THOMASVILLE, N.C. -- The Belmont Abbey women's soccer team has been selected the favorite to win the 2006 Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The Crusaders finished the 2005 campaign with a record of 18-4 overall and 10-1 in the CVAC. Belmont Abbey tied for the regular-season title and won the CVAC Tournament championship in head coach Glad Bugariu's first season at the helm. Anderson University, in its first season under the direction of head coach Abby Crumpton, was picked 10th in the poll. The Crusaders return 14 players from last year's squad, including their top three scorers. Junior forward Erin Kolb scored a team-leading 14 goals en route to earning first-team All-CVAC and All-Region honors. New Pfeiffer Head Coach Sarah Denton leads ten returning starters from last year's regular season CVAC conference co-champions (10-1 in the CVAC, 14-5 overall). Led by junior forward Laura Crews, who was the '05 CVAC Player of the Year, All-CVAC first team and All-Region team member, and senior midfielder Maria Reis, who was also an All-CVAC first team member, the Falcons hope to continue last year's success. The Barton College women's soccer team has high expectations for the 2006 season after finishing third in the CVAC (14-5, 9-2) last fall. The Lady Bulldogs, led by fourth-year head coach Stacey Tant, achieved rankings of first in the Southeast Region and tenth nationally and won nine straight matches games at one point. Back from that squad are All-CVAC first teamers Jordan Carter in the midfield and Tara Davis at forward. Anchoring the defense will be returning All-CVAC second team performer Stephanie Schraw. Rounding out the poll 4-12 were: Mount Olive, Limestone, Queens, Erskine, Coker, Lees-McRae, Anderson, Converse, and St. Andrews Presbyterian. CVAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll (# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis) 1. Belmont Abbey (8) 116 2. Pfeiffer (3) 112 3. Barton 97 4. Mount Olive (1) 96 5. Limestone 79 6. Queens 69 7. Erskine 61 8. Coker 44 9. Lees-McRae 37 10. Anderson 35 11. Converse 27 12. St. Andrews 19