Viens Named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for Second Straight Season
TAMPA (Aug. 7, 2018)
— Junior
Evelyne Viens was named The American Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, the league announced Tuesday. USF was selected second in the coaches' poll, just three first-place votes behind UCF.
The Bulls will enter the 2018 season as the defending American Athletic Conference Tournament champions after last year's all-out battle against rival and regular season champions, UCF. The Bulls topped the Knights in penalty kicks, 5-3, after 110 scoreless minutes.
USF looks to rise even higher this year after making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament for just the second time in program history. Both trips were under the leadership of head coach
Denise Schilte-Brown, who said the Bulls must look forward.
"I think that before the season starts, the last thing you want to do is compare yourself to the previous year," said head coach Schilte-Brown. "You want to start with a clean slate. You want every girl on the team to know nothing they did before matters now. Only what is in front of you matters. It's hard work to get to where you are, and your opponent is going to be ready for you. When you have a good season, you have a target on your back and you need to work twice as hard as everyone else."
Viens (L'ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Canada) and junior
Andrea Hauksdottir (Kopavogur, Iceland) were each named to the preseason all-conference team, with Viens making the list by unanimous selection.
"I always think that our girls deserve the accolades they get," said head coach Schilte-Brown. "At the same time, I want them to understand that when you have an accolade like that, you have to live up to that expectation. Which means you need to work harder than you did before. I think Evelyne and Andrea are up for the task, and I think our team is up for the task. But at no point in time do I want to take a deep breath and sit back on what we have done in previous years."
Viens has been a force for the Bulls leading the team offensively for the last two seasons. After an incredible 2017 season, she became USF women's soccer's first-ever All-American when she was named to the third team by United Soccer Coaches.
Hauksdottir is an important part of the USF midfield, and has started every single game for the Bulls in the last two seasons. She combined for nine goals, ten assists and 28 points in her freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2017 she was 4-for-4 in penalty kicks.
In addition to the preseason accolades from The American, the Bulls are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
About USF Women's Soccer
Be sure to follow USF women's soccer on social media (Twitter / Instagram/Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
The USF women's soccer team has posted six consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and eight in the last nine years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
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