SUWANEE, Ga. - The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference is gearing up for what promises to be an exciting year in women's soccer. Last year Trinity University won its second straight SCAC title and seventh since 2000. The Tigers advanced to post-season play as the lone representative of the SCAC losing in the first round to Hardin-Simmons University. One of the strongest women's soccer conferences in the nation, it was the first time since 2004 that the SCAC has had less than two teams enter post-season play in the NCAA Tournament. With a bevy of talent returning the conference looks to play a major role in the national championship picture once again.

Trinity University will enter the season certainly as one of the favorites in the conference. Coach Lance Key, now entering his fifth season, has the Tigers ranked pre-season 23rd in the nation according to the NSCAA poll. With seven starters returning to the roster, Trinity is poised for another SCAC title run, but the Tigers will have to replace last season's SCAC Offensive-Player-of-the-Year Jennifer Wray. Wray, who was also named to the All-South region squad, helped lead the Tigers to the top of every offensive category in the conference in 2007. Junior midfielder Michelle Grumbeau just may be the answer to fill the large shoes left behind by Wray as she comes off a sophomore campaign in which she scored seven goals - two of which were game-winners. Defensively Trinity will have a new player between the posts with the graduation of Jennifer Fifield. Replacing Fifield will be a task as the Tigers allowed only 12 goals in 18 games last year which was good enough for 27th in goals against average in all of Division III last year.

Southwestern University is coming off the most storied season it has experienced since joining the ranks of Division III. With a 7-2 mark in SCAC play, the Pirates finished second in the conference - the highest finish in school history. This year however begins a new chapter in the history of Southwestern women's soccer with the hiring of first-year coach Jene' Baclawski. Baclawski will inherit a team of 23 returning players and nine incoming freshman with nothing less than high expectations. Returning for the Pirates are a handful of All-SCAC selections from a year ago including sophomore forward Amy Douglas and senior goalkeeper Eryn Snyder. As a freshman Douglas was third in the conference in points (26) and second in goals (10), which included four game-winners. The senior keeper Snyder will provide leadership in the backfield that will try and improve on the seven shutouts the Pirates produced a year ago.

Coming off a season in which it climbed to its highest-ever national ranking (17th), Rhodes College and its ten returning starters is excited to start a new season. Head coach Bobby Lessentine, now in his fourth season at the helm of the Lynx, has had success each season since he arrived back at his alma mater. In each of the past three seasons, he has guided his team to no fewer than eleven wins. Rhodes will be one of the most experienced teams in the SCAC with ten returning starters and seventeen returning letters winners (eight of which are seniors). These veterans will be joined by ten incoming players to form the largest team in Rhodes history. The Lynx will be lead by an experienced back line starting with senior captain Katy Joyner - a second team All-SCAC selection last year. Joining her will be goalkeeper Becca Clarin who lead the league in shutouts (7) in 2007 and was apart of a defense that provided ten games in which the opponents did not see the back of the net.

Jay Hoffman has continued his success in Danville, Kentucky as Centre College has now won ten plus games over the past three seasons. Hoffman and the Colonels return eleven seniors from a team that went 11-6-1 a year ago. Leading that group will be Kate Anderson and Erin Menard. Anderson, the reigning SCAC Defensive-Player-of-the-Year, was also recognized by D3kicks.com by being named to the All-Great Lakes Region team. Menard returns as the league's career active leading goal scorer with 49 goals, which places her tenth all time. The senior forward needs just nine goals this season to break into the SCAC's top five for all-time leading goal scorers. The Colonels, who finished fourth in the league last year, will have a favorable home schedule that sets up a chance to make a run at the SCAC title. All three teams that finished ahead of Centre in the standings last year will visit the Colonels this year, which should make for some exciting soccer in Danville.

With Coach John Carter entering his 19th season as the head coach of DePauw University, the Tigers are experiencing a feeling they have never had under his tutelage. Last season marked the first time DePauw has had a losing season in the 17 previous seasons under his leadership. However one streak did remain in tact and that was the team's winning record in conference play. Since joining the league in 1998, the Tigers are one of only two teams that can stake that claim over that 10-year stretch. Seven seniors and sixteen letter winners return this year, led by senior defender Jacki Ponder. Ponder, a second team All-SCAC selection a year ago, will continue to anchor the Tiger backline. DePauw, only three years removed from their most recent SCAC title and the only other school other Trinity to win a conference title in the last fifteen years, will look to get back on top in '08.

Sewanee-The University of the South, with eight returning starters under the leadership of third-year coach Dylan Harrison, will look to improve on its .500 record a year ago. Leading the Tigers will be two all conference selections from 2007 - Fritsl Butler and Allison Davis. Butler, who earned first team honors as a first-year player, will lead the midfield as just a sophomore. Davis, a third team selection, returns after finishing second in the conference last season in game-winning goals with four. The Tigers however will be challenged this year on the Mountain with not only a grueling conference schedule but also with four non-conference opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament just a year ago.

Austin College returns to the pitch after its eleventh straight winning season under coach Paul Burns. Even more impressive is that the soccer program has only been around in Sherman, Texas for twelve years. The Roo's will be led by a handful of returning players starting with LeAnne Nguyen. Nguyen was honored with first team All-SCAC last year and was also named the teams MVP for the second straight year. Senior Holly Messamore returns to ignite the offense and has led the ‘Roos in goals scored each of her previous three seasons. Defensively Austin looks to be strong again after surrendering just 16 goals all of last season with the return of three starters. Of the group goalkeeper Kaitlin Elledge, who finished fourth in the league in goals against average (1.03), will be poised for her sophomore campaign.

Coach Paul van Hooydonk enters his sixth season at Millsaps College and there seems to be a different buzz around his team this year. The Majors are coming off their most successful season since 1995 and are looking to build off that success. With eight returning starters and sixteen letter winners from a year ago, expectations continue to grow in Jackson, Mississippi. Junior Leslie Robichaux returns from a year in which she led the Majors in points (20) goals (8) and assists (4). Robichaux was also selected to the All-SCAC third team. Coach van Hooydonk will lean on his six seniors to help guide the twelve new faces that join a team that has a bright future ahead of them.

It's the start of a new chapter in Conway, Arkansas with the hiring of Jim Evans at Hendrix College. The Warriors return twelve letter winners, including six starters from a year ago. Senior captain Michelle Story headlines the team as she led the Warriors in goals (6) and was second on the team in points (14) a year ago. Hard work in the off season has helped Coach Evans to land ten incoming players in his first recruiting class. Hendrix will be looking for a goalkeeper out of that group with the graduation of Melissa Taylor. A nice mixture of returning players and talented freshmen will have the Warriors looking for their first winning season since 2002.

First-year head coach Alan Woods looks to help turn around an Oglethorpe University program that has a bright future ahead of them. The Petrels will return a good core group of talent to help anchor ten incoming freshmen that will be asked to make an immediate impact in Atlanta. Seniors Kira Carr and Julie Vaughan will be joined by junior Bonnie Morschieser to establish one of the more veteran backlines in the conference. Behind them in goal will be Sarah Nania. Nania, a third team All-SCAC selection as freshmen last season, led the league in saves with 103 and looks to continue her solid play as a sophomore. Jamie Dillion and Ryanne Arola will be the leading anchors in the midfield. While the Petrels will be very young this year with only seven upperclassmen, the future is bright for coach Alan Woods and Oglethorpe.

In his sophomore campaign, coach Benji Walton will lead the Birmingham-Southern College Panthers into just their second year of SCAC play. The Panthers return eight letter winners which include five starters from a year ago. The lone senior will be Patricia George who will provide much needed leadership as fourteen fresh faces will join the Panthers on the Hilltop. After graduating six seniors, including the team's two top scorers from a year ago (Caitlin Gordon and Mandy Woods) along with the starting goalkeeper, a young group of Panthers are left with large cleats to fill.

For the complete 2008 SCAC Women's Soccer Prospectus, click here.