WASHINGTON -- Entering the season with the highest national preseason ranking in Atlantic 10 history, Saint Louis women's soccer was unanimously chosen as the preseason favorite entering the 2024 season, per the league's annual Preseason Poll. Additionally, the conference announced the 11-woman Preseason All-Conference Team on Wednesday morning, a day before he season's opening slate of matches set for this upcoming Thursday, Aug. 15.
The A-10 Preseason Poll and Preseason All-Conference team are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Coming off their sixth-straight Atlantic 10 Championship and first ever Sweet 16 appearance, Saint Louis earned all 225 points and 15 first place votes after finishing last season 19-3-2 and 9-0-1 in the Atlantic 10. The Billikens defeated Indiana in the First Round and Georgetown in the Second Round before narrowly falling to No. 2 Penn State last year in their deep postseason run.
Saint Louis returns the reigning A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Emily Gaebe, Defensive Player of the Year Lyndsey Heckel and Goalkeeper of the Year Emily Puricelli. Gaebe is coming off a record-setting 2023 campaign that saw her selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-America first team, becoming the first SLU women's soccer forward to earn All-America honors. The Union, Mo., native begins her senior season second in goals (32), third in points (82), fifth in shots (214), tied for seventh in game-winning assists (seven) and tied for ninth in assists (18) on the Billikens' career lists. Heckel begins her fifth season with the Billikens tied for fourth in games started (85), tied for seventh in game-winning goals (nine) and 10th in games played (85) on Saint Louis' career lists. She spearheads a Billiken defense that posted a sparkling 0.63 goals against average and 49 shutouts in her first four seasons. Puricelli has been the starting netminder in all 86 games of her Saint Louis career. She begins her fifth season as the SLU record-holder in wins (67), shutouts (40) and goalkeeper minutes (7,672), as well as second in goals against average (0.645) and saves (265), third in games started (86) and tied for fourth in games played (86) on the Billiken career lists.
Joining Gaebe, Heckel and Puricelli on the Preseason All-Conference Team from Saint Louis are forward Hannah Sawyer, midfielder Hannah Larson and defender Sophia Stram.
Dayton earned the second spot on the preseason poll, tabbing 205 points. The Flyers are led by Preseason All-Conference members midfielder Diana Benigno and defender Kyra Karfonta. Benigno led the Flyers in assists on the season with six, finishing in a tie for third in the league. Benigno was named A-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Week during the season after scoring the game-tying goal at Saint Louis and registering an assist against Davidson. Karfonta registered three goals and an assist for seven total points last season and was a key member of the Dayton defense that posted 11 shutouts on the season.
VCU, who finished last season at 4-4-2 in conference play slides into the preseason poll third with 183 points. Massachusetts is right behind them with 177 points, led by two Preseason All-Conference selections, midfielder Bella Recinos and defender Hannah Peric. Last season's Midfielder of the Year, Recinos started in 17 of 18 games played for the Minutewomen, totaling a team-high 19 points on a team-high seven goals and a team-best five assists. She led the team in shots with 35, including a team-leading 20 on target and tallied a team-best four game-winning goals, while tying for second in the Atlantic 10 and 26th in the NCAA. Peric started in all 18 games for the Minutewomen last year and accumulated 1,539 minutes.
Last year's A-10 runner-up La Salle was voted fifth with 172 points, Duquesne sixth with 142 and Saint Joseph's seventh with 123. Loyola Chicago, who is led by the 2023 Rookie of the Year and Preseason All-Conference honoree Zoe Hevey checks in at eighth. Hevey was second at Loyola Chicago with 12 points and tallied three goals and a team-leading six assists. She ranks fourth in shots (2.94), shots on goal (1.72), and tied fifth in assists (6) on the A-10 leaderboards this year.
Rounding out the preseason poll is Rhode Island at nine (109), Fordham at 10 (89), Richmond at 11 (77), St. Bonaventure at 12 (53), George Mason at 13 (52), George Washington at 14 (40) and Davidson at 15 (38).
2024 A-10 Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
|
School (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Saint Louis (15) |
225 |
| 2 |
Dayton |
205 |
| 3 |
VCU |
183 |
| 4 |
Massachusetts |
177 |
| 5 |
La Salle |
172 |
| 6 |
Duquesne |
142 |
| 7 |
Saint Joseph's |
123 |
| 8 |
Loyola Chicago |
115 |
| 9 |
Rhode Island |
109 |
| 10 |
Fordham |
89 |
| 11 |
Richmond |
77 |
| 12 |
St. Bonaventure |
53 |
| 13 |
George Mason |
52 |
| 14 |
George Washington |
40 |
| 15 |
Davidson |
38 |
2024 A-10 Women's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
| Name |
Class |
Position |
School |
| Emily Gaebe |
SR |
F |
Saint Louis |
| Zoe Hevey |
SO |
F |
Loyola Chicago |
| Hannah Sawyer |
SR |
F |
Saint Louis |
| Diana Benigno |
GR |
MF |
Dayton |
| Hannah Larson |
R-SR |
MF |
Saint Louis |
| Bella Recinos |
SR |
MF |
Massachusetts |
| Lyndsey Heckel |
GR |
D |
Saint Louis |
| Kyra Karfonta |
JR |
D |
Dayton |
| Hannah Peric |
GR |
D |
Massachusetts |
| Sophia Stram |
FY |
D |
Saint Louis |
| Emily Puricelli |
GR |
GK |
Saint Louis |