By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With the start of the 2020-21 Tennessee Tech soccer season a month away, the Ohio Valley Conference released its predicted order of finish Tuesday morning as well as the league's Players to Watch list.

Following a vote from the conference's head coaches and sports information personnel, the Golden Eagles were chosen to finish sixth in the 11-team league, while junior forward Cassidy Bereda was selected as Tech's Player to Watch.

"Preseason polls can carry some importance to a certain extent, but a lot of the time they are based on how well you did last year," TTU head coach Steve Springthorpe said. "We finished in fifth place last season, so I think where we are selected for this upcoming campaign makes sense. It's always nice to get a feel for where the league feels you stack up, but as most coaches will tell you, once the season gets going your focus is on what you can accomplish on the field."

Tech concluded the 2019 season with a 4-3-3 conference record, securing a spot in the OVC Tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

As far as Bereda is concerned, the Bellbrook, Ohio native has proven to be one of the club's more productive offensive pieces throughout her Tech tenure. The 5-foot-9 forward finished second on the Golden Eagles last season with 11 points, scoring four goals and tallying three assists. Bereda's 35 shots and 16 shots on-goal both ranked second on the club as well.

"I'm excited for Cassidy in being selected as our Player to Watch for this upcoming season," Springthorpe said. "She has always been a good offensive player throughout her time with us and brings a lot of different things to the table within her game. I am confident in her abilities and am looking forward to seeing what she can accomplish this season in helping our team win games."

The Golden Eagles unwrap the 2020-21 campaign with a trip to Clarksville for a matchup with Austin Peay on Mar. 2. Following a meeting at Morehead State on Mar. 9, the club's first home match is set for Mar. 12 against Eastern Illinois.

2020-21 OVC Soccer Predicted Order of Finish

1. Murray State (5) - 181

2. Southeast Missouri (7) - 172

3. SIUE (6) - 167

4. UT Martin (2) - 156

5. Belmont (2) - 128

6. Tennessee Tech - 119

7. Austin Peay - 80

8. Eastern Illinois - 75

9. Eastern Kentucky - 62

10. Morehead State - 47

11. Jacksonville State – 23

2020-21 OVC Soccer Players to Watch

Claire Larose - MF - SR - AUSTIN PEAY

Julie Garst - f - SR - BELMONT

Itxaso Aguero - mf - sR - EASTERN ILLINOIS

Katie Shaffer - D - SR - EASTERN KENTUCKY

Cynthia Bagozzi - F - SO - JACKSONVILLE STATE

Nicole Palmer - D - JR - MOREHEAD STATE

Abby Jones - F - JR - MURRAY STATE

Morgan Heisserer - F - SO - SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Mackenzie Litzsinger - F - R-SO - SIUE

Cassidy Bereda - F - JR - TENNESSEE TECH

Erica Myers - GK - SR - UT MARTIN

Photo by Thomas Corhern