NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll

September 6, 2012
Brenau Golden Tigers Soccer team received 33 votes in the first NAIA attracting some attention in Coaches' poll of the season, and despite a strong 3-0 beginning, failed to make the Top 25 national rankings.

No. 1-ranked Lee University was one of four Southern States Athletic Conference rivals in the top 25 along with No. 4 University of mobile, No. 14 Auburn University Montgomery and No. 20 William Carey.

Coming off a strong finish to the 2011 season, the Tigers were not expected to finish higher than 10th in the conference, arguably the strongest in the nation.

"Clearly 33 coaches from around the country disagree and think we'll be stronger than that," said Brenau Head Soccer Coach Mike Lochstampfor. "We have many experienced players who returned this year, including one of the top-ranked goalkeepers in the nation, and we bolstered the roster with both experienced All America-class junior college transfers and talented new recruits."

Indeed, Tigers goalkeeper Tori Brown, a sophomore from Windermere, Fla., already has 26 saves and junior forward Esther Anyanwu, a Nigeria native who was a junior college All-American at Georgia Perimeter College, has 10 goals in the Tigers' 6-0 blowout of University of South Carolina Beaufort and 4-3 win over Savannah College of Art & Design on the road and the 4-1 win over Georgia Gwinnett College in the home opener.

The Brenau squad hosts Reinhardt University at 7 p.m. tonight at the Allen Creek Soccer Complex in Gainesville.