Duo Named to Preseason Best XI Teams
August 14, 2017 02:36 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women’s soccer seniors Michaela Abam and Carla Portillo have been named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Women’s DI Preseason Best XI Teams.
Abam, a forward and Houston native, was named to the first team, while Portillo, a midfielder and native of Mississauga, Ontario, landed on the third team.
The duo were two of six Mountaineers named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer Team on Aug. 9.
An NSCAA All-America Second Team honoree last year, Abam, the reigning co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, also was named to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List on Aug. 8. She has led the Mountaineers in all three seasons at WVU, including last year, as she finished ranked No. 1 in the Big 12, No. 24 nationally, with a career single-season high 33 points (12 G, 9 A). She also ranked No. 1 in the conference in game-winning goals (5) and No. 2 in assists.
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team honoree and the 2014 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Abam enters her senior season ranked No. 8 in WVU history in career goals (32) and No. 9 in career points (77).
An NSCAA All-Central Region Second Team honoree in 2016, Portillo finished third on the team with a career single-season high 17 points (5 G, 7 A). Her assist total, also a single-season best, ranked No. 3 on the team and No. 4 in the Big 12. A two-time All-Big 12 honoree, Portillo was named to the first team as a junior.
TopDrawerSoccer.com also released its Preseason Division I Women’s Top 25 Poll today, and the Mountaineers sit at No. 3.
Penn State and Stanford rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while Florida State and Duke follow WVU at No. 4 and No. 5.
UCLA ranks No. 6 and is followed by California at No. 7 and USC at No. 8. North Carolina and Georgetown round out the top 10.
The Mountaineers rank No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s National Preseason Rankings.
WVU officially opens its 2017 season at No. 5 Georgetown on Friday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m., at Shaw Field, in Washington, D.C.
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