JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lipscomb has been selected atop the the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced on Thursday.
The defending conference tournament champion Bisons went 14-4-4 last season, including a 7-1-3 mark in league play, and captured their fifth ASUN Championship. FGCU was selected second followed by EKU, last season's championship runner-up, in third. Central Arkansas, who joined the Eagles with a tournament semifinal appearance, sits fourth in the preseason rankings with North Florida and Austin Peay rounding out the top half in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The Eagles captured three preseason superlative honors with Erika Zschuppe leading the way as both the Preseason Player and Midfielder of the Year. The senior was a First Team All-ASUN selection last season after scoring a team-leading 12 goals with three multi-goal performances. The Kirkland, Ohio, native started in all 19 matches for the ASUN Regular Season Champions and scored 11 of her 12 goals during conference play. The Preseason Defensive Player of the Year is FGCU's Lauren Dwyer. A native of Kingston, Mass., the junior defender totaled 1,611 minutes on the Eagles' backline defensive efford and helped preserve eight FGCU shutouts. North Florida's Sofia Miliancano enters the fall as the ASUN Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. After a season ending injury in 2023, she bounced back in 2024 notching a 9-4-6 record between the pipes with a total of six clean sheets and a .726 save percentage.
2025 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Lipscomb (8) 138
2. FGCU (4) 134
3. EKU 112
4. Central Arkansas 108
5. North Florida 98
6. Austin Peay 73
7. Jacksonville 61
8. Stetson 57
9. North Alabama 49
10. Bellarmine 47
11. Queens 39
12. West Georgia 20
First-place votes in parentheses
2025 Women's Soccer Preseason All-ASUN Team
F - McKenzie Carle, Bellarmine
F - Ella Grode, EKU
F - Kendal Gargiula, FGCU
MF - Chiara Premoli, EKU
MF - Erika Zschuppe, FGCU
MF - Bella Carapazza, Lipscomb
MF - Paige McSwigan, North Florida
D - Sidney Rigsby, Bellarmine
D - Nina Mazzola, Central Arkansas
D - Lauren Dwyer, FGCU
D - Bekah Doolittle, Lipscomb
GK - Sofia Miliancano, North Florida