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Leslie Vineyard
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Aug. 14, 2008
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee women's soccer team was tabbed by the league coaches to finish second in the Southeastern Conference in 2008 on Thursday. The Lady Vols earned 55 total points to place them behind Florida in the East, while picking up three votes to win the SEC Championship.
UT brings back eight of its 11 starters from last season while welcoming Soccer Buzz's 27th-ranked recruiting class. The Orange and White lineup includes the 2007 SEC Offensive Player of the Year in senior forward Kylee Rossi and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) third-team All-American in senior goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson.
In 2007, the Lady Vols notched eight wins during the conference season, while shutting out four opponents, including eventual Triple Crown winner Florida. Rossi led the league in scoring during SEC play with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. As a team, UT finished second in scoring, third in assists and tied for first in shutouts.
Last season, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia took the SEC Eastern Division and regular season title races down to the wire. With only two points separating the first and third place teams going into the final match of the league slate, all three squads had a shot at the two titles. The combination of UT's loss to the Bulldogs and UF's win over South Carolina gave the Gators the overall and divisional crowns.
For the 11th consecutive year, Florida was picked by the coaches to take home the SEC title, while earning 59 points to finish first in the East. LSU earned 62 points and seven first-place votes to top the Western Division ahead of Auburn. Florida, Tennessee and Georgia were the only teams to receive votes to win the SEC Championship in 2008.
The Orange and White are set to open the regular season next Friday, traveling to Chattanooga for the first time since 1997. The Lady Vols and Lady Mocs will kick off at 7 p.m. on Aug. 22 at North River Soccer Complex in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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2008 SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll
(Votes in Parentheses)
SEC Champion: Florida (7); Tennessee (3); Georgia (2)
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| 2007 Results | ||||||
| Team (First-place votes) | Poll Pts. | SEC | Pts. | Overall | ||
| Florida (7) | 59 | 9-2-0 | 27 | 17-5-3 | ||
| Tennessee (3) | 55 | 8-2-1 | 25 | 15-5-2 | ||
| Georgia (2) | 52 | 8-1-2 | 26 | 18-4-2 | ||
| South Carolina | 37 | 5-4-2 | 17 | 14-6-3 | ||
| Vanderbilt | 23 | 3-6-2 | 11 | 6-10-3 | ||
| Kentucky | 20 | 4-6-1 | 13 | 10-7-3 | ||
| Western Division | ||||||
| 2007 Results | ||||||
| Team (First-place votes) | Poll Pts. | SEC | Pts. | Overall | ||
| LSU (7) | 62 | 5-2-4 | 19 | 12-5-7 | ||
| Auburn (5) | 59 | 6-5-0 | 18 | 10-8-2 | ||
| Ole Miss | 45 | 4-4-3 | 15 | 7-8-5 | ||
| Alabama . | 30 | 2-8-1 | 7 | 9-10-1 | ||
| Arkansas | 30 | 1-9-1 | 4 | 8-11-1 | ||
| Miss. State | 20 | 2-8-1 | 7 | 6-12-1 | ||
