MORROW, GA – The countdown has begun for the kick-off of the Clayton State women's soccer season, and if the predictions by Peach Belt Conference coaches are correct, the Lakers are poised to have a fine 2012 campaign.

In a preseason poll released by the league office in Augusta, GA on Monday, the Lakers were picked to finish fourth out of 12 schools in the PBC, which is one of the top NCAA Division II women's soccer conferences in the country. Defending champion Armstrong Atlantic State University was unanimously selected as the favorite in the poll.

"We are pleased to be ranked 4^th in the PBC pre-season poll," said second-year coach Gareth O'Sullivan. "I think the teams selected in the first 3 spots are the right picks. It's an improvement from 2011 and hopefully a good indication of the direction we want to take the program. There will be a lot of parity in the PBC this year, with some very tight matches. If we are in the PBC Final 4 come Nov 2^nd then we will be delighted."

 Armstrong State, who received all 11 first place votes, finished the 2011 season with an 18-3-3 record, capturing the Peach Belt Conference regular season before advancing to the NCAA Division II Final Four. Columbus State was second in the poll, followed by North Georgia and Clayton State. Lander, UNC Pembroke and Georgia College were next in the poll with Flagler, Montevallo, Young Harris, USC Aiken and Georgia Southwestern rounding out the voting.

 Under O'Sullivan, the Laker squad has high expectations for the 2012 season, as the team is coming off a much improved 2011 campaign. Clayton State finished last year with a 9-7 record, and the squad returns 12 letterwinners and welcomes 10 talented newcomers into the fold. 

Clayton State returns four All-Peach Belt Conference performers from last year, including its top two scorers in senior forward Natalie Valentine and junior Josephine Holsten. Valentine finished last season as the conference's fourth leading scorer with 11 goals on the season, while Holsten's play-making skills accounted for four goals and two assists on the campaign.

All-PBC standouts in senior goalkeeper Laoise O'Driscoll and sophomore defender Silvia Espelt also return for the squad, anchoring a Clayton State defense that tied a single-season record with 10 shutouts on the year.

Headlining the Lakers' incoming class for 2012 is two NJCAA All-Americans in juniors Alicia Robinson and Peal Slattery. Both Robinson and Slattery starred at Hutchinson Community College, leading the college to a 17-3 record last year and No. 3 ranking nationally. Robinson led the nation in assists in 2011 with 27 and finished her career at Hutchinson with 24 goals and 42 assists, while Slattery had 29 goals and 27 assists in her two-year career.

The 2012 PBC women's soccer landscape has undergone some drastic changes from years past.  The league welcomes Young Harris College this season as the 12^th women's soccer program in the league.  YHC is making the transition to the NCAA Division II ranks and will not be eligible to play in the PBC Tournament; however the Mountain Lions will compete for the regular-season championship with and receive full consideration for all PBC awards and honors.  Also new in the PBC is head coach Samantha Snow, who takes over the reins at Georgia Southwestern.

Clayton State will open its season in the Queens Women's Soccer Classic, facing Pfeiffer on Fri., Aug. 31 and Queens on Sun., Sept. 2. The squad will open its home schedule at 4 p.m. Tues., Sept. 4 against Tennessee Wesleyan.

The preseason coaches poll is listed below.  Teams were given 11 points for a first-place vote, 10 for a second and so on.  Coaches were not permitted to rank their own teams.