ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum College women's soccer team has been selected to finish sixth in the 2016 South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, which the league office released on Monday.

The Pioneers had three players selected to the preseason All-Conference team, with sophomore forward Carly Mill and sophomore midfielder Katja Andersson earning first-team honors and junior defender Carlie Thornber capturing second-team accolades.

Tusculum finished in sixth place in the SAC in 2015 with a 5-4-2 league record, and the Pioneers went 9-8-2 overall for their 18th consecutive season with a .500 or better record, all under head coach Mike Joy who begins his 20th season on the sidelines with 286 career victory. The Pioneers welcome eight starters back from last year's team, including five of their top six goal scorers and the entire starting defense.

Mill finished with seven goals and four assists for 18 points as a freshman, ranking her second on the team in both goals and points while leading the team in helpers. She scored six of her seven goals in conference matches, including game-winners in victories over Coker and Catawba. Mill, a native of Montoursville, Pennsylvania, had multi-goal games against Coker and Mars Hill, and had at least one point in eight different matches for the Pioneers.

Andersson, a third-team NSCAA All-Southeast Region and second-team All-SAC pick last season, finished third on the team with six goals and had 14 points while playing in all 19 games. Andersson, who hails from Enstaberga, Sweden, enjoyed a stretch of four goals in five matches during the first half of the 2015 season, and scored five of her six goals in league contests.

Thornber started all 19 games for the second straight season and scored five goals to rank fourth on the team. She scored goals in three consecutive contests at midseason for the Pioneers, including one-goal wins over Newberry and Brevard and a shutout victory against Coker. The native of Oshawa, Ontario became the third player in program history to be named CoSIDA Academic All-America, claiming third-team honors following the season.

Defending SAC champion Carson-Newman claimed seven first-place votes in the balloting and received 115 points to earn the top spot in the poll, ahead of Wingate which had 112 points and three first-place votes. Lenoir-Rhyne had the remaining two first-place votes and was third with 106 points, followed by Queens (89), Anderson (81) and Tusculum (65) in the top half of the survey.

The remaining teams in the poll were Newberry in seventh with 59 points, followed by Lincoln Memorial (57), Coker (33), Catawba (28), Mars Hill (27) and Brevard (20).

Tusculum will kick off its 2016 season on Friday, Sept. 3 at 4 p.m. when the Pioneers host Concord at Pioneer Field.

SAC Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll

Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference Team
First Team All-Conference
F – Julianne Herrity, Carson-Newman
F – Charlotte Ring, Queens
F – Carly Mill, Tusculum
F – Kendall Smith, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Katja Andersson, Tusculum
MF – Kaitlyn Brunworth, Wingate
MF – Varin Ness, Carson-Newman
MF – Heida Ragney, Carson-Newman
D – Macy Franklin, Wingate
D – Ashley Osiecki, Queens
D – Megan Peterson, Carson-Newman
D – Mariah Lewis, Queens
GK – Alexis Jones, Wingate

Second Team All-Conference
F – Erika Linch, Newberry
F –Alaina Gay, Anderson
F – Becky Frost, Catawba
MF – Kathy Fisher, Queens
MF – Breona Tate, Mars Hill
MF – Elizabeth Gutierrez, Newberry
MF – Tera Dolan, Anderson
D – Elissa Lane, Carson-Newman
D – Kim Migliarese, Lenoir-Rhyne
D – Shelby Osiecki, Queens
D – Carlie Thornber, Tusculum
GK – Jessica Fraiture, Carson-Newman