BATON ROUGE – As the LSU Soccer team wraps up its first full week of training camp in preparation for the 2012 season, the Tigers were selected to finish in second place in the SEC Western Division in the fall in a preseason vote by the league’s 14 head coaches released Thursday by the conference office.
The Tigers received two first-place votes to repeat as the SEC Western Division champions as they aim to defend the crown they won a year ago with an 8-3 mark and 24 points in SEC play.
In fact, the LSU Soccer team opens the 2012 campaign as the SEC West champion for four of the last five seasons with their wins in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. The Tigers have also finished in second place in the overall SEC standings in three of the last four seasons as they near the start of 2012.
“The SEC experienced unprecedented success a year ago as one of the premier leagues in college soccer,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We’re only getting stronger as a conference with the addition of NCAA veterans Texas A&M and Missouri. This is going to be an exciting season for SEC soccer.”
If LSU hopes to add a fifth SEC West crown to its trophy case, it must battle SEC newcomer Texas A&M for the 2012 division title. The Aggies were selected as the SEC West favorite while receiving the total of 12 first-place votes and 89 points in the final coaches’ ballot. LSU trailed the Aggies in second place with 74 points, just one point ahead of Auburn in third place with 73 points.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been picked to finish in fourth place in the SEC West standings with the 53 points received, followed by Ole Miss (44), Arkansas (29) and Mississippi State (23).
The Florida Gators are the coaches’ pick to capture their sixth SEC Championship in seven seasons taking 10 first-place votes for the overall league title and 12 first-place votes to claim the SEC East crown. Texas A&M received four first-place votes to win the league title in their first season in the conference.
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
SEC Champion: Florida (10), Texas A&M (4)
EASTERN DIVISION
Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Florida (12) 90
T2. Georgia 70
T2. South Carolina (2) 70
4. Kentucky 56
5. Missouri 42
6. Tennessee 38
7. Vanderbilt 19
WESTERN DIVISION
Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Texas A&M (12) 89
2. LSU (2) 74
3. Auburn 73
4. Alabama 53
5. Ole Miss 44
6. Arkansas 29
7. Mississippi State 23