Bulls Picked First, Viens Preseason Offensive Player of the Year by American Coaches
PROVIDENCE, R.I., AUGUST 13, 2019 – Fresh off the program's first-ever American Athletic Conference regular season championship in 2018, the USF women's soccer team was selected to repeat as league champions in a preseason poll voted on by the conference head coaches. Senior forward
Evelyne Viens (L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Canada) was tabbed as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year and joined senior
Andrea Hauksdottir (Kopavogur, Iceland) as members of the preseason all-conference team.
"I'm proud of the team's performance to get this type of recognition," head coach
Denise Schilte-Brown said. "I don't think preseason has earned you anything and there's a lot of hard work to be done before anyone can have success in this conference. I'm proud to be a member of the American Athletic Conference and the strength of this conference will test our team."
Viens earned a spot on the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the second straight year after becoming USF's first two-time All-American last season. The forward finished the 2018 campaign as the NCAA statistical champion for points (2.47) and goals (1.05) per game. Also during her fantastic junior year, Viens set new USF records for single-season goals (20), season points (47) and career goals (48). The American Offensive Player of the Year's six game-winners tied the USF record for the most in a season program history, a milestone Viens initially reached in 2017 before becoming the Bulls' first-ever All-American.
Hauksdottir was named to the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the first time in her career after earning The American Midfielder of the Year honors in 2018. Last season, Hauksdottir started all 19 games for the Bulls and ranked second on the team with seven assists on the way to becoming an all-conference first team selection for the second straight year. Hauksdottir led the team in minutes played (1,632) and scored five times to help USF lead the nation in scoring offense with 2.84 goals per game. Both Hauksdottir and Viens were rewarded for their solid junior seasons with All-South Region First Team honors by the United Soccer Coaches.
USF finished the 2018 season with a 15-4 overall record and an 8-1 mark in league play to register its seventh consecutive season with at least 10 wins. The Bulls won the league title in thrilling fashion on the final day of the regular season with a 1-0 victory over rival UCF in the War on I-4. USF went on to make the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years and advanced to the second round before falling to eventual NCAA champion Florida State.
As a team, the Bulls led the nation in scoring offense for the majority of the season, finishing with 2.84 goals per game and outscored opponents 54-18.
Viens, Hauksdottir and the 2018 American Athletic Conference regular season champion Bulls return to competition with exhibition tests at Stetson (Aug. 13) and against North Texas (Aug. 16). USF begins the 2019 regular season with huge home games against Auburn (Aug. 22) and Florida (Aug. 25) at Corbett Stadium. View the complete 2019 schedule
HERE.Single game tickets and Olympic Gold Passes are available for purchase on USFBullsTix.com or by texting or calling 1-800-GO-BULLS.
About USF Women's Soccer
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The USF women's soccer team has posted seven consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and nine in the last 10 years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
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