FRISCO — The Southland Conference announced its 2011 soccer polls Wednesday and UTSA has been picked to finish third by head coaches and fourth by the league’s sports information directors. In addition, sophomore Anka Grotle has been named to the preseason first team while classmate Maria Jose Rojas was placed on the second team.
UTSA, the defending Southland Tournament Champions, totaled 65 points in the coaches poll behind Stephen F. Austin (75) and defending regular-season champion Southeastern Louisiana (70). Texas State also garnered 65 points and was followed by Lamar (44), Sam Houston State (44), Northwestern State (32), McNeese State (30), Central Arkansas (16) and Nicholls (9).
The Roadrunners collected 59 points, including one first-place vote, from the SIDs behind Southeastern Louisiana (76), Stephen F. Austin (72) and Texas State (61). Sam Houston State (54), Lamar (40), Central Arkansas (27), McNeese State (26), Northwestern State (24) and Nicholls (11) rounded out the poll.
Sixth-year head coach Steve Ballard returns 16 letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished with a 13-8-2 mark and school records for wins, shutouts (10), goals (44), assists (46) and points (134). The record-setting season came to an end at the hands of national No. 2 seed Portland in the program’s first NCAA Tournament match.
Grotle returns to lead a defense that allowed just five goals in conference action last season. The Bremanger, Norway, native was one of two players to start all 23 matches last season and she registered 12 points (four goals/four assists), including a team-leading three game-winning goals. She was the only freshman named to league’s first team in 2010.
Rojas earned second-team all-conference honors a season ago after scoring five goals and leading the team with a half dozen assists and 16 points. The Santiago, Chile, native netted a pair of game-winners, including a goal in overtime to defeat Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland Tournament Championship Match.
Both Grotle and Rojas earned spots on the Southland All-Tournament Team after helping UTSA to its first-ever conference title.
UTSA opens the 2011 campaign next Friday, Aug. 19, against UC Irvine in College Station.
