Pirates Picked Third in American Preseason Soccer Poll

IRVING, Texas – The East Carolina soccer team has been positioned third in the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Poll, the league announced Tuesday. Third place is officially the Pirates' highest ranking in a preseason poll in program history.

The Pirates garnered 73 votes to finish behind only Memphis (99) and South Florida (91) in the conference's preseason standings. Memphis earned nine of the 11 first-place votes with the other two being shared by South Florida and Charlotte, as voted on by the league's coaches.

In addition to the preseason poll, three Pirates were named to the American Preseason Watch List, comprising of the top players from each school in the conference:

Annabelle Abbott
Started all 19 games a season ago, scoring a pair of goals, including her remarkable last-second strike to secure a draw against Tulsa. For her efforts, the graduate player was named Second-Team All-Conference in 2023 and would later be recognized as ECU's Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year at the Goldspys.

Maeve English
Started all 19 games last season, making 57 saves en route to a career-best seven clean sheets. The Greenville native posted a save percentage of .740 and went on to earn Second-Team All-Conference recognition for the second season in a row.

Samantha Moxie
Started 16 games in 2023 while appearing in all 19 and contributing three goals and a pair of assists. The senior found the goal in highlight reel fashion in the Pirates' win over George Mason and tallied the team's first goal in the epic comeback win at North Texas.

The Pirates open their season on Sunday, August 18 at 7 p.m. as they travel to Raleigh for a date with the NC State Wolfpack.

Full Preseason Poll

1	Memphis (9)	99
2	South Florida (1)	91
3	East Carolina	73
4	Charlotte (1)	72
5	Florida Atlantic	64
6	North Texas	54
7	Tulsa	46
8	UTSA	41
9	UAB	32
10	Rice	21
11	Temple	12

Players Mentioned

Annabelle Abbott

Maeve English

Samantha Moxie

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