The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 17 Soccer places eight on SEC Preseason Watchlist
08.14.2024 | Soccer
Arkansas (9), Texas (8) leads conference with most preseason honorees
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With the 2024 Division I women's soccer season slated to begin on Thursday, Aug. 15, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) released its 2024 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist on Wednesday morning. The eighty-eight-member list featured eight Texas Longhorn women's soccer student-athletes, the second-most selections behind Arkansas' nine.
Lexi Missimo, Trinity Byars, Jilly Shimkin, Ashlyn Miller, Holly Ward, Mia Justus, Madison Haugen and EmJ Cox were all selected to the league's preseason watchlist. Missimo (26 goals, 20 assists) and Byars (18 goals, 14 assists) both finished their junior campaigns with both double-digit goals and assists. Shimkin was third on the team — and 10th in the country — with 12 assists. Miller and Ward combined for eight goals, 11 assists and 27 points in 2023.
In her first season on the Forty Acres between the pipes, Justus was credited with nine solo clean sheets and combined for another. She also earned 17 victories by totaling 89 saves in 24 matches played. Haugen, who was a two-time SEC Preseason Watchlist honoree during her time at Georgia and helped the Bulldogs to a conference tournament title in 2023. Cox, who was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, is returning to the pitching in 2024 after missing all of the 2023 season rehabbing an injury.
Heading into the new season, the SEC is set to return 62 percent (18 or 29) student-athletes who earned either first- or second-team All-SEC honors in 2023, including nine first-team selections. Among those returnees are Arkansas' Ava Tankersley, who was tabbed the league's Forward of the Year, and South Carolina's Gracie Falla, the conference's Defender of the Year.
On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the SEC released its preseason coaches' poll that featured reigning conference regular season champions Arkansas at the top with Texas, which won the Big 12 Conference's postseason tournament last season, second. Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama rounded out the top five vote getters.
The Longhorns, which are in their first season as members of the SEC, will open its 2024 season against former Big 12 opponent Houston on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. in Mike A. Myers Stadium on the Forty Acres.
2024 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist
Alabama (5)
Leah Kunde (F)
Gianna Paul (F)
Nadia Ramadan (M)
Melina Rebimbas (M)
Gessica Skorka (D)
Arkansas (9)
Kennedy Ball (M)
Kiley Dulaney (F)
Bella Field (F)
Mak Malham (M)
Kelsey Oyler (D)
Ella Riley (D)
Ella Rogers (M)
Macy Schultz (F)
Ava Tankersley (F)
Auburn (2)
Anna Haddock (M)
Maddie Prohaska (GK)
Florida (5)
Lena Bailey (F)
Josie Curtis (D)
Alexa Goldberg (GK)
Delaney Tauzel (M)
Daviana Vaka (D)
Georgia (7)
Jordan Brown (GK)
Summer Denigan (M)
Margie Detrizio (F)
Amber Nguyen (M)
Dasia Torbert (M)
Nicole Vernis (M)
Hannah White (F)
Kentucky (5)
Marz Josephson (GK)
Maddie Kemp (F)
Sophia Mattice (M)
Grace Phillpotts (D)
Makala Woods (F)
LSU (5)
Mollie Baker (F)
Sydney Cheesman (D)
Jazmin Ferguson (D)
Ava Galligan (F/M)
Ida Hermannsdottir (M)
Ole Miss (5)
Kelly Brady (F)
Aubrey Mister (M)
Lauren Montgomery (M)
Shu Ohba (GK)
Hattie Patterson (D)
Mississippi State (5)
Maddy Anderson (GK)
Rylie Combs (D)
Macey Hodge (M)
Hannah Johnson (M)
Aitana Martinez Montoya (M)
Missouri (4)
Keegan Good (M)
Bella Hollenbach (GK)
Rachel Kutella (D)
Kylee Simmons (F)
Oklahoma (5)
Cailey England (M)
Hadley Murrell (F)
Alexis Washington (F)
Leonie Weber (F)
Andie Wolfe (D)
South Carolina (6)
Cat Barry (F)
Gracie Falla (D)
Hallie Meadows (D)
Brinley Murphy (M)
Reagan Schubach (F)
Corinna Zullo (F)
Tennessee (4)
Mac Midgley (M)
Kate Runyon (F)
Jaida Thomas (F)
Sammi Woods (F)
Texas (8)
Trinity Byars (F)
EmJ Cox (D)
Madison Haugen (D)
Mia Justus (GK)
Ashlyn Miller (M)
Lexi Missimo (M)
Jilly Shimkin (F)
Holly Ward (F)
Texas A&M (6)
Sydney Becerra (MF)
Carolyn Calzada (D)
Mia Pante (MF)
Taylor Pounds (MF)
Jazmine Wilkinson (F)
Andersen Williams (MF)
Vanderbilt (7)
Abi Brighton (M)
Rachel Deresky (F)
Ella Eggleston (M)
Courtney Jones (M)
Julianne Leskauskas (M)
Hannah McLaughlin (D)
Addie Porter (M)
FOLLOW US
For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TexasLonghorns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
