SIUE has been picked to win the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference women's soccer title as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Cougars, who won their first OVC Tournament title last year, received 10 of the 22 first-place votes and 187 points while Southeast Missouri earned seven first-place votes and 184 points for a second-place finish. UT Martin is predicted to place third with four first place votes and 154 points while Jacksonville State picked up the remaining first-place nod and 141 points to be selected to finish fourth. Rounding out the poll are Murray State (138), Morehead State (121), Belmont (99), Austin Peay (63), Eastern Kentucky (57), Tennessee Tech (38) and Eastern Illinois (32).
 
SIUE finished 2014 with a 13-6-2 overall mark while going 8-2 in league action to earn a share of the regular-season title. Derek Burton, who is in his eighth season at helm of the SIUE soccer program, led the Cougars to their first OVC Tournament title as they defeated Jacksonville State, 3-2, in the championship match.  Sophomore midfielder/forward Emily Grahl (Washington, Mo.) and senior midfielder Cassidy Sherman are among the Cougar returners. Grahl earned All-Newcomer honors as a freshman after recording four goals, six assists and 14 points. Her six assists were tied for the team lead and ranked fifth in the OVC while the 14 points were the second most for a Cougar. Sherman, a native of Algonquin, Ill., was third on the team with 39 shots while also posting three goals, two assists and eight points to earn All-OVC second team accolades.
 
Southeast Missouri went 11-6 overall and 8-2 in the OVC to earn a share of its third regular-season title. Heather Nelson will begin her 16th season as the head coach of the Redhawks and will have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year back on the field in sophomore goalkeeper Kindra Lierz. The Springfield, Mo., native became the first player in league history to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year award in the same year. She finished 2014 ranking first in the league in goals-against average (0.70) and shutouts (8) while ranking second with a .850 saves percentage. Minor, a native of De Pere, Wis., earned All-OVC first team honors last year after ranking in the league's top 10 in shots per game (2.75), points (22), goals (8) and assists (6).
 
UT Martin is coming off a season in which it went 12-6-2 overall and 6-3-1 in the OVC to place fourth. Phil McNamara is in his sixth year at the helm of the Skyhawks and will have just five returning letter winners along with 15 freshmen on this year's squad. Among the returnees are junior forward/defender Saphyra Coombs-Jones (Brampton, Ontario) and sophomore forward Olivia Bohlman (Franklin, Tenn.). Coombs-Jones will be the top returning goal scorer as she netted five goals last year to go with 13 shots and 10 points in 2014. Bohlman posted two goals and one assist as a freshman.
 
The 2015 season gets underway on Aug. 21 with conference play beginning Sept. 24.  The 2015 Soccer Championship will have a new format this season as the first rounds will take place on Nov. 1 on the campuses of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds with the semifinals and finals being held Nov. 6 and 8 on the campus of the No. 1 seed.
 

           
            1. SIUE (10 first-place votes) - 187
            2. Southeast Missouri (Seven first-place votes) - 184
            3. UT Martin (Four first-place votes) - 150
            4. Jacksonville State (One first-place vote) - 141
            5. Murray State - 138
            6.  Morehead State - 121
            7. Belmont - 99
            8. Austin Peay  - 63
            9. Eastern Kentucky      - 57
            10. Tennessee Tech - 38
            11. Eastern Illinois - 32 

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