Shelby Redman named preseason All-AAC

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU's Shelby Redman named to women's soccer preseason all-conference team
Filigno, Diggs and Maldonado earn offensive, defensive and goalkeeper honors

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UCF and Louisville tied for first place in the inaugural American Athletic Conference women’s soccer preseason poll on Friday. The Knights and the Cardinals each earned 85 points in polling conducted by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own team or their own players. Rutgers redshirt senior Jonelle FIligno earned Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors, while UCF senior Marissa Diggs was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and UCF senior Lianne Maldonado was named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.

UCF enters The American after a strong 2012 season in which the Knights posted a 17-5-2 record, won their first Conference USA Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Earlier this week, UCF was named No. 21 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s preseason rankings after finishing last season ranked No. 20. Senior Marissa Diggs has been named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and named to The American’s Preseason Team after an impressive 2012 season. Last season, she was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-C-USA, NSCAA First Team All-Central Region and NSCAA Second Team All-America. Senior goalkeeper Lianne Maldonado has also been named to the Preseason Team and Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year after starting every game for the Knights in 2012 and allowing only 11 goals on the season. Head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak enters her first season at the helm for the Knights.

Also taking first place honors in the preseason poll is Louisville, led by head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes, who begins her 13th season with the Cardinals. Louisville went 10-4-4 and placed third in the National Division of the BIG EAST in 2012 and returns a strong lineup including Preseason Team selections Charlyn Corral (a unanimous selection) and Angelika Uremovich, both seniors. Corral earned First Team All-BIG EAST and NSCAA First Team All-Northeast Region honors last season and led Louisville in scoring with 23 points. Uremovich was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2012. The pair will anchor a lineup that returns nine starters and 97 percent of its goal scoring.

Rutgers was picked as the third place finisher in The American after a 13-8-1 record and NCAA Tournament second-round appearance in 2012. Redshirt senior Jonelle Filigno has been selected by league coaches as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earned a unanimous Preseason Team nod after earning several BIG EAST and national honors in 2012. She was named First Team All-BIG EAST, NSCAA First Team All-Northeast Region and NSCAA Second Team All-America and led her team in all statistical categories. Also earning a Preseason Team selection for head coach Glenn Crooks and the Scarlet Knights is sophomore Hayley Katkowski, who earned Second Team All-BIG EAST and All-BIG EAST Rookie Team honors last season.

Fourth-place selection UConn posted a 9-8-1 record in 2012, earning fourth place in the American Division of the BIG EAST under head coach Len Tsantiris, who is entering his 33rd season at the helm for the Huskies. Tsantiris is only the second coach in NCAA history to notch 500 career wins, and he has led UConn to 28 NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure.

Rounding out the top five spots in the poll is USF under the leadership of head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. USF went 7-5-4 last season and advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship. Bulls senior Sharla Passariello has been tabbed a member of the Preseason Team after leading her team in 2012 with eight goals, three assists and 19 points.

Sixth-place Memphis, which finished 10-8-1 last year, sees three additions to The American’s Preseason Team in senior Christabel Oduro, junior Kylie Davis and sophomore Diamond Simpson. Oduro led the Tigers in scoring in 2012 with 34 points on 13 goals and eight assists and was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Davis followed Oduro with 16 points and First Team All-C-USA honors, while Simpson was named Second Team All-C-USA and to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

SMU, picked to finish seventh in The American under second-year head coach Chris Petrucelli, will return eight starters after a 9-8-4 2012 season, including redshirt junior Shelby Redman, who has been named to Preseason Team. Redman led the Mustangs in all categories last year with nine goals and seven assists for 25 points.

The American Athletic Conference, based in Providence, R.I., rebranded July 1, 2013. In its inaugural year, The American is fortunate to be able to draw from the previous successes and traditions already established in its 10 inaugural women’s soccer programs. The state-of-the-art UCF Soccer and Track Complex will host the first American Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship on Nov. 8 (semifinals) and 10 (final). First-round and quarterfinal games will be held at campus sites on Oct. 31 and Nov. 3.

The American Athletic Conference comprises the following 10 member institutions: the University of Central Florida; University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, University of Houston, University of Louisville, University of Memphis, Rutgers University, Southern Methodist University, University of South Florida, and Temple University. In 2014-15, East Carolina University, Tulane University and the University of Tulsa become full members. The U.S. Naval Academy joins in football only in 2015. The American Athletic Conference is a member of the Bowl Championship Series. For more information on the Conference and its membership, please visit www.TheAmerican.org.

2013 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON WOMEN’S SOCCER POLL

No. School (first place votes) Points
T-1. UCF (4) 85
T-1. Louisville (5) 85
3. Rutgers 67
4. UConn 61
5. USF 59
6. Memphis 53
7. SMU 48
8. Houston 36
9. Cincinnati 28
10. Temple 18

2013 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Jonelle Filigno, Rutgers, R-Sr., F

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Marissa Diggs, UCF, Sr., D

Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Lianne Maldonado, UCF, Sr., GK

American Athletic Conference Preseason Team
*Charlyn Corral, Louisville, Sr., M
Kylie Davis, Memphis, Jr., M
Marissa Diggs, UCF, Sr., D
*Jonelle Filigno, Rutgers, R-Sr., F
Hayley Katkowski, Rutgers, So., M
Lianne Maldonado, UCF, Sr., GK
Christabel Oduro, Memphis, Sr., F/M
Sharla Passariello, USF, Sr., F
Shelby Redman, SMU, R-Jr., F
Diamond Simpson, Memphis, So., D/M
Angelika Uremovich, Louisville, Sr., M

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

As far as the poll goes, I think the top two and bottom three are pretty obvious and probably deserve their slotting.

Those middle five could realistically finish in any order though. SMU definitely end up better than 7th!

Congratulations to Shelby! There are some pretty big names on that list.

(although The American release says she "led the Mustangs in all categories last year with nine goals and seven assists" - I guess they kind of missed Courtney Smith's 10 assists...)

Still a great honor for Redman and hopefully she will continue to build on last year and have an even better 2013!