Mount Olive women’s soccer chosen third in preseason Conference Carolinas poll
GREENVILLE, S.C. — After claiming a third-straight regular season league crown, the University of Mount Olive women’s soccer team was voted third recently in the preseason Conference Carolinas poll.
The Trojans feature new leadership at the helm for a consecutive year as Head Coach Glad Bugariu makes his return to the Conference Carolinas after previously coaching Belmont Abbey (2005-07) to a pair of regular season and tournament titles. In 2022, Mount Olive posted a 13-5 record behind an 11-1 mark in league action and registered a pair of six-game winning streaks. Additionally, UMO featured eight all-conference selections last season.
Graduate student Jaslyn Gott returns along the backline for UMO after starting all 18 matches in 2022 and is a three-time all-conference player. She has played nearly 50 career matches and tallied over 3,500 minutes. Gott helped the Trojans secure seven shutout victories while adding three assists. Senior Amanda McLeod earned second-team all-conference honors last year and was a vital presence in the midfield. She closed the year with seven total points with two goals and three assists in 16 starts. Sophomore Addison Dangler returns for her second year at UMO after being one of the top freshmen in the league last season. She finished third on the team with 15 points behind six goals and three assists after playing primarily off the bench. Dangler also earned all-conference and all-tournament accolades in 2022.
UNC Pembroke was voted the overwhelming league favorite with nine first-place votes after claiming its second-straight conference tournament title in 2022. North Greenville reached the league finals last year and was slotted second in the preseason rankings with four first-place nods. The Trojans were selected third in the poll after making an appearance in the semifinals and earning a third-consecutive regular season championship. Lees-McRae was chosen fourth in the rankings while Belmont Abbey claimed the fifth position to round-out the poll.
The Conference Carolinas semifinals and championship will be played on Nov. 10 and Nov. 12 at Bryan Park in Browns Summit, North Carolina.
Mount Olive hosts its season-opener on Thursday, August 31, when it faces Lincoln Memorial in non-conference play at Amon Field with kickoff set for 2 p.m.
2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. UNC Pembroke (9)
2. North Greenville (4)
3. Mount Olive (1)
4. Lees-McRae
5. Belmont Abbey
6. Barton
7. Chowan
8. Francis Marion
9. Young Harris
10. Emmanuel
11. Southern Wesleyan
12. King
13. Converse
14. Erskine
