Hawks Slated 6th In CCS Preseason Poll

ATLANTA, Ga.- Prior to the start of the 2025 Women's Soccer season, the Collegiate Conference of the South has released their annual preseason poll, as voted on by the coaches in the league. 

Following a 2024 campaign that saw the Hawks finish with a 5-8-2 overall record, going 2-5-1 in conference play, Huntingdon received 26 points, placing them 6th in the league. 

Maryville was voted the 2025 season preseason frontrunner, collecting 63 points and seven first-place votes. The Scots earned the top spot in the poll for the second straight year.

Maryville swept both the regular season and tournament titles for the second straight year in 2024, finishing 13-3-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in CCS play. The Scots advanced to the NCAA Tournament before their season came to a close in a narrow 1-0 loss to Pacific Lutheran. This fall, they return a strong senior class led by tournament MVP Avery Brown and fellow all-tournament honoree Chloe Chase, along with all-region selections Hannah Smoot and Anabelle Procter.

The battle for second was tight, with Piedmont and Belhaven both collecting 49 points to tie for the runner-up spot in the poll.

Piedmont finished 7-6-4 last season and 5-2-1 in league play before falling to Belhaven in the conference semifinals. The Lions return key defensive presence Sierra Judson and graduate standout Sophie Wells, both of whom earned all-region recognition, as well as forward Paige Kluba, an all-conference selection and team leader with five goals.

Belhaven, meanwhile, turned in a 13-6-1 overall mark in 2024, also going 5-2-1 in CCS competition. The Blazers reached the conference title game after defeating LaGrange and Piedmont in tournament play, ultimately falling 1-0 to Maryville in the championship. Senior midfielder Emma Antonoplos, an all-region honoree, headlines their list of returners.

Asbury was tabbed fourth with 46 points following a 9-8-5 campaign and a 4-2-2 conference record. The Eagles advanced to the semifinals after topping Covenant in the quarterfinals before bowing out against Maryville. Junior forward Anna Spark, an all-tournament selection, and senior midfielder Hannah Muncie, who paced the team with nine goals, return as leaders for the program.

Covenant landed fifth in the poll with 42 points after posting a 9-6-1 record and a 5-2-1 league mark last season. The Scots will lean on their defensive strength with the return of Bronwyn Kickasola, the 2024 CCS Goalkeeper of the Year, and Gretchen Caswell, the 2024 CCS Defensive Player of the Year. Both earned first-team all-conference honors a season ago.

The 2025 season officially begins on Friday, August 29, with six CCS women's soccer programs taking the field in non-conference action while conference play is set to heat up in late September. The CCS Women's Soccer Championship Tournament kicks off Saturday, November 1, and concludes with the championship match on Saturday, November 8, hosted by the highest seeded team involved in each contest.

Led by sophomore standout Shaylinn McFarland, Huntingdon looks to reach new heights in the program's first season with coach Katie Williams at the helm. The Hawks take the field for the first time in the regular season this Saturday, August 30th, as they square off with the USA Sports University out of Daphne, Alabama. The match is set to begin at 1:00 PM CT.

See below for the full results of the 2025 CCS Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll:

2025 CCS WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL

First-place votes in parenthesis.