BOCA RATON, Fla. – On the eve of the 2022 women’s soccer season, Conference USA released its preseason all-conference teams and coaches’ poll. Gi Krstec and Amanda Martin of the Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer team were each selected to Preseason All-C-USA honors.
In addition to the pair of Owl selections to the preseason team, FAU was predicted to finish in third place in a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches. The Owls received one first-place vote. Rice was predicted to finish in first with seven first-place votes, and WKU was chosen to finish second with three first-place votes.
QUOTES FROM COACH
“We have a good team returning, and we are excited about our newcomers that have just arrived,” FAU head coach Patrick Baker said. “We have been in the mix for a regular season title for four straight years, and thus know the tough journey ahead of us. Playing everyone this fall in C-USA will be exciting and challenging, plus somewhat sentimental with it being our last year in the conference. Our non-conference schedule is tremendous and will truly prepare us for the competition that awaits us in the C-USA regular season.”
HONORS KEEP ROLLING IN
Krstec and Martin have been receiving recognition since the conclusion of the 2021 season. The duo was All-C-USA and United Soccer Coaches All-Region honorees last year. Earlier this month, they were named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List, becoming the first two Owls in program history to earn those honors.
“We are excited to see Gi and Amanda being recognized by the C-USA coaches,” Baker said. “They both have had stellar careers at Florida Atlantic, and we’re looking forward to big things from them in 2022. Gi has been such an important figure in our midfield since 2019 and enters her senior year playing some of her best soccer. Amanda stepped into our back line upon arrival and has been the leader of our defense since 2020. Both have enjoyed all-conference and all-region recognition for their play in the past and will be counted on again throughout the 2022 campaign.”
“I feel incredibly honored to be a part of the all-conference preseason team,” Krstec said. “This is my final year playing at the collegiate level, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a contributing team member and a graduate student at FAU.”
“I am honored to receive this recognition by Conference USA,” said Martin. “I am looking forward to a successful season both collectively and individually, and I hope I can support this team as much as they support me. I am excited to make FAU’s last season in Conference USA the most memorable season so far.”
SEASON OPENER TOMORROW
The Owls will open the 2022 campaign against Alabama tomorrow, Aug. 18, against Alabama. The match will be played in the FAU Football Stadium with a 7 p.m. start.
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