STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV) — Let’s talk Georgia Southern football — and by football — I mean the women’s soccer team.
They are itching to prove the conference coaches wrong this season as they start the year on Thursday, Aug. 17.
In the preseason coaches poll, the voters predicted Southern would finish fourth in the Sun Belt. This is a little surprising considering they played for the conference tournament championship in 2021 and last year, the Eagles had the best regular season record in the Sun Belt. Additionally, Georgia Southern returns 20 players off last year’s team, 10 of those are starters.
Third-year head coach Chris Adams does not want to be the preseason favorite, he wants to hold the championship trophy in November and earn an NCAA tournament berth.
“There are people that have been your perennial powers,” Adams said. “I think South Alabama has won the conference seven out of the last nine years. The new incomers — Old Dominion and James Madison — played in the conference championship. So, I actually think those teams may be ahead of us. To be quite honest, I hope they are ahead of us to where we are kind of hungry and it’s us chasing other people.”
The Georgia Southern women open the season Thursday, Aug. 17, on the road against UAB. The match starts at 8 p.m.
