Murray State soccer has been picked to finish third in their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference as voted on by the coaches around the league on Tuesday morning. The Racers earned one first-place vote and are the highest placed team of the newcomers to the league with Belmont earning sixth place honors and UIC earning 10th place.
Valparaiso and Indiana State came in at the first two spots in the poll with Valpo earning eight first-place votes while Indiana State earned a first-place vote as well.
Fellow newcomer Belmont earned one first-place vote to round out the 11 votes for the top spot. Following MSU closely are Drake and Evansville at fourth and fifth respectively.
Juniors Hailey Cole and Chloe Barnthouse each earned preseason All-Conference honors. Cole, a midfielder from Nicholasville, Kentucky was named First Team All-OVC in the Racers final season in the league a year ago. The dynamic playmaker led the team with six assists last season while knocking in two goals of his own.
Barnthouse led the Racers in scoring the last two seasons with seven goals as a freshman and five goals last season. The West Bloomfield, Michigan native garnered First Team All-Conference honors as a freshman in the 2020-21 season and helped lead MSU to a 9-2 record.
The Racers kick off their regular season on August 18 at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La.
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