast Missouri (86), Eastern Illinois (61), Lindenwood (38) and Western Illinois (22).
Matea Diekema, the 2022 and 2023 OVC Defender of the Year for the Cougars, is an OVC Player to Watch.
The OVC Championships start on campus sites with first round and quarterfinal matches on October 31 and November 3, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seed hosting matches. The event switches to the site of the No. 1 seed the following weekend with semifinal and Championship matches on November 7 and 10.
SIUE's preseason continues Sunday with a home contest against IU Indy at 1 p.m. The regular season opens one week from today when the Cougars travel to face Omaha.
2024 OVC Women's Soccer Predicted Order of Finish
1. Tennessee Tech (12) 153
2. SIUE (6) - 141
3. Morehead State (2) - 122
4. Little Rock - 96
5. Southern Indiana - 91
6. UT Martin - 90
7. Southeast Missouri - 86
8. Eastern Illinois - 61
9. Lindenwood - 38
10. Western Illinois - 22
2024 OVC Players to Watch
Avery Richardson, Eastern Illinois
Eyglo Thorsteinsdottir, Lindenwood
Kaitlin Graeber, Little Rock
Anna Lohrer, Morehead State
Sophia Elfrink, Southeast Missouri
Matea Diekema, SIUE
Maggie Duggan, Southern Indiana
Izzy Patterson, UT Martin
Katie Toney, Tennessee Tech
Kayla Turner, Western Illinois
