AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Flagler College women's soccer team were picked as the favorites according the Preseason Peach Belt Conference coaches' poll released this afternoon. The Saints also placed four of its members on the preseason all-conference team:
Sara Carr,
Annie Habeeb,
Sarah-Lisa Dubel, and
Sara Sandberg.
"It gives me an enormous amount of pride to see Flagler selected as No. 1 in the preseason poll as it is an indication of the progress the program has made over time," said seventh-year head coach
Ashley Martin. "However, this season will be a completely new challenge that everyone is ready and excited for."
The Saints are coming off their best season in program history. Flagler advanced to the NCAA Division II final four, only the third time a PBC school has advanced that far, and finished with a remarkable 23-1-1 overall record and went 10-0-1 in conference play, winning both the regular and post season league titles. The 23 wins was the second highest in the conference's history.
Flagler received seven first-place votes and tallied 97 points. Columbus State University collected three first-place votes and registered 90 points. The University of North Georgia collected the other first-place vote and was picked third with 82 points. UNC Pembroke, Lander University, Clayton State University, Georgia College, Young Harris College, Francis Marion University, USC Aiken, and Georgia Southwestern State University round out the poll.
Carr, a junior defender, earned first-team D2CCAA al-region and all-conference honors last year. She played in all 25 matches and tallied three assists while spearheading a defense that registered 11 shutouts. Carr also earned all-tournament honors at the final four.
Habeeb, a senior forward/midfielder, was a United Soccer Coaches third-team all-region selection and took home first-team all-conference accolades. She was named to the PBC All-Tournament team. Habeeb finished second on the team with 16 goals and was third with 38 points. She netted five game-winning goals.
Dubel, a senior goalkeeper, was a first-team United Soccer Coaches all-region pick along with receiving first-team all-conference honors, and was the PBC Tournament's Most Valuable Player. She held a 0.69 goals against average with 88 saves and 11 clean sheets. Dubel is sixth all-time in PBC history with 24 shutouts.
Sandberg, a senior forward, earned first-team All-America honors as well as first-team all-region honors from the United Soccer Coaches and D2CCAA. She was the PBC Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference selection. Sandberg scored 25 goals with 11 assists for 61 total points. She scored eight game-winning goals. Sandberg finished second in the nation in goals, third in points and game-winning goals, and fourth in points per game.
"These players have established themselves as key performers within the program and fully deserve the selection," said Martin. "I know they would be the first to recognize that their success is thanks to the collective efforts of the team."
Flagler opens the season on Monday, Feb. 1 against Clayton State at 4 p.m. at Saints Field.
NOTE: For all home games/matches, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an attendance policy.
Please click here to view the article about the policy.
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