By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the 2016 season sits a mere stone's throw away, the Ohio Valley Conference announced its predicted order of finish as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches and sports information directors. The Tennessee Tech soccer team was picked third, garnering 147 total points in the poll that included a first-place vote for the Golden Eagles.
"We are thankful to be selected as the preseason No. 3 team in the OVC. It certainly is nice to be recognized by the coaches and media personnel," TTU head coach Steve Springthorpe claimed on his club's ranking. "We are of course thrilled that we are looked upon as a potential top four team in the conference, but the reality is that this current team really has very little to do with where we stand preseason wise in the conference as it is usually dictated by what last year's team accomplished. Last year was a breakout year and we are certainly thrilled with what we accomplished, but we now have to go out and prove our worth and when the season is finished we hope to be able to be sitting in a positive spot in the final conference standings. We look forward to that challenge."
Tech's top-three ranking should come as little surprise after the program enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in school history last year. Despite being picked 10th in the 2015 preseason predicted order of finish, the Golden Eagles skyrocketed towards the top of the conference standings with a second-place finish, the highest in 15 years, behind the most conference wins in a season in program history. The Golden Eagles wrapped up the regular season with a winning record for the first time in over a decade en route to earning the first postseason appearance in six years that ended with a trip to the OVC Tournament semifinals.
Murray State took down the top spot in the preseason rankings, securing 18 of a possible 22 first place votes after winning both the regular season and conference tournament championships in 2015. The Racers went a perfect 10-0 in conference action last year, notching a 16-5 overall record under third-year head coach Jeremy Groves.
Southeast Missouri sits sandwiched in between Tech and Murray State with a second-place predicted order of finish after reaching the OVC Tournament championship match a season ago. The Redhawks did not receive a first place vote and sit just three points ahead of TTU in the polls, collecting 150 total points.
The Golden Eagles are ready to unwrap the 2016 slate with a home exhibition tilt against Chattanooga on Friday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. CT. Tech officially opens the regular season on the road with a two-match North Carolina swing that will pit TTU at UNC Asheville on Friday, Aug. 19, before traveling to UNC Greensboro on Sunday, Aug. 21. The regular season home opener will take place under the lights against Wright State on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.
Photo by Tony Marable
