OVCE PRESEASON POLL: OTAHKS WILL PLACE THIRD

Southeast Missouri State University women's soccer coach Heather Nelson figures her squad is picked right about where it should be in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.

In voting by the league's head soccer coaches that was released Tuesday, the Otahkians tied for third in the six-team league, along with Murray State.

"On paper, that's probably where we should be picked," she said.

Not that Nelson will be comfortable if her third-year program finishes that way.

"I definitely feel like we can challenge for the title," she said. "I think being picked where we are is going to be great motivation for us. I would rather be picked there than have the girls picked first and then think they're better than they are."

Tennessee Tech, which won the 2000 OVC Tournament, is the favorite to capture the regular-season title this year. The Golden Eagles received three first-place votes and 22 total points in the balloting.

Two-time defending regular-season champion Eastern Illinois nabbed two first-place votes and 21 points.

"Tech and Eastern should be the favorites on paper," Nelson said. "They've been in the championship game of the tournament the last two years and Eastern hasn't lost a conference game since 1998. They've earned that respect."

Following Southeast and Murray State, which received the other first-place vote, came Morehead State and Tennessee-Martin.

Southeast, which went 10-6-1 overall last year and finished in a three-way tie for third in the OVC with a 2-3 mark, opens the regular season Aug. 31 as it hosts a four-team tournament.

But prior to that, the Otahkians will have three exhibition games, including Saturday's 7 p.m. contest at Houck Stadium against the powerful Busch Soccer Club from St. Louis.