Soccer set to begin 2012 campaign

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Middle Tennessee soccer team opens the 2012 campaign this weekend, traveling to Jacksonville State on Friday before returning for the home-opener Sunday against Ole Miss. MT was picked to finish third this season in a vote by the league's coaches and three Blue Raiders were named to the Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference Team, as announced on Thursday by the conference office.

"We're definitely looking forward to actually starting," said head coach Aston Rhoden, who is entering his 11th season at the helm. "With the two exhibition games, one here and one on the road, we tried to simulate the first weekend of play. So, we're looking forward to seeing if we've learned any lessons from the first two exhibition games, in terms of how do we manage ourselves in that environment as far as not playing two on the road or two at home, but actually splitting, because it's a totally different dynamic than the others."

MT will endure a tough test in its opener at 7 p.m. Friday, as the Blue Raiders look to continue a three match unbeaten streak against the Gamecocks. The Blue Raiders own a 4-3-1 advantage in the series thanks to a 1-0 double overtime victory in Murfreesboro last season. The last time the two teams met in Jacksonville, Ala., was in 2008 where they finished in a 1-1 tie.

"It's going be a tough game for us," Rhoden said. "One, because it's the first game, and two, it's an opponent that took us to overtime last year here. That's a tough match to start with on the road. Those kids are pretty seasoned on what they should do. I do expect it to be a tough match."

Sunday's match begins a four-game home stand, which includes a pair of SEC foes. The Blue Raiders and Rebels will square off for the sixth time at 7 p.m. at the Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium. The Rebels lead the series, 4-1, but MT won the only home meeting against Ole Miss in 2008, 1-0.

"(Ole Miss) is always a strong team and they may not be at the top, but they beat some of the teams that are at the top," Rhoden said. "It's a tough match at home against a tough team."

Seniors Regina Thomas, Paige Goeglein and Allison Stallard earned preseason accolades after each was named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team last season. Thomas, a forward, was the Blue Raiders' leading scorer last season with eight goals, while Stallard added three from the back line and Goeglein tallied two as a midfielder.

After finishing tied for fourth in the Sun Belt last season, the Blue Raiders will look to balance a solid corp of returners with a plethora of newcomers this year. The 2012 squad features six seniors and nine returning letterwinners altogether, while 13 newcomers round out the roster.

"The seniors have picked up the banner and have shown great leadership from the spring until now," Rhoden said. "I think that has helped the young players to kind of figure out what's important, at least what's important to us as a program, and what our culture is and what our expectations are. The seniors have been great in that respect. The young players are talented, but like all young players, they still need guidance. And, I think that one thing that this senior class is very good at is providing good, honest and solid leadership."

Live stats are available for both matches by visiting GoBlueRaiders.com, while live video and audio are also available for all home matches. For more in-depth updates, follow @MT_Soccer on Twitter.

Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference Team
Chelsea Leiva (FIU, Junior, Forward)
Regina Thomas (Middle Tennessee, RS-Senior, Forward)
Michelle Young (North Texas, Senior, Forward)
Nicole DiPerna (FIU, Junior Midfielder)
Paige Goeglein (Middle Tennessee, Senior, Midfielder)
Chrissy Tchoula (WKU, Junior, Midfielder)
Allison Stallard (Middle Tennessee, Senior, Defender)
Kelsey Hodges (North Texas, Junior, Defender)
Ali Stahlke (WKU, Senior, Defender)
Kaitlin Savage (FIU, Junior, Goalkeeper)
Jackie Kerestine (North Texas, Sophomore, Goalkeeper)

Sun Belt Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Chelsea Leiva (FIU, Junior, Forward)
Michelle Young (North Texas, Senior, Forward)

Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Kelsey Hodges (North Texas, Junior, Defender)

Sun Belt Soccer Preseason Poll
1. FIU (5) - 114 points
2. North Texas (5) - 110 points
3. Middle Tennessee (1) - 93 points
3. Western Kentucky - 93 points
5. Troy - 68 points
5. South Alabama - 68 points
7. Arkansas State - 56 points
8. Florida Atlantic - 40 points
9. UALR - 37 points
10. Louisiana-Lafayette - 35 points
11. Louisiana-Monroe - 12 points

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