BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – SIUE women's soccer, winners of the last three Ohio Valley Conference Tournaments, picked up eight first-place votes and are selected second in the 2023 preseason poll.
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The Cougars are just a few votes behind preseason favorite Tennessee Tech, which garnered the other 12 first-place votes. The Cougars defeated Tennessee Tech 1-0 in last year's OVC Tournament championship game.
Morehead State was picked third (126) and followed by Southeast Missouri (118), Little Rock (88), Lindenwood (77), Southern Indiana (66), UT Martin (63), new member Western Illinois (35) and Eastern Illinois (25).
Matea Diekema, listed as a United Soccer Coaches Player to Watch, is also the OVC's Player to Watch. Diekema was the OVC's Defender of the Year in 2022.
This year marks the 25th OVC Championship Tournament. The event starts on campus sites with first round and quarterfinal matches on October 27 and 29, 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 2 and 5.
SIUE's preseason continues Saturday at Arkansas in a 6 p.m. contest. The regular season opens one week from today when the Cougars welcome Missouri State to Korte Stadium for a 5 p.m. matchup.
2023 OVC Women's Soccer Predicted Order of Finish
1. Tennessee Tech (12 first-place votes) - 156 points
2. SIUE (8) – 146
3. Morehead State – 126
4. Southeast Missouri – 118
5. Little Rock – 88
6. Lindenwood – 77
7. Southern Indiana – 66
8. UT Martin – 63
9. Western Illinois – 35
10. Eastern Illinois - 25
