Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Selected Seventh in Preseason Conference Poll
August 15, 2008 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 15, 2008
LUBBOCK, Texas - If the Texas Tech soccer team is going to finish in the top half of the Big 12 for the second consecutive season, it will once again have to defy the odds as the Red Raiders were selected to finish seventh among the league's 11 participating schools in a preseason poll of conference coaches.
The Red Raiders were picked to finish 11th in the conference prior to the 2007 season before finishing fifth in Tech head coach Tom Stone's first season.
Texas received five of 11 first-place votes to lead the poll with 94 points, while Texas A&M trailed closely behind with 93 points. Missouri, receiving two first place votes, Oklahoma State and Colorado rounded out the top five. The Red Raiders received 48 points to finish directly behind Kansas.
"The Big 12 is such a competitive conference from top to bottom, and I am happy to see that, at least from other people's perspective, we are moving in the right direction," Stone said. "There is a lot of ground to cover before we get to enjoy the Big 12 portion of our schedule, and my hope is that we can develop into a team that will compete week to week for points in conference play. If we can do that, I like our chances of having a good season."
Junior defender Brittney Harrison was the only Red Raider to be named to the All-Big 12 preseason team. A Plano, Texas, native, Harrison has been named to two postseason All-Big 12 teams in her career, the All-Newcomer team in 2006 and the second team in 2007.
The Red Raiders conclude their preseason schedule Saturday morning, hosting North Texas at 10 a.m. at the John Walker Soccer Complex. Tech opens the regular season at home against Lamar on Aug. 22.
